Overview:

The following is a Reading Unit covering the novel The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.

The Golden Goblet is historical fiction set in ancient Egypt around 1400 B. C. The novel tells the story of a young boy, Ranofer, who must fight to keep his dream alive within the harsh reality of having to live with his cruel half-brother, Gebu. The story does require prior knowledge of ancient Egypt to gain understanding of the situations depicted in the book. The book is slow getting started and may require some teacher support at the beginning due to the fact that it takes a couple of chapters to set the stage for the novel. As the novel gets going, it becomes very exciting and suspenseful. The novel explores many themes, such as coming of age, family, abuse, keeping dreams alive and refusing to give up, and friendship and trust. This is an especially good book for 6th and 7th Grade boys. The portrayal of ancient Egyptian culture is very nicely done. –TK

The novel should take about two weeks to read. It could be read in groups, as a whole class, in pairs, or individually. The activities are designed to be done before, during, and after the novel. Technology is used throughout the activities.

Materials:
Copies of the book
Computers with the internet
Digital video camera
Microsoft Moviemaker or similar program
Microsoft Word or similar program
Television or Computer projector and Screen
DVD/Video Player

Objectives and Standards:
Activate students’ prior knowledge of ancient Egypt.
Expand students’ knowledge so that they have an understanding of the setting, social issues, and terms used in the novel.
Use the internet for research.
TEKS: Language Arts (6.8A,B,C), (6.7)
Technology (6.4)
Social Studies (6.1), (6.2),

Materials and Resources:
Computers with the internet
Download of the Video from United Streaming
Television
DVD/Video Player


Internet Research:
Students will search the internet for sources that explore ancient Egypt for a prior knowledge. The following are sites that students can gain prior knowledge of Egypt.
www.omnibusol.com/anegypt.html#egypt

www.nemo.nu/ibisportal/0egyptintro/

Video for Background Information;
The following video program can be downloaded off of United Streaming: www.unitedstreaming.com
Living History: Living in Ancient Eypt
This wonderful program takes a look at what it was like to live in Ancient Egypt. Students will discover the amazing role religion played in the lives, and deaths, of the ancient Egyptians. Beautifully filmed on location in Egypt, this twenty-minute program examines various aspects of daily life during ancient times and learns the important role the Nile River played in sustaining the ordinary people who helped build this great civilization. 20-min. Video; Teacher’s Guide with lesson plans, student activities, discussion questions, and script, 15 Blackline Masters

Blackline Masters Teachers' Guides Teachers' Guides Correlations
Grades: Gr. 6 - Gr. 8 Runtime: 20:26 ©2000 United Learning

Assessment:
The video has a video quiz and blackline masters.
KWL form and class discuss.

Download chapter questions.

Objectives and Standards:
Reflection and response to writing.
Summarization
TEKS: LArts (6.11), (6.10)

Materials and Resources:
Novel
Writing Materials

Procedure:
Students will keep a journal throughout the novel. They will write their entries from Ranofer’s perspective. Each entry should tell the major happenings of the chapter and reflect on how Ranofer feels about the situations.

Assessment:
A rubric and a self-evaluation will be used to grade the assignment.

Objectives and Standards:
Summarization of major events from the novel
Creative depiction of Egypt in a time line
Sequencing
Characterization
TEKS:
Language Arts (6.10), (6.24)
Technology (6.7)

Materials and Resources:
Novel
Journal made by students throughout the novel.
Computer with word processing program.
Long lengths of paper, such as used for bulletin boards.
Map Pencils or colors.
Glue

Procedure:
Students will use the journals that they kept to find the most important events from the story. Those events will be typed in short paragraphs that summarize the events. All of the main characters should be focused on. Then a creative time line will be created on a roll of white or tan paper. The time line will be decorated and colored. The typed paragraphs of events will be glued onto the time line.

Time lines could be made to look like the Nile River with Egyptian boats carrying the events in order. The time lines could be made to look like a desert with pyramids holding the events. The ideas are limitless.


Assessment:
A rubric will used to grade the assignment along with a self-evaluation.

Download assignment sheet for students.

Objectives and Standards:
Scene written as a skit.
Skit acted out and videoed.
Video edited.
TEKS:
Language Arts (6.18), (6.23), (6.24)
Technology (6.11)


Materials:
Novel
Writing Materials
Costumes (optional)
Props (optional)
Digital Video Camera
Computer with Microsoft Moviemaker
Television or Computer projector and Screen


Procedures:
In small groups, students will pick a favorite scene from the novel. Each group will write a script of the scene they have chosen. One group member will be chosen as a director. The director will organize and video the other members of the group acting out the scene. Costumes and props could be used. After the scenes are filmed, the digital video will be downloaded onto a computer. Using Microsoft Moviemaker, each group will then edit and make their video into a short movie to show the whole class.


Assessment:
A rubric will used to grade the assignment along with a self-evaluation.

Download two different test forms.

Download Rubrics and Evaluation Forms.

Just for fun!

Students can go to the following website and type in their name, and it will be converted into hieroglypics!

www.7cs.com/nomhiero.htm