We're traveling on the River Nile in the spring of 47 B.C. We float on the magnificent royal barge, catching glimpses of pyramids and ancient ruins. Our hosts, Cleopatra VII (the last great pharaoh of Ancient Egypt) and her companion, the powerful Roman general Julius Caesar, share exotic foods and delicious beverages with us. We've packed our old-fashioned leather expedition bags. We have canteens full of water, lots of light-colored, loose-fitting clothing, and long scarves to protect us from the sun and desert sand. We're on a Reading Road Trip to Ancient Egypt!
The Egypt Game by Emma B.
Fifth Grade Reading Road Trippers are exploring The Egypt Game, a 1967 Newbery Honor award-winning novel by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. The story, set in California, follows a sustained imaginative game created by a group of children who share an interest in Ancient Egypt. They spend countless hours performing rituals and consulting oracles in their imaginary Egypt-- a deserted lot-- even as strange things begin happening in their neighborhood. Their bright imaginations inspire the game, but very real dangers lurking outside their make-believe world threaten to bring the Egypt Game to a disastrous end.
The Egypt Game Quiz Poster
Just in time for Reading Road Trip's visit to Ancient Egypt, Lafayette Fourth Graders are reading The Time Warp Trio: Tut Tut by Jon Scieszka. The adventure begins when Joe's sister Anna accidentally opens The Book-- and Joe, Sam, and Fred suddenly find themselves in Ancient Egypt. Soon, the three are dodging crocodiles on the Nile, outwitting an evil high priest, and searching for an escape route from a mummy-making chamber. Can their new friend Thutmose III help them? Reading Road Trippers are going to find out!
Time Warp Trio Fred by Hailey H.
Hailey H. in Mrs. Kelly’s fourth grade class read and reviewed The Time Warp Trio: Tut, Tut. She summarizes what happens when Joe, Sam, and Fred—along with Joe’s sister Anna and her cat named Cleo—are time-warped to Ancient Egypt: “They meet a pharaoh, become friends, and also meet an evil guy. The evil guy traps them in a secret room, and the Egyptian goddess Isis saves them.” Hailey’s favorite character in the book is Fred because “he surfs the Nile… and loves the Egyptian food.” Hailey likes the book because both the story and the characters are funny, and the plot isn’t boring. She recommends this book to friends who want to learn about Ancient Egypt and meet some funny characters along the way!
Tut Tut by Charlotte P.
Check out Mr. Mummy! This lecture on mummification was given in 2009 by Egyptologist Robert Briar, one of the world's foremost experts on mummies. Ancient Egyptians were amazing record keepers; however, they wrote very little about the unique process of mummification. Dr. Briar-- also known as Mr. Mummy-- explains it all, so let's check out his cool lecture!
Egyptian Mummy by Henry G.
Students are choosing books and starting to earn points for their Reading Road Trip teams. We can visit some amazing Internet sites to learn more about Ancient Egypt and to help us pick a project that piques our interest!
Did you know? English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. It is the best-preserved and most intact tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings.
King Tut by Katherine W.
And did you know this? One stone block in a pyramid weighed two-and-a half tons... as much as two medium-sized cars!
Pyramid and Sphinx by Emma D.
Many centuries ago, Ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics, a kind of picture writing, to tell stories and to communicate. Hundreds of years later, archaeologists discovered puzzling hieroglyphic writing on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs and pyramids. The writing was beautiful to look at, but there was no one alive in the world who remembered what the ancient hieroglyphics meant! Then, in 1799, a French soldier in Egypt discovered the Rosetta Stone, a tablet that helped translate the perplexing picture writing from the past. We can try typing our hieroglyphic names using the hieroglyphic typewriter. Click on the red-highlighted words to get started.
Hieroglyphic Alphabet by Haley P.
Reading Road Trippers have been decoding mysterious hieroglyphic messages from an Ancient Egyptian bulletin board created by Lafayette parents Kim Auer and Zahrah Khan.
Egyptian Rock Art
An Ancient LMC? The Library at Alexandria, Egypt, was the largest and greatest library in the ancient world. In 48 B.C., Julius Caesar accidentally burned down the famous library when he set fire to his own ships while battling an enemy! We're fortunate to have a modern LMC that holds many stories to capture our imaginations and many non-fiction titles that will jump-start our research. Ancient Egypt... check it out in the Lafayette LMC!
Students are choosing books and starting to earn points for their Reading Road Trip teams. We can visit some amazing Internet sites to learn more about Ancient Egypt and to help us pick a project that piques our interest!
Did you know? English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. It is the best-preserved and most intact tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings.
And did you know this? One stone block in a pyramid weighed two-and-a half tons... as much as two medium-sized cars!
Many centuries ago, Ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics, a kind of picture writing, to tell stories and to communicate. Hundreds of years later, archaeologists discovered puzzling hieroglyphic writing on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs and pyramids. The writing was beautiful to look at, but there was no one alive in the world who remembered what the ancient hieroglyphics meant! Then, in 1799, a French soldier in Egypt discovered the Rosetta Stone, a tablet that helped translate the perplexing picture writing from the past. We can try typing our hieroglyphic names using the hieroglyphic typewriter. Click on the red-highlighted words to get started.
Reading Road Trippers have been decoding mysterious hieroglyphic messages from an Ancient Egyptian bulletin board created by Lafayette parents Kim Auer and Zahrah Khan.
An Ancient LMC? The Library at Alexandria, Egypt, was the largest and greatest library in the ancient world. In 48 B.C., Julius Caesar accidentally burned down the famous library when he set fire to his own ships while battling an enemy! We're fortunate to have a modern LMC that holds many stories to capture our imaginations and many non-fiction titles that will jump-start our research. Ancient Egypt... check it out in the Lafayette LMC!