Lesson #5 - Daily Life

For our final lesson, we wanted to show students what daily life was like for ancient Egyptians. We chose to use a form of dramatic play in this lesson because it had been so successful last semester. We also wanted to address some of the topics that the students had expressed interest in on their interest surveys.

Catherine B. and I dressed up as ancient Egyptian women (complete with wigs and makeup) and described our different lifestyles. While Catherine B. told about what it was like to be a lower class woman (describing her family, chores, and responsibilities), I talked about my luxurious life as a pharoah's wife. We also discussed the role of jewelry and makeup in Egyptian culture, something that fascinated many of the girls in the class. The students were very interested in everything we said and kept trying to call us Miss Brown and Miss Robinson so that we would break character. We asked them to tell us what they knew about ancient Egypt, and I was very encouraged to see what they had learned and remembered from our previous lessons.

Before beginning the lesson, we had put masking tape on the ground to represent different Egypt geographic points (Nile River, pyramids, desert). We explained what these areas were before we introduced the role-playing activity. We also reviewed the rules of role-playing and reminded the students that if they did not follow the rules, they would not be able to participate. We have learned from past lessons how important it is to reiterate these rules, especially when using any sort of prop. We then read a short description of a member of ancient Egyptian society and chose 3 students to play that part. They retrieved their props from the prop table and thought about where their character would live (near the Nile, in the desert, etc.). After we assigned all the roles, we asked the students to think about their character's life: did they like their job? what did they want? what did they worry about? We walked around to each group and asked them to explain a little bit about what they were thinking.

We then allowed the students some time to act out their character and interact with some of the other characters in the room. It was interesting to see how the students internalized their role and related to the other characters. For example, the washerwomen were washing the clothes for the nobles who were inviting the pharaoh to a party. During this time Catherine B. and I walked around and talked to the students about their role and asked them different questions about their character. I was very impressed by how comprehensive their answers were and felt as though they really understood more of how ancient Egyptian society might have functioned. We dismissed each group of characters back to their seats and collected their props on the prop table (something that was essential in keeping this activity organized!).

We had planned to do an exit card/journal entry, but Mr. F. said that the class had a surprise for us instead. They gave both of us a copy of The BFG that they had all signed and cards that they had decorated. Mr. F. told us how much he appreciated all of the work we had done and wished us luck in our future as teachers. Reading through the cards made me realize how much this class truly has meant to me. It was encouraging to see how much they enjoyed the time that we spent with them. I think that it's moments like these that make the hard parts of teaching more bearable; it's such a rewarding feeling to know that you are really making a difference in some child's life. Although we were a little wary when we first began teaching in this class, my experience with Mr. F. has given me an entirely new perspective on teaching. I really am grateful for the time that I spent in his classroom and the lessons we learned there.