Pyramid Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & Newsletter
Special Pyramid Edition

The pyramids have fascinated people since they were first built. Read more about them here: http://www.helium.com/tm/179426/pyramids-egypt-fascinating-breathtaking
Discussion Questions:
1. Where were the pyramids built?
2. Why were they built?
3. What are the two theories about how the pyramids were constructed?

Take a tour of these majestic pyramids!
http://www.guardians.net/egypt/pyramids/tour_the_pyramids.htm

Pyramid word search
http://www.touregypt.net/kids/wordgame10.htm
Science
How did they do that? Learn how the Egyptians were able to build these mighty pyramids:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/class/they.html

Here’s a lab that demonstrates the process:
http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/edhd/programs/ASPIRE/12.html


Math

THE GREAT PYRAMID
The largest Egyptian pyramid is the Great Pyramid at Giza. It stands today about 450 ft. high, and it has a square base with sides about 755 ft. long. It is made up of two and a half million stone blocks, each having an average weight of about 2.5 tons.
1. Write a numeral for the number of stone blocks used to build the Great Pyramid.

2. On a building, a story is about 10 feet high. About how many stories high is the Great Pyramid?


3. Find the area of the base of the Great Pyramid. (A = l x w)




4. About how many 160 ft. by 360 ft. football fields does it take to cover the base of the Great Pyramid?




5. The Empire State Building weighs about 365,000 tons. Find the weight of the Great Pyramid in tons and compare it to the weight of the Empire State Building.



6. A compact car weighs about a ton. Five quarters weigh about an ounce. What can you think of that weighs about a pound? Why do you think so?



7. Choose an appropriate unit (ounce, pound, or ton) for the weight of each item.
a. pencil b. yacht c. large dog


d. bicycle e. tomato f. computer

Here is a math lesson on pyramids:
http://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/pyramids.html



Build a model of the Great Pyramid, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/geometry/model.html
You will need to use your math skills to scale the pyramid down - you will need to make the pyramid 3,000 times smaller than it really is!

Journal
Pretend you are an ancient Egyptian, part of a pyramid work crew. Write a story describing the building of a pyramid.