Egypt’s Great Sphinx may be the original lion king! Join archaeologists working to conserve this amazing ancient monument.

• 1.

  Explore the ancient Egyptian treasure, the Great Sphinx. The 4,500-year-old monument has a king’s head and a lion’s body. Find out what it was made of and how it was constructed. What were the builders’ challenges? Look at several paintings and pictures. Use Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils to sketch the Great Sphinx from different angles and in detail. To make corrections, just erase!

• 2.

  You’re the builder! Plan how to construct a model of the Great Sphinx. Will you build it as it looked originally or as it looks today? This is how we built our replica, but you may have other ideas.

• 3.

  Shape your Sphinx. Construct a base (armature) using small boxes and balls of newspaper. Tape pieces in place. Layer white Crayola Model Magic over the armature. Add a face, headdress, beard, and other details. Use a craft stick to make fine lines. Texture the structure with a comb or other tool. Air-dry your sphinx overnight.

• 4.

  Paint the sculpture. Cover your art area with newspaper. Mix gold, white, and brown Crayola Premier Tempera to get an authentic limestone color. Paint the Sphinx with Crayola Brushes. Air-dry the paint.

• 5.

  Save the Sphinx! The Great Sphinx is not faring very well today. Investigate how the environment and human behavior has affected the monument. If you were an anthropologist, how would you recommend saving the Sphinx? Write your ideas on cards and display them with your model. Share what you’re learning with other students.

Standards

• LA: Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grade level text complexity band independently and proficiently.
• LA: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• LA: Participate in shared research and writing projects.
• LA: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
• MATH: Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm, kg, g; lb, z; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.
• SCI: Ask testable questions about the effects of moving water on the rate of erosion under various conditions and plan and carryout investigations to observe and document the effects.
• SS: Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture and influence behavior of people living in a particular culture.
• SS: Identify and use various sources for reconstructing the past, such as documents, letters, diaries, maps, textbooks, photos, and others.
• VA: Select media, techniques, an processes; analyze what makes them effective or not effective in communicating ideas; and reflect upon the effectiveness of choices.
• VA: Intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of experiences and ideas.
• VA: Use subjects, themes, and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, values, and aesthetics that communicate intended meaning in artworks.
• VA: Describe and place a variety of art objects in historical and cultural contexts.

Adaptations

• Possible classroom resources include: Secrets Of The Sphinx by James Cross Giblin; What Life was Like on the Banks of the Nile: Egypt 3050 - 30 BC edited by Denise Dersin; If I Were a Kid in Ancient Egypt: Children of the Ancient World by Cobblestone Publishing
• Encourage students to make a pedestal for their model of the Great Sphinx using a recycled foam produce tray. On one lip of the tray, write the name of your model. On the opposite lip, write one or two significant facts about this artwork.
• Encourage students to make a pedestal for their model of the Great Sphinx using a recycled foam produce tray. On one lip of the tray, write the name of your model. On the opposite lip, write one or two significant facts about this artwork.
• Working in small groups, students create a map of Ancient Egypt. Sketch in significant landforms, including the Nile River. Identify the location of pyramids and the Graph Sphinx. Discuss with teammates the possible reasoning for the placement of each of these artworks.
• What is limestone? Research the history of limestone. Brainstorm with teammates why the Ancient Egyptians used this material when sculpting the Great Sphinx. Identify other natural and sculpted limestone treasures. How have environmental as well as human factors transformed these treasures?
• As a team of students, explore efforts to protect, preserve, and rebuild monuments made of limestone.