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Thank you for your purchase from In the Hands of a Child Your Premiere Lapbook Provider since 2002!! Egyptian Pyramids HOCPP 1071 Published: January, 2007 Original Copyright April, 2006 Authors: Katie Kubesh Niki McNeil Kimm Bellotto For information about other products available from In the Hands of a Child Call 1-866-426-3701 or visit our website at www.handsofachild.com. Entire contents of this Project Pack 2007 In the Hands of a Child. 6222 Pierce Street Coloma, MI 49038 Permission is hereby granted to the individual purchaser to reproduce student materials in this project pack for noncommercial individual or classroom use only. In the Hands of a Child gives permission for one copy of all written material to be copied and or printed. Classroom teachers have permission to reproduce one copy for each student in class. Members of co-ops or workshops have permission to reproduce one copy for up to 10 children per unit. Reproducible graphics may be reprinted as many times as needed. Permission is not granted for school wide or system wide reproduction of materials. Printed in the USA. 2
Table of Contents Guide Page 7 Planning a Pyramid Page 7 Stone Queries Page 7 Choosing the Workers Page 8 The Great Pyramid Page 9 Building the Pyramid Page 9 Vocabulary Page 11 Activity List Page 13 Activity 1 Page 14 Activity 2 Page 16 Activity 3 Page 20 Activity 4 Page 22 Activity 5 Page 24 Activity 6 Page 26 Activity 7 Page 29 Activity 8 Page 31 Activity 9 Page 33 Activity 10 Page 35 Activity 11 Page 38 Activity 12 Page 40 Activity 13 Page 43 Folder Instructions Page 46 6
THE PYRAMIDS of EGYPT When historians and scientists study ancient Egypt, they are able to gather a lot of information from stone buildings that still stand today. These buildings, called pyramids, were tombs built for the pharaohs of Egypt. The Egyptian Pyramids are the biggest stone buildings from the ancient world. They were built from stone to make sure that they lasted forever. Some historians believe pyramids were built in a cone (pyramid) shape because they were designed like a launch pad. When a dead pharaoh was buried in the tomb of a pyramid, it was believed that his soul could launch into the sky and live among the Imperishable Stars. Other historians believe the pyramids were built as stone steps that formed a stairway to the sky for the souls of pharaohs to climb up into the sky. Pyramids took over 20 years to build, had over 8,000 people working on them at a time, and used over 100,000 blocks of stone. Planning a Pyramid The first step in building a pyramid was to plan the location. Remote areas of the desert, far away from tomb raiders, were usually the best location. After the location was chosen, architects had to decide the design of the pyramid, especially what the angle of the pyramid would be. Before building, the sides had to be oriented with the North-South line. This was done using the stars or the sun as guides. After the correct alignment was decided, a Foundation Ceremony was held. Next, architects had to decide which building materials would be used. Materials Used The land of Egypt has a lot of stone, especially limestone. The palaces and homes of Egyptian pharaohs were built from mud-brick. Pharaohs wanted their pyramids to last forever, and in order to do this; they built them with stone. A thousand Stone Quarries Stone quarries are a type of openpit mine where rocks and minerals are extracted. As many as 1,000 men worked in the limestone quarries. They were split into groups called gangs. The men cut the sides of a stone block using copper chisels. Then they chipped holes at the base and pounded in dried wood wedges. When the wedges became wet, the wood expanded. This forced the block to move up and cracked it across the bottom. Workers then pounded and cut the blocks. Other gangs brought the granite, basalt and alabaster to the building sites by barges. The highest quality stones were buried deep in the ground so workers had to work in underground tunnels to quarry. They waited until the Nile flooded and then rowed them on barges to the building site. 7
Activity 1: What is a pyramid? Cut out the graphic provided Fold matchbook style Inside define a pyramid 14
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