The ancient Egyptians did not call their home "Egypt" (that name is based on the Greek pronunciation of the name of Ptah's temple in Memphis - "Hwt-ka-Ptah"), instead they referred to it as Kemet (or Kem - the black land) or Ta Mery (the beautiful land). ~ Jeremy Hill (Ancient Egypt Online).

ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 14--18

SOCIAL STUDIES:

Welcome to the beginnings of our study of Ancient Egypt!

Thus far we have had an overview of the geography of ancient Egypt and an introduction to the great pharaohs, learning about the varied crowns and the conditions under which they were worn. (assignments for January 7-11)

This week's activities include hieroglyphic writing and sarcophagus design as we prepare for the major part of the unit, which we will begin next week.

Check out this great interactive site to learn more about hieroglyphics and sharpen your translation skills.  It's fun!

Explore Ancient Egypt and take the quiz. (Don't forget to print it off and hand it in. You can always go back and take it again to improve your score!)

This Ancient Egyptian timeline has a lot of really good information, too.  Read it and take the quiz. (Print off and turn in!)

A list of the major gods of Ancient Egypt can be found here. Challenge yourself to click on each one to learn more, then complete the activity.

For fun, here's a cool jigsaw and word search to test your skill.

OK, OK -- one more fun site.  Lots of activities to do here.

NOVA provides a great interactive site for learning more about pyramids; check it out!

We'll be reading and writing about a variety of the articles at this National Geographic site.

LANGUAGE ARTS:

On Monday, we completed our District Writing Prompts, with a few students finishing up on Tuesday.  Students were provided with class time to work on their Writer's Notebooks.  Wednesday and Thursday, we took a break from prompts and portfolio pieces to read and interpret poetry, both artistically and in writing.  We'll have an opportunity to share on Friday, with some time, hopefully, to explore some of the interesting information from the sites above.

6th GRADE SPELLING:

Remember 5 task cards are due by Friday--and for Pete's sake, study those words!

We'll complete packets on Thursday -- they're due on Friday, too.

Work hard; give your best effort.  Remember, excellence is attitude.

Mrs. Maynard

Egypt landscape image:  http://digital-art-gallery.com/oid/84/640x261_14748_Nachshon_Who_Was_Afraid_To_Swim_

2d_illustration_children_book_landscape_egypt_piramids_river_picture_image_digital_art.jpg