Teacher's Guide for CALLIOPE: Taharqo (Nubian King of Egypt)

• to develop understanding of an ancient civilization
• to practice map skills
• to increase historical perspective
• to improve comprehension skills (particularly by utilizing scanning techniques: looking for proper nouns and numbers, locating main points, and summarizing)
• to practice writing skills through a variety of activities, both practical and creative
• to participate in small group and whole class activities

1. Begin by reading aloud the last paragraph on page 5 to give a personal picture of Taharqo. (You might ask how his mother would have gotten to his coronation and how long it would have taken.)
2. Ask students to scan page 4, circling proper nouns and numbers. Then go back assisting students in understanding the items they've circled in context.
3. Next ask students to look at the end of the page to find three accomplishments of the Nubian rulers, what they are "credited with." That will be the hint for the first one; the other two are in the last paragraph.

1. Suggest that the information in these two articles contains all the elements needed for a blockbuster movie spectacular.
2. Ask students to read through the articles looking for four incidents/events that would each make a good scene for such a movie. On paper have students each write brief descriptions for each of these scenes (describing what the audience would actually see on the screen). Ask students to come up with a title for the movie.

1. Lead a brief discussion on the significance of animals in certain cultures and geographical areas (the eagle in the United States, for example, or the cow in India).
2. Divide students into horses, camels, and rams.
3. Ask each student to read the section/article about that particular animal and to come up with three significant facts about the role that that animal played in the culture.
4. Use a round-robin technique for listing the vital facts in three columns on the board until all ideas have been suggested.
5. Ask students to write a brief paragraph on their original animal, giving what they now consider to be the top three ideas (in order of significance). Note: You might suggest that the topic sentence should include the word "Nubia" or "Nubians."

1. Ask students to fold a piece of paper in half lengthwise.
2. Write the following list on the board:

   Jebel Barkai
   Taharqo's Pyramid
   the temple of Aman
   "tent shrines"

3. Ask students to label all four columns (using front and back of paper).
4. Ask students to make a little sketch or diagram of each site at the top of the column. Ask students to list four facts about each of these under the appropriate sketch or diagram.

Note: Pairing students might work well with this activity.

1. Discuss the three words in bold print in the first paragraph: scarabs, shawabtis, and cartouche.
2. Read aloud the information in the box on page 37.
3. Ask students to scan the article and the photo captions in order to find one other place in the article where each of the three words appear.
4. Tell students about the famous Rosetta Stone and ask them to scan the last paragraph on page 40 to discover how the "code" was broken.

1. Tell students that for this assignment they are going to circle nine words and list nine ordinary every-day words.
2. Distribute copies of the map on page 3 and show students how that map fits into a map of the world.
3. Ask students to scan the article and circle the names of nine place names that appear in the article.
4. Ask students to list (on the back of the sheet) nine specific items Tremaux described.
5. Question: Why are those descriptions so important?

1. What was Qasr Ibrim?
2. Where was it located?
3. It is one of the best preserved ____________ in the world.
4. What are three reasons it stayed so well preserved?
5. What are three objects found at Qasr Ibrim?
6. When was the first settlement founded?
7. How do we know Qasr Ibrim was a settlement when Taharqo ruled?
8. What is certain about the dates 332 B.C. and 30 B.C?
9. Who "carved inscriptions on the stonework in and around the buildings"?
10. What was the Taharqo temple made into when Nubia was converted to Christianity?
11. What happened in 1172?
12. What were three changes the rulers of the Ottoman Empire made at Qasr Ibrim?

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Updated: 2/11/12 12:40 am
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