Session Outline • What do the children already know about Ancient Egyptians?

• Discuss the significance of the Scarab Beetle to the ancient Egyptians. (Scroll down for Ancient Egypt & scarab Beetles info sheet).

• Talk about facts about UK beetles. (Scroll down for UK beetles info sheet).

• Allow children to explore their outdoor area searching for beetles. (Scroll down for Beetles ID sheet.) Can they find any other creatures whilst hunting?

• Give the children a piece of clay for them to make their own scarab beetle amulet. (Alternatively, you could make model Scarab Beetles from natural clay soil and natural materials.)

Differentiation: HA- Can they recall facts about Ancient Egyptian Scarab Beetles & UK Beetles? Can they describe and identify species they find in their outdoor environment? Is there sculpture of a beetle accurate? LA- Can recall a couple of facts and names of beetles. Assigns meanings to their sculpture. Extension: How do beetles differ from other creatures in their outdoor area? How do you think this enabled them to survive in hot and dry conditions in

Ancient Egypt?

Lesson Objectives Children with know about the significance of Scarab Beetles in Ancient Egypt. Children will know about common beetles found in the UK. Resources (per person) Ancient Egypt & Scarab Beetles sheet UK Beetles Beetles ID sheet Air dry clay (or natural clay soil & natural materials) Key Vocabulary Beetle, insect, scarab, amulet, life-cycle, adapt, head, thorax, abdomen, elytra, Risk Assessments Generic Site RA

Curriculum Links

History: (KS2) Note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms; Understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources; Understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world & the nature of ancient civilisations. Design & Technology: (KS2) Select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing], accurately. Science: (Y3) Identify that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat; Identify that humans and some other animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement. (Y4) Recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways; Explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment; Recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things; Construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey.

Learning Outcomes

LA - Children will be able to make flat breads by following

instructions, with help.

MA - Children will be able to make flat breads by following

instructions.

HA - Children will be able to make flat breads by following instructions. They can compare

their method to Ancient Egyptian methods.

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Egyptian Scarab BeetlesHISTORY DESIGN &

TECHNOLOGYSCIENCE

ANCIENT EGYPT ANIMALS INCLUDING

HUMANS

www.outdoorlearningmadeeasy.co.uk ©

Ancient Egypt and Scarab Beetles

• A Scarab Beetles refers to any beetle from the Scarabaeidae species family. • The dung beetle is the most common of this type of beetle and was

worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians. • The Ancient Egyptians made amulets and sculptures of these beetles. • The Ancient Egyptians saw these beetles as holy and an important religious

symbol. • Beetles of the Scarabaeidae family (dung beetle) roll dung into a ball as food

and as a place in which to lay eggs. Therefore, the larvae hatch and are immediately surrounded by food. For these reasons the scarab was seen as a symbol of this heavenly life-cycle and of the idea of rebirth or regeneration for the Ancient Egyptians.

• The Egyptian god Khepri, Ra as the rising sun, was often represented as a scarab beetle or as a scarab beetle-headed man. The ancient Egyptians believed that Khepri renewed the sun every day before rolling it above the horizon, then carried it through the other world after sunset, only to renew it, again, the next day.

• Scarab amulets were often placed over the heart of the mummified deceased. These were thought to be weighed against the feather of truth during the final judgement to see if they would pass to the after-life.

Egyptian Scarab BeetlesHISTORY DESIGN &

TECHNOLOGYSCIENCE

ANCIENT EGYPT ANIMALS INCLUDING

HUMANS

www.outdoorlearningmadeeasy.co.uk ©

UK Beetles

• Beetles make up around 40% of all types of insects, and are therefore the biggest insect group, with around 350,000 species in total.

• All beetles start their life-cycle as grubs, form a pupa and then metamorphose into their adult form.

• Most adult beetles can fly, although a few, such as glow-worms and weevils, have lost the ability.

• Beetles are able to adapt to any kind of environment which guarantees an extremely long existence.

• Beetles can be found in every kind of habitat apart from the sea or in the polar regions.

• The body of beetles have 3 main parts: a head, thorax and abdomen. • Beetles often feed on plants and algae, break down animal and plant waste,

and eat other invertebrates, (animals without a backbone). • One of the most important features of beetles is their hard exoskeleton cover,

called their ’elytra’. This covers their wings and protects their body. • Some beetles even trap moisture in their wings and their elytra protects it

from drying out in heat and wind. Therefore, the beetle can travel across dry deserts without dehydrating.

• Other beetles can live under water because they can store air in their wings, which is again protected by their elytra.

Egyptian Scarab BeetlesHISTORY DESIGN &

TECHNOLOGYSCIENCE

ANCIENT EGYPT ANIMALS INCLUDING

HUMANS

www.outdoorlearningmadeeasy.co.uk ©

Egyptian Scarab Beetles

Bloody-nose Beetle

Cardinal beetle

Green Tiger Beetle7-spot Ladybird

Rhinoceros Beetle

Stag Beetle

Orange & Black Sexton Beetle

Dung Beetle

Death-watch Beetle

Devil’s Coach Horse Beetle

Cockchafer Beetle

False Ladybird

Soldier Beetle

Egyptian Scarab BeetlesHISTORY DESIGN &

TECHNOLOGYSCIENCE

ANCIENT EGYPT ANIMALS INCLUDING

HUMANS