The Betas were very busy this week! In math, we continued our exploration of odd/even numbers and built the world’s tallest ice cream cone! It was filled with dozens of scoops featuring even & odd numbers. We also worked on ordering and comparing numbers using the symbols <, = and >. We played Mystery Number using clues like, “My number is greater than…” On our last day with the mystery bags we worked with a partner to count the number of items in several bags and record the number using digits and words.
In phonics this week we reviewed digraphs. We played games, read a story, searched for digraphs in words and passages and practiced spelling words with digraphs in them. Everyone did an amazing job on our Thursday dictation! Our sight words this week were: of, use, want and your.
Our personal narratives are starting to take shape! This week we planned our writing using a graphic organizer. We also heard a couple examples of personal narrative read alouds: When I Was Young in the Mountains and Salt Hands. The Betas are working on zooming in on a small moment from their memory to pull out details, including feelings and what they saw/heard/smelled/tasted/touched (sensory details).
This week we dove into the culture of the ancient Egyptians, beginning with clothing. Most clothing in Ancient Egypt was made out of white linen, as it kept the wearer cool. Men wore a wraparound linen skirt called a kilt. The lower classes wore much simpler garments made of less expensive cloth. And children 6 and under didn’t even wear clothes! (That really got the Betas going!) Of course our Peeps needed their own little kilts and dresses!
Did you know that girls in Ancient Egypt often married at the age of 12 or 13? Some boys went to school but the girls stayed home and worked- cooking, cleaning, sewing etc. After reading about the boys and girls of ancient Egypt, we added information to a Venn diagram to compare the similarities and differences.
Of course our Peeps can’t have all the fun! The Beta boys began creating falcon pectoral necklaces, while the girls made diadems!
We also read about ancient Egyptian homes and are beginning to make some homes for our peeps! Ancient Egyptian houses were built of mudbrick, with palm logs used to support their roofs and ceilings.
Ancient Egyptian Typical House Layout
- Most ancient Egyptian homes consisted of four rooms.
- The front room was a common area where guests first entered the house.
- The living room was a place of worship and religious rituals.
- The kitchen, which had no roof, was where the ancient Egyptian women prepared all of the meals.
- There was also some type of all purpose room where activities of daily living took place such as gathering together, eating and sleeping.
- In front of the house was a courtyard. The ancient Egyptians would cook there and perform other daily activities such as eating, making linen and tending to the animals that were kept there. Sometimes the courtyard was shared by many families.
- All ancient Egyptian homes had flat roofs. They would secure a ladder and it would become a living area. They would sleep on the roof when the weather was hot and sometimes work up there during the day in hopes a breeze would cool them off.
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