Amy+Islat

Curriculum Integration with Social Studies through Children’s Literature: // Ancient Civilizations // Amy Islat ECD418 March 3, 2016

** FICTION BOOKS **

Bower, T. (2005). //How The Amazon Queen Fought The Prince of Egypt// (1st ed.). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division. //How The Amazon Queen Fought The Prince of Egypt// is about Amazon women who live in the Land of Women, ruled by the Queen Serpot. These women live without men, hunting and fighting their own battles. One day, Egyptian soldiers who are led by Prince Pedikhons come storming into their peaceful land. Pedikhon and his soldiers have heard many stories about these women and wanted to come see for themselves. They are shocked to find out that Queen Serpot and her women are full of surprises. The Prince and his men did not think women had equal strength and courage as them, but they may have been proven wrong. This book is based on an Egyptian scroll from the Greco-Roman time period. On each page you can see hieroglyphics with translations. The translations of these hieroglyphics immerse into the story. There are beautiful Assyrian and Egyptian style paintings are throughout the fascinating book. The illustrations by Bower are phenomenal and give a sense of import to the story. The background of each page looks like sand and really sets the tone for the book. This book would be an excellent source for teachers to use in a multi-cultural unit. Many lessons could be created from this book to teach students about ancient civilizations. For example, a teacher could make a whole lesson on the hieroglyphics seen throughout the pages. The back of the book has a section all about hieroglyphics and an in-depth description of the symbols. This book could also be used to teach equality between men and women. This could also be used to teach the geography of Egypt and where the Egyptians and Amazons lived.

Climo, S. (1989). //The Egyptian Cinderella// (1st ed.). New York, NY.

In //The Egyptian Cinderlla,// Rhodopis is the Egyptian Cinderella who is suddenly stolen by pirates and sold as a slave in Egypt. The fellow servants treated her poorly, just like in the original Cinderella story, where her stepsisters treat her poorly. All of the other servant girls look different than Rhodopis and are always teasing her and bossing her around. Her master sees her through a different, positive light and gives her a beautiful pair of slippers. The Prince, Pharaoh Amasis, hosts a party and Rhodopis does not attend. The falcon steals one of her slippers and he drops it in the lap of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh knows he should find the women the slipper belongs to, so he travels to find her. The Pharaoh successfully finds Rhodopis and the servant girls try to convince him not to be with her. Pharaoh does not listen to them and him and Rhodopis live happily ever after. This book is full of beautiful and vibrant illustrations that will keep children engaged in the story. It is a fun mix of fact and fiction that combines the culture of two worlds. I primarily chose this book because Cinderella is Egyptian, and most children are familiar with the story of Cinderella. It is great to show them the different variations of the Cinderella book. This book would be great to use in a lesson about accepting others who are different. It would be a great idea to get a few of the different Cinderella books and do a compare and contrast lesson. It could also be used as a non-example of how to treat others. It could also be used in writing to teach students about writing fables. Students could read this book and then have the opportunity to create their own fables and publish them. Teachers could even use this book as a light way to touch on the subject of slavery.

Clements, A. (1996). //Temple Cat//. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

This historical fiction picture book is about a cat that lived in a temple in Neba. The cat was the lord of the temple and had servants that were always by his side. Every time he needed something, a servant would rush over and do it for him. This is because the Egyptian people worshiped cats as if they were Gods. He was treated like the king in the Egyptian Temple. The cat enjoyed his life in the temple, but wondered what it would be like to be free like all of the other cats. His desire to have freedom and be loved became so strong that one night he decided to sneak out. He had a long night of wandering around and found himself a family that would keep him safe and warm. //Temple Cat// could be used to teach students about geography, like the ancient temples and the city of Neba. It could be used to talk about the different land formations. It would also be an excellent idea to create a lesson on different kinds of ancient temples and their characteristics. This book could also be used to teach a lesson about how having everything you want does not always make you happy. It can teach children that sometimes the smallest things in life make for a happier life. I would also use this book to talk about the importance and symbolism of cats in Ancient Egypt.

Gantos, J. (2001). //Rotten Ralph Helps Out// (1st ed.). BerryVille Graphics.

Sarah is learning about Ancient Egypt at school and Ralph could care less. Sarah asks Ralph for ideas of what she could do for her Egypt project. She thought he would definitely be able to help since he told her Egyptians thought cats were very wise creatures. They go to the library together and start to read about pyramids. This sparks an idea of researching pyramids for her project. Ralph learns that Egyptians mummified cats and was terrified, causing a ruckus in the library. Ralph and Sarah end up getting kicked out and go back home to work on the project. Ralph floods the bathroom trying to make a boat and dumps sand all over the floor while trying to create a desert. After all of this chaos, Sarah decides to take over and begins to build Cleopatra out of papier-mâché. Ralph finds a way to ruin her work but adding paint to it to make it more colorful. Sarah has nothing to turn in for her project because of Ralph, so she turns Ralph into a Sphinx. Her teacher ends up being impressed with her project after all. The area of curriculum addressed would be to teach students about Ancient Egypt. Students can learn about the geography and mummies in an engaging and humorous way. I think that it would be a fun book to read to the class throughout the ancient civilization unit, one chapter a day. The book could be used while learning about mummies. It could also cover writing curriculum by having students write about what their mummy would look like if they had to do the project Sarah was doing. There are many engaging activities that could go along with this book.

Marcellino, F. (1998). //I, Crocodile// (1st ed.). Harper Collins.

This story is told from an Egyptian crocodile’s point of view. Napoleon comes and takes the crocodile to Paris to be a live exhibit. At first he enjoyed all of the attention, but then he began being able to eat food and his old extravagant lifestyle. People eventually lost interest in him and he was going to be served as dinner! Crocodile was able to escape and finds his way into sewers where he eats people. The illustrations are gorgeous and it is quite an amusing book. This book would be great to teach students about the importance of respecting one’s privacy and feelings. The book shows what happens when someone is forcefully taken out of their own habitat and put into a society that they are not used to. This book could also be used for English language arts to teach students about rhyming and satires. Again, this book could also cover geography and culture because it shows the different geography and culture in both Egypt and Paris. This book could also be used to teach about different emotions. For example, when Crocodile was home and in his accustomed habitat, he was happy and joyful. When he was taken and moved to an unfamiliar place, he was sad, worried, angry, etc.

Osborne, M. P. (1993). //Mummies in the Morning// (Magic Tree House Series). New York: Random House.

//Mummies in the Morning// is the third book in the Magic Tree House series. Jackie and Annie go to Frog Creek woods to their tree house. Jack makes a wish to go back in time to ancient Egypt to see the pyramids. The tree house begins to spin and before they know it they see a huge parade, a golden coffin and a cat are all running towards the pyramid. The black cat takes them inside of the pyramid where they find a mummy who needs the Book of the Dead. Jack and Anne find the book to give to the mummy so she can go onto her next life. The black cat shows them the way out of the pyramid and they head home. This book would primarily teach the history of pyramids, tombs and mummies. This would be another fun book to read a little bit each day through the ancient civilizations unit. It could also be used to teach the importance of helping others. Jack and Annie help the mummy find the Book of Dead so that she can rest in peace. This was a harder book to come up with curriculum ideas for because there are no pictures and the subject remains the same throughout almost the whole book.

** NON-FICTION BOOKS **

Chrisp, P. (2002). //Ancient Egypt Revealed// (1st ed.). New York, NY: DK Publishing.

This non-fiction book goes into the depths of Ancient Egypt, allowing the reader to learn about the most significant historical details. The reader uncovers details about Tutankhamen's mask, how temple rituals awoke the gods, and the secret to the Valley of the Kings. The reader will also learn about how the great pyramids were built, as well as the Pharaohs preparing for the afterlife. This book is full of Ancient Egypt information from Gods to Goddesses, Hieroglyphics, and astonishing hidden treasures. There are many great pictures of Ancient Egypt, hieroglyphics and ancient artifacts.

This book could be used to explore many different curriculums. It could be used to teach about the geography of the Nile River and fertile floods. There is a two-page spread about life on the Nile, which explores animals, tools, landscape, produce and goods. Children can learn about the transport of goods and purposes of goods. In this case, wheat and barley for making bread. It could also be used to teach art and music. There is a two-page spread on the craftsmanship of pottery production, beads, musical instruments, glass making and mummy cases. It would be fun to create a lesson about the animal gods, which could also tie into art. Students could explore the different animal gods and create their own. This book could also be used to explore further into building tombs, temples and mummies.

Oliphant, M. (1993). //The Earliest Civilizations//. Simon & Schuster Young Books.

This non-fiction book is full of illustrations to portrait the global development and the history of the earliest civilizations. It explores all different civilizations, from the Maya to the Sumerians in the Middle East. It is full of two-page spreads packed with beautiful images and thought provoking facts. It includes reproductions in full-color of important artworks, photographs and maps. This book will give the reader a worldwide perspective and open their eyes to tons of rich information.

This book could be used to learn about geography and formations. There are many maps included throughout the pages that could be studied more in depth. Students could learn more about land formations by studying the Great Pyramid of Gaza and the Nile River. An art lesson could also be taught by learning more in depth about the art the Egyptians made, such as the beads and dolls. There are many curriculums that could be derived from this fact-filled and non-fiction book.

Steele, P. (1995). //I Wonder Why Pyramids Were Built and Other Questions About Ancient Egypt// (I Wonder Why Series). Kingfisher Publications.

//I Wonder Why Pyramids Were Built// is a part of the “I Wonder Why” series. The book is full of both realistic and cartoon images, engaging readers of all ages. Each page is full of questions and answers about pyramids and Ancient Egypt. The answers to the questions are both factual and humorous. The format is highly visual and makes it hard to put the book down. This book is a great source to learn about the Egyptian lifestyle in a kid-friendly way. This book could be used during a whole “I Wonder Why” series unit. It would be a great idea to have students work in groups to explore more into depth about an “I wonder why” question, while exploring for the answer in this engaging book. It would be a great book to use while introducing a research project on Ancient Egypt. This also integrates art curriculum. Students could create their own images of King Tut, draw mummies or design their own pyramids.

Stewart, D. (n.d.). //You Wouldn't Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy! Disgusting Things You'd Rather Not Know//. Danbury, CT: Grolier Publishing.

This book is jam-packed with history and humor tied to curriculum about Egypt. It reveals the darker side of the ancient times, such as why the Egyptians mummified bodies and what happens to them after. The reader gets a top of the line tour of life as a slave, warrior, explorer and mummy. Each page has detailed explanations that go along with vibrant Egyptian style cartoons. There are entertaining sidebars, a comprehensive glossary and an index that insure easy navigation throughout the story. The helpful hints and tips in the story make the ancient times come alive for the reader. This book is jam-packed with great vocabulary. It would be a great book to integrate during writing curriculum. Students could create a word wall or anchor chart of the new vocabulary introduced in the book. After learning what each word means, students could write in their writing journals about Ancient Egypt while using their new vocabulary. Students can also integrate technology into this story by exploring the website about this book. The website is http://www.salariya.com/web_books/mummy/ and is very interactive and engaging for students.