Summer SAVY, Session 4 Day 3, Beyond the Pyramids (1st – 2nd)
Today was a great day as we continued diving into pyramids and hieroglyphics!
Read Aloud: Today I read excerpts from Senefer: A Young Genius in Old Egypt by Betrice Lumpkin and illustrated by Linda Nickens. This fictional tale about a boy in ancient Egypt is based on a real mathematician who worked for Pharaoh Hatshepsut. The story introduced numerals used in ancient Egypt.
Academic Vocabulary: Today, we learned the meaning of scribe. We learned that scribes were highly educated, and only a few people knew how to read and write hieroglyphics. Ask your child who the scribes worked for. We also learned the name for the more simple, everyday writing: demotic.
Academic Content: Students learned how to write numbers used by this civilization. They wrote the symbols for 1, 10, 100, and 1000. They learned to write numbers by repeating the symbol until the next level of place value was reached and brought home a piece of real papyrus with their numeral key. Ask your child to write 12, 341, and 1111 to demonstrate what they learned today!
We also learned about hieroglyphics, including how the Rosetta Stone helped researchers understand the meaning of each symbol to decode hieroglyphics and demotic writing. Students wrote their names in clay using a stylus tool. When it dries, they will bring it home, so they can share it with you.
Civilization Simulation: Students determined jobs needed for their civilization. Each student selected one job based on their skills and interests. They discussed how they can help and support each other through different jobs. Ask your child which job they chose and how they will contribute to the civilization.
Thursday Preview: Tomorrow we will learn about Egyptian mythology and Pharaohs. Students will research Pharaohs and record their findings. They will act out a story from Egyptian mythology and learn generalizations about systems using them to determine how a civilization functions as a system.
Looking forward to another great day tomorrow!