Governing Ancient Egypt

We Are The New Pharoahs

created by Nevin Blumer

Introduction and Grade: 7

This challenge expands on a study of prehistoric cultures involving the Assyrians and Ancient Egyptians. This hypothetical challenge involves problem solving, placing students in a position that forces them:

Critical task: The year is 1567 BC, the end of what historians refer to as the Middle Kingdom. Students will imagine themselves to be the new Pharaoh. Knowing the many problems their predecessors had that led to the downfall of the Middle kingdom, students will present a plan to govern Ancient Egypt, first as individual Pharaohs, and then as group pharaohs and be able to defend and/or rationalize their plans to a critical panel of supporters and opposition.

Overview: Students will need to review the political structure and justice system of Ancient Egypt. As a whole class activity, students will read a short passage that highlights the invasion menace of the raiding Nomads who lived along the Mediterranean coast and often waged against Ancient Egyptian villages. I will model strategies to distinguish root problems from symptoms, needs versus wants, and elicit short term versus long term actions. Students then read more to become familiar with a fuller range of problems that led to the downfall of the middle kingdom and specifically what the preceding Pharaoh did to either contribute to these problems or alleviate them. Students individually devise a brainstorm of possible solutions in a draft action plan. Students share their action plans in a group and, from the variety of ideas formulated through discussion and debate, a plan is generated with rationales. Students present their group plan orally to a panel of opposition members and supporters (non-presenting class members are split in half) who both interrogate presenters and evaluate plans.

Requisite Tools.

Background Knowledge:

Criteria for Judgement: Students will hand in their plans and be evaluated by a checklist rating scale analyzing quality of planning and content:

Evaluation Criteria:

 

not at all

somewhat

mostly true

completely true
  • The student analyzed a variety problems.

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  • The student differentiate problems from symptoms.

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  • The student prioritized problems in terms of importance.

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  • The student produced a comprehensive list of solutions to solve such problems.

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  • The student has given rationales for their solutions.

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  • The student's rationales are guided by knowledge of Ancient Egypt.

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  • Has the student made an action plan that considers possible repercussions?

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Critical Thinking Vocabulary:

Thinking Strategies:

Habits of Mind:

 

Suggested Learning Activities:

Step A) Reviewing Political Structure and Social Hierarchy:

  1. Students contribute to a brainstorm of current knowledge of religion and government in the old kingdom and middle kingdom
  2. Students review culture and daily lives of Ancient Egypt
  3. Students review social hierarchy from a prior activity (social pyramid)

Step B) Preparatory Strategies:

  1. Teacher models the process of identifying symptoms to problems and possible solutions to repercussions by using a small sample reading passage that pertains to the threats that Nomads waged against Egyptian villages.
  2. I will model and discuss the strategy of prioritizing problems so that students focus on a smaller range of most pressing problems

Step C) Learning about the situation facing the new Pharaoh:

  1. Students read background and listen to passage for information that give insights into root problems
  2. Students identify symptoms and problems (the first 2 columns of their 4 way grids

Step D) Forming plans:

  1. Students devise solutions and rationales, considering possible repercussions (4 way grids)
  2. Students choose a smaller range of 3-4 solutions based on prioritizing the needs and most pressing problems of Ancient Egypt
  3. Students present plans to groups. Groups try to forge common ground and devise a group plan
  4. Groups anticipate possible criticism of their plan and prepare their rationales

Step E) Students present plan:

  1. Students divide presentation into roles for individual group members (possibly each individual presents one plan or alternatively one states the symptoms, one problems, one the solutions and one the rationale, and they orally present their plans to the class who are split into opposition camps and supporter camps
  2. Opposition members interrogate members of the plan while the group and their supporters defend the plan or acknowledge areas to revise
  3. When group is finished it becomes opposition or supporters while another group takes its turn

Step F) Students Evaluate Presentations:

  1. Students evaluate group plans by way of a checklist, 2 stars and a wish format based on the criteria that I outlined above
  2. Teacher communicates evaluations to group members by class conference

 

Grade 7

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