LEARNING GUIDE How to Use is Guide The Study of Mummies With minor modifications, these activities may be This standards-based guide is written for students adapted for younger or older students. Teachers as a supplement to a visit to the “Mummies of the may also modify the activities to meet the individual World” exhibition. needs of their classes. Its interpretive passages have been crafted so To help teachers make the most of the experi- that they may be read directly by students as an ence provided by the “Mummies of the World” introduction to each unit, or by teachers in prepara- exhibition, this guide provides a variety of activities tion for teaching each unit. The activities that that may be used pre-visit, during a visit and accompany the interpretive text have been devel- post-visit. oped to give students hands-on, inquiry-based The activities on Pages 9 - 16 provide opportuni- learning experiences. ties to prepare students for the exhibition and pique The interpretive passages and activities provide their interest about the study of mummies. (Please connections to National Education Standards not note that the results of some experiments in the only for history and science, but for language arts, guide take two weeks to develop.) behavioral studies and life skills for Grades 4-8. The activity on Page 16 is to be started during the A composite listing of National Education visit and finished as a post-visit activity so that Standards addressed by this study guide appears students may review and reflect upon what they below, and individual standards are listed with each have learned. activity for easy reference. This mummy is a • Establishes relationships based on evidence and the many types of mummies found around the world. logical argument (e.g., provides causes for effects). mystery. Scientists • Evaluates the results of scientific investigations, Nova know that it is a child experiments, observations, theoretical and http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/icemummies/ from ancient Egypt, mathematical models and explanations proposed Nova looks at ice mummies. but there is still so by other scientists (e.g., reviewing experimental procedures, examining evidence, identifying faulty ThinkQuest much to learn. reasoning, identifying statements that go beyond http://library.thinkquest.org/J003409/ Naturhistorisches Museum Basel, Switzerland the evidence, suggesting alternative explanations). This website featuring mud, bog and ice mummies was • Knows that scientific investigations involve asking created by students and won a Gold in the ThinkQuest and answering a question and comparing the Competition run by the Oracle Education Foundation. answer to what scientists already know about the National Education Standards world. Archaeological Institute of America Following are National Education Standards • Designs and conducts scientific investigations http://www.archaeology.org/1005/bogbodies/ (McRel) supported by the activities in this (e.g., formulates hypotheses, designs and executes clonycavan_croghan.html investigations, interprets data, synthesizes Two bog mummies discovered in Ireland in 2003 have Learning Guide. evidence into explanations). led to a new interpretation of other Irish bog mummies Language Arts Standards discovered earlier. Life Skills Standards • Understands the importance of verifying the results • Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a The British Museum of experiments. variety of informational texts. www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/index.html • Knows that investigators verify the results of • Uses a variety of resource materials to gather Explore Egyptian mummies with The British Museum. experiments to prove they are valid and not caused information for research topics (e.g., magazines, by something unexpected, such as a mistake in the newspapers, dictionaries, schedules, journals, Discovery Kids procedure. surveys, globes, atlases, almanacs, websites, http://kids.discovery.com/fansites/tutenstein/mummy • Formulates a new hypothesis for study after an old databases, podcasts). maker/mummymaker.html hypothesis has been eliminated. Behavioral Studies Standards Make an Egyptian mummy with Discovery Kids. • Knows that testing an hypothesis can prove it to • Understands how language, literature, the arts, be wrong. architecture, other artifacts, traditions, beliefs, Books • Knows that hypothesis can be revised. values, and behaviors contribute to the develop- Janet Buell, Time Travelers Series: Bog Bodies; Ice • Makes and validates conjectures about outcomes ment and transmission of culture. Maidens of the Andes; The Greenland Mummies; of an experiment. • Understands how different human communities Ancient Horsemen of Siberia. Ages 9-12. • Understands and applies basic principles of expressed their beliefs. Elizabeth Carney, Mummies, National Geographic hypothesis testing and scientific inquiry. Kids, 2009. Ages 4-8. • Understands that there may be more than one valid History Standards Harriett Griffey, Secrets of the Mummies, DK Readers, way to interpret a set of findings. • Knows different types of primary and secondary 1998. Ages 9-12. sources and the motives, interests, and bias • Knows that people may interpret findings in Sandra Markle, Outside and Inside Mummies, Walker expressed in them (e.g., eyewitness accounts, different ways. & Company, 2005. Ages 9-12. • Compares different sources of information for letters, diaries, artifacts, photos; magazine articles, newspaper accounts, hearsay). Shelley Tanaka, Mummies: The Newest, Coolest and the same topic in terms of basic similarities and Creepiest from Around the World, Henry N. Abrams, differences. Additional Resources for Students and Teachers 2005. Ages 9-12. Science Standards Websites Totally Amazing Mummies, Golden Books, 1998. • Knows that scientists’ explanations about what The “Mummies of the World” website Ages 9-12. happens in the world come partly from what they http://www.mummiesoftheworld.com/index.html Charlotte Wilcox, Mummies and Their Mysteries, observe (evidence), and partly from how they Learn about the science of mummification and get Carolrhoda Books, 1993. Ages 9-12. interpret (inference) their observations. answers to frequently asked questions. Magazines • Uses appropriate tools (including computer Dig, an archaeology magazine for children. Ages 9-12. hardware and software) and techniques to gather, Mummy Tombs www.digonsite.com analyze, and interpret scientific data. www.mummytombs.com An educator/children’s author provides an overview of 2 MUMMIES OF THE WORLD Introduction Objectives of this Learning Guide that will further students’ understanding of tions in Europe. The mummies were not This Learning Guide has been created to scientific methods of study and the historical purchased or otherwise acquired solely for introduce students to the “Mummies of the and cultural context of mummies. this exhibition. World” exhibition, to enhance their interest When modern scientists examine these in the scientific and cultural study of Note on Respect and Dignity mummies, they are careful to preserve and mummies and to heighten their interest in The human and animal mummies in “Mum- keep them as perfectly intact as possible, the sciences and social sciences in general. mies of the World” represent the wide variety while still learning all they can about their The guide is divided into self-contained of mummies that have been found in differ- lives, origins, peoples and histories. In doing units that may be presented as single lessons ent regions of the Earth. so, the scientists – and everyone who sees or as a series of lessons before, during or after Every human mummy in “Mummies of the the exhibition – are ensuring that the living a visit to the exhibition. Each unit contains World” is treated with dignity and respect. person the mummy once was will be remem- interpretive text highlighting an aspect of the The mummies were originally acquired at a bered. exhibition, why it is important to the study of time when it was common for people to The people presenting “Mummies of the mummies and how it connects with various collect human specimens. All of the mummies World” have attempted to acknowledge the fields of science. Units also contain inquiry- in this exhibition are assembled from the views of the social and cultural groups from based science and social science activities collections of various museums and institu- which the mummies originated. What is a Mummy? A mummy is the dead body of an animal or a human that been How Mummies Happen preserved after death so that it does not decompose. To be The natural process of decay is blocked when the living bacteria considered a mummy and not just a skeleton, the body must keep and fungi that are essential to the process die. They can die from some of its soft tissue, such as its hair, skin or muscles. lack of moisture or oxygen. They can also be killed by extreme cold Unlike mummies in the movies, real mummies don’t look alive and some chemicals, such as acids and salts. and cannot come back to life. Bodies mummify when decay is blocked. In some cases, such as the famous Egyptian mummies, people Decomposition carefully preserved bodies as part of a burial tradition. During To understand mummies, you need to understand what usually artificial mummification, the internal organs — along with their happens to dead bodies — or corpses — when they decompose. destructive microbes — might be removed. The corpse could be Every animal and person has lots of bacteria living inside their