Sixth Grade Mounts Exhibition about Ancient Egypt
January 29, 2021 by
The Middle School Commons has been transformed into an exhibition space about Ancient Egypt. There, visiting cohorts get an up-close look at the daily lives of ancient Egyptians as well as how they thought about death. Developed by sixth grade students, the exhibition features in-depth research and writing about a range of topics as well as creative artifacts depicting objects that give insight into the way ancient Egyptians lived, what they valued, and what they believed. The topics explored include the role of women in ancient Egypt, the impact of beliefs about the afterlife on their daily lives, the use of mythology to explain natural phenomena in Ancient Egypt, the significance of the Nile River to agriculture, the leadership styles of various pharaohs, and innovation and symbolism in architecture. At the Expo, cohort tour groups had the opportunity to examine fascinating artifacts which included homemade ancient Egyptian bread, assorted mummies and sarcophagi, scales used in the weighing of the heart ceremony, pyramids, ancient weapons, sphinxes, and hieroglyphics.
The sixth graders’ exploration of ancient civilizations reflects MILTON’s pedagogical approach in which students have opportunities for choice within the curriculum and refine their skills by writing across disciplines. For this project, sixth graders chose a topic, developed a related focus question, conducted research, brought together different views, evidence, and facts from books, articles and reliable online sources, interpreted the information into their writing, and refined their work by incorporating feedback from peers and academic advisers. Kol hakavod to the students and their teachers! Enjoy photos of the Expo on Facebook.