Resources: Handouts, mummified and control apples from the previous session
Support Handout (1): The handout provides a word bank and scaffolded sentence starters.
Core Handout (2): The handout provides space to write and a word bank to support children’s writing.
Ask the children to remove their mummified apple slices from the cups and compare them with the control slice. What differences do they notice? What do they think has happened to the apple? How might this be similar to what happens during mummification? What do they think a mummy might look like?
Using the presentation, recap the children's prior learning about pyramids and what was placed inside them. Ask them what might happen if large landmarks clearly showed where valuable treasures were buried. Explain that this led the Ancient Egyptians to create hidden tombs instead of pyramids for some important leaders. Introduce the Valley of the Kings and explore why it was a significant location for burials. Finally, explain the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb and discuss the role of Howard Carter in its excavation.
Using the handout, ask children to write a diary entry in role as Howard Carter on the day the tomb was opened. They should include how he felt during the opening and what he saw inside the tomb.
Challenge Task
Ask the children to add a final paragraph to their diary entry explaining what Howard Carter might do next. For example, will he send the artefacts to England, continue excavating nearby in search of another tomb, or seal the tomb again because of rumours about a curse?
Ask the children whether they think we should be displaying mummies and skeletons in museums. Use the slides after the mission assignment to share different points of view, then ask the children to debate this statement: We should respect ancient people’s beliefs and not display mummies and skeletons in museums.
Teacher Mastery
The Ancient Egyptians built pyramids as monumental tombs for their pharaohs, filling them with treasures, food, clothing, and items the ruler would need in the afterlife. Later, to protect royal burials from grave robbers, the Egyptians began burying their kings in hidden rock-cut tombs in the Valley of the Kings, a remote desert valley near Thebes designed to keep their resting places secret. Despite these efforts, nearly all of the tombs were eventually looted—except for one. In 1922, archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the untouched tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, revealing an astonishing collection of over 5,000 artefacts. Inside were golden statues, chariots, jewellery, furniture, and the famous golden death mask, all preserved as they had been left more than 3,000 years earlier. This discovery provided an incredible glimpse into Ancient Egyptian beliefs, craftsmanship, and royal burial practices.
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