In an attempt to make the study ofhistory as appealing as possible to middle school students, the author of the Early Times series was motivated to writeher own material, sinceshe could find no book that adequately presented the information she wantedher students to learn. Textbooks tend to cover a large number of civilizations in a superficial and homogenized manner, while trade booksare usually too specific to be useful as an overview.The Story of Ancient Egypt provides acomprehensive overview,and then delves into the meatier aspects of religion, art, science, cuisine, political intrigue, and so forth.
This bookembodies the author's scholarly research on that phenomenally rich ancient civilization, augmented by the reams of notes and teaching suggestions she accumulated over years of teaching.It is written in a lively and crisp style, using vocabulary that is provocative and occasionally challenging, but never overwhelming to the average middle school reader to grasp.
Each chapter is followed by a set of questions to help the students review what they have read. "Ideas to Think About" provide materials for further discoussion and/or enrichment activities. "Projects" are suggestions for independent as well as group assignments. The books listed in Suggested Readings are excellent resources for research projects, and their illustrations are very useful for enriching class discussions. Many of them should be available in the classroom to students throughout their study of Egypt.
The Story of AncientEgypt is the product of nine years of teaching experiences as well as a life-long fascination with the subject. The original manuscript was "test marketed" in the author's own classroom, and the projects included are based upo those activities her students enjoyed the most. It can be used for either a unit or a year's study of Ancient Egypt.
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