This is part of our Lesson Plan Focus series. To download samples of the planning materials that come included in the ClassVR Subscription, see </school-curriculum-content-subjects/sample-lesson-plans/>
Ancient Egypt was always one of my favourite topics in school, both as a teacher and a student. Like most history topics it is all about stories and I love a good story. Throw in ancient structures, incredible discoveries and ongoing mysteries and you have a topic to enrapture even the most passive students.
Our current ‘Inside the Tomb’ lesson plan ideas were written with 7-8 year olds in mind, however there is no reason why the experiences couldn’t be used to enrich teaching and learning within this topic across different age groups.
Explore Ramesses Tomb
Age 4 to 7 years
Younger children can create Egyptian dances with some adult support and guidance. Ideas could be collected as a class which could then be performed together. This would allow them to be exposed to Egyptian music and could even be used as an opportunity to tell a story through their movements. Alternatively, they can do a virtual shape hunt, looking for 2D and 3D shapes in a real environment.
Age 8 to 11 years
For this age group, there are existing lesson plans that can be used, including using the VR experiences to focus on the importance of the Nile during a study of rivers. This can form the basis of an investigation of the impact of rivers on ancient settlements and civilizations. Furthermore this is an ideal age group to look at the embalming process, where students can act this out or create a comic strip showing the steps involved.
Age 11 to 14 years
Older students could use the immersive experiences as powerful stimuli for writing or speaking and listening activities, exploring a range of genres in the process. They would lend themselves well to historical narratives, journalistic writing to report on important discoveries e.g. Howard Carter unearthing King Tut’s tomb as well as a debate about where Ancient Egyptian artefacts belong.