Pyramids of Giza: US Year 10-12
Advanced ancient Egyptian history scenarios for high school students.
- Describe key archaeological methods used at the Giza complex
- Evaluate different types of historical evidence (artefacts, texts, structures)
- Analyse how new technology has changed our understanding of the pyramids
- Assess the reliability and limitations of archaeological evidence
Duration: 3–4 lessons (50 min each)
Engagement Strategy: Virtual site exploration, evidence analysis workshop, debate on competing theories
- Access to Salty Sharks Pyramids of Giza virtual world
- Archaeological evidence analysis cards
- Case studies of key discoveries at Giza
- Research articles on modern scanning technology (LIDAR, muon tomography)
Driving Question
How do archaeologists piece together the story of the pyramids from fragmentary evidence?
Project
Students conduct a mock archaeological analysis of a "discovery" and present their interpretation at a class conference.
Curriculum Standard
AP World History: Civilizations and their legacies; Historical thinking skills: Analysing evidence and argumentation.
Teacher's Role
- 1 Present archaeological methodology overview
- 2 Create mock discovery scenarios with ambiguous evidence
- 3 Facilitate evidence-based debate between competing interpretations
- 4 Guide academic conference preparation
Student's Role
- 1 Explore the virtual Giza site as an archaeologist
- 2 Analyse assigned evidence sets and develop interpretations
- 3 Research modern archaeological technologies
- 4 Present findings at a mock academic conference
Evaluate critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning skills.
- 1 Demonstrates understanding of multiple archaeological methods
- 2 Evidence analysis is thorough and considers multiple interpretations
- 3 Acknowledgement of evidence limitations and biases
- 4 Conference presentation is professional and well-argued
- 5 Responses to peer questions show depth of knowledge
Research a current archaeological controversy and write an essay evaluating the competing claims.
- Describe key archaeological methods used at the Giza complex
- Evaluate different types of historical evidence (artefacts, texts, structures)
- Analyse how new technology has changed our understanding of the pyramids
- Assess the reliability and limitations of archaeological evidence
Duration: 3–4 lessons (50 min each)
Engagement Strategy: Virtual site exploration, evidence analysis workshop, debate on competing theories
- Access to Salty Sharks Pyramids of Giza virtual world
- Archaeological evidence analysis cards
- Case studies of key discoveries at Giza
- Research articles on modern scanning technology (LIDAR, muon tomography)
Driving Question
How do archaeologists piece together the story of the pyramids from fragmentary evidence?
Project
Students conduct a mock archaeological analysis of a "discovery" and present their interpretation at a class conference.
Curriculum Standard
AP World History: Civilizations and their legacies; Historical thinking skills: Analysing evidence and argumentation.
Teacher's Role
- 1 Present archaeological methodology overview
- 2 Create mock discovery scenarios with ambiguous evidence
- 3 Facilitate evidence-based debate between competing interpretations
- 4 Guide academic conference preparation
Student's Role
- 1 Explore the virtual Giza site as an archaeologist
- 2 Analyse assigned evidence sets and develop interpretations
- 3 Research modern archaeological technologies
- 4 Present findings at a mock academic conference
Evaluate critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning skills.
- 1 Demonstrates understanding of multiple archaeological methods
- 2 Evidence analysis is thorough and considers multiple interpretations
- 3 Acknowledgement of evidence limitations and biases
- 4 Conference presentation is professional and well-argued
- 5 Responses to peer questions show depth of knowledge
Research a current archaeological controversy and write an essay evaluating the competing claims.