teacher packet read 180 overview “curse of the pharaohs

READ 180® Stretch 2 ReadingOverview

1 Stretch 2 Reading

Teacher Packet

READ 180 Next Generation Stage A Workshop 5 • Secrets of the Mummy’s Tomb PDF0804 (PDF)

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by Zahi Hawass

Text Selection: In his book Curse of the Pharaohs: My Adventures With Mummies, famed Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass recounts his experiences excavating sites important to ancient Egypt and unearthing many amazing artifacts and tombs, all the while, ignoring—respectfully—the curse that many in Egypt blame for unfortunate events related to archaeological digs. In these excerpts from his book, Hawass discusses the excavation of four important statues, and how the “curse” thought to be connected to this discovery may have even saved his life. By reading and rereading these excerpts closely and focusing their reading through a series of questions and discussions about the text, students will identify and analyze how Hawass uses personal anecdotes, humor, and word choice to express the significance of his discovery, his joy in his work, and his feelings about the curse. When writing about the text, students will summarize Hawass’s ideas about the curse and form an opinion about it.

Workshop Connection: Like Workshop Reading 1, “King Tut’s Tomb,” and the RDI 1 Stretch Text, “Mystery of the Tattooed Mummy”—about a mummy found in Peru—this Stretch 2 Text explains how amazing discoveries from the ancient world can teach us much about cultures and civilizations of the past.

Words and Phrases to Know: amputated, archaeologists, ascribe, coincidences, disintegrated, Egyptology, excavating, Sphinx, unusual

Workshop Vocabulary: construct, examine*, material, preserve*, symbol

Complex 1 1020L“Curse of the Pharaohs”

* appears in “Curse of the Pharaohs”

2 Stretch 2 Reading

Teacher Packet

PDF0804 (PDF)

READ 180 Next Generation Stage A Workshop 5 • Secrets of the Mummy’s Tomb

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“Curse of the Pharaohs”Lesson Overview:

Whole Group: Reading Text Definitions

Introduce the text.

• Hand out the Student Packet.

• Announce the title and author of the textincluded in the Student Packet.

Have students read independently.

• Ask students to read paragraph 1 silently.

• Point out that definitions are provided forunderlined words.

Read aloud the text.

• Read the entire text aloud to students, askingstudents to follow along.

• Use the Oral Cloze Routine to encouragestudents to read the text as you read it aloud.

Hidden Statues

¶1 One of the many wonderful discoveries we made in this cemetery was a group of four beautiful statues belonging to a man named Inty-Shedu. He lived during the . . .

[read the intervening text]

¶13 As an archaeologist, I cause the names of the dead to be remembered, not forgotten. So if there is a curse, it should follow the thieves and robbers who destroy the past, not the scholars who try to preserve it. END

READ 180® Stretch 2 ReadingWhole-Group Instruction

Day 1

Whole Group: • Have students silently read paragraph 1. (5 minutes)• Read entire text aloud to students. (15 minutes)

Small Group: • Lead discussion about paragraphs 1–3 using Guided Questions 1–5. (20 minutes)• Use QuickWrite and Think-Pair-Share to encourage active participation by all students.

READ 180® Stretch 2 ReadingSmall-Group Instruction

Day 1

3 Stretch 2 Reading

Teacher Packet

“Curse of the Pharaohs”

PDF0804 (PDF)


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Small Group: Text-Based Questioning Text Definitions

(Q1) QuickWrite Who are the “we” mentioned in the first sentence of paragraph 1? What were they doing? What did they find?

• Provide sentence starters:

o The “we” are ____. (“archaeologists”)

o They were ____. (“excavating Inty-Shedu’s tomb”;digging up a “tomb”)

o They found ____. (“four beautiful statues”)

• Be sure students understand that the author, ZahiHawass, is an archaeologist, and is one of the “we”who found the statues.

(Q2) The archaeologists’ discoveries are not told in chronological order in paragraph 1. Which event came first? Which events came next?

• Helps students identify that the first event is thearchaeologists “excavating Inty-Shedu’s tomb.”Then they “found” the “cellar” or “serdab.” Finally,they discovered the “group of four beautifulstatues” in the “serdab.”

• Guide students to understand that the author startswith the discovery, the last and most importantevent, as a way to draw readers into the text.

Hidden Statues

¶1 One of the many wonderful discoveries we made in this cemetery was a group of four beautiful statues belonging to a man named Inty-Shedu. He lived during the Old Kingdom, the age when the pyramids at Giza were built, about 4,500 years ago. Inty-Shedu was the overseer of the sacred boat at the temple of a goddess named Neath. This would have been an important job, since the boat had to be kept ready for the goddess to use whenever she left her temple. While we were excavating Inty-Shedu’s tomb, we found what we call a serdab. This is an Arabic word that means “cellar.” Archaeologists use the term to refer to a small, enclosed chamber without a door.

digging up

scientists who study ancient societies


Day 1

4 Stretch 2 Reading

Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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(Q3) What was “very unusual” about the discovery of the “four statues”?

• Help students identify that the archaeologistsfound the statues “in situ.”

• Prompt a volunteer to explain that the authordefines “in situ” in the text that follows it inparentheses—“a fancy way of saying ‘in theiroriginal place.’”

• Guide students to recognize that thearchaeologists found the statues “in their originalplace” and that this was “very unusual.” Guidethem to infer that archaeologists usually findstatues in disorder or not placed as they wereoriginally displayed.

(Q4) How were the statues arranged when the archaeologists found them?

• Help students identify the arrangement of thestatues—“a standing statue,” “a sitting statue,” alarge “statue,” and a standing “statue.” Have themdraw the arrangement on a piece of paper to helpthem visualize it.

• Ask students whether this arrangement is balancedor the same on each side (it is not).

• Show students images of the statues from a book oronline resource.

¶2 The discovery of four statues, in situ (a fancy way of saying “in their original place”), is very unusual. The statue we had seen first, showing a man with shoulder-length hair and a moustache seated on a chair, was in the center. It was large, about 30 inches tall. To its left were a standing statue and a sitting statue, and to its right was a second standing statue. The statues on the sides were all smaller than the central figure. These four statues were carved out of limestone and painted with bright colors.

different from what normally happens


Day 1

5 Stretch 2 Reading

Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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(Q5) Think-Pair-Share What is the meaning of the word “symmetrically”? What context clue helped you determine its meaning?


o “Symmetrically” means ____.

o A context clue that helped me determine itsmeaning is ____.

• Possible responses include:

o having the same features on both sides; done in abalanced way

o “found it strange . . . two statues on one side . . .and only one on the other”

¶3 The ancient Egyptians were always careful to do things symmetrically, and I found it strange that there would be two statues on one side of the main figure and only one on the other. So I looked carefully, and I saw that there had once been a second statue on the right, but it had been made of wood and had disintegrated into powder. broken up into tiny

parts as a result of decay

6 Stretch 2 Reading

Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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Revisit the text.

• Remind students of the title and author ofthe text.

• Use the Summary Routine or ask a volunteerto summarize what they read the previous day.Provide sentence starters:

o Hawass begins this book excerpt byexplaining that _____.

o He states that _____.





• Read paragraphs 4–6 aloud to students,asking students to follow along.

• Use the Oral Cloze Routine to encouragestudents to read the text as you read it aloud.

¶4 I felt sad at the loss of the fifth statue, but I began to examine the four extraordinary statues left in front of me. Each was inscribed with the name Inty-Shedu. I knew that they were meant to represent one person at various stages of his life.


¶6 . . . drove off to the pyramids. As a government official, I have my own car and someone to drive me wherever I need to go. I sat in the front seat, reading the paper as I like to do in the morning. Suddenly the sky began to spin, and I fainted—I was having a heart attack!

Whole Group: • Revisit the text, then have students silently read paragraph 4. (10 minutes)• Read paragraphs 4–6 aloud to students. (10 minutes)

Small Group: • Lead discussion about paragraphs 4–6, using Guided Questions 1–5. (20 minutes)• Use Think-Pair-Share and QuickWrite to encourage active participation by all students.

Lesson Overview:


Day 2


Day 1

7 Stretch 2 Reading

Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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(Q1) Think-Pair-Share How did Hawass know that the statues were “meant to represent one person at various stages of his life”?

• Provide a sentence starter:

o Hawass knew this because ____.


o each statue was inscribed with the same name,“Inty-Shedu”

• If students have difficulty responding, be sure theyhave determined that “inscribed” means “writtenon” or “carved into.”

• Have students review paragraph 1 to remindthemselves that Hawass found the statues in thetomb of Inty-Shedu. The statues represent “variousstages of his life.”

¶4 I felt sad at the loss of the fifth statue, but I began to examine the four extraordinary statues left in front of me. Each was inscribed with the name Inty-Shedu. I knew that they were meant to represent one person at various stages of his life.


Day 2


Day 1

8 Stretch 2 Reading

Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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(Q2) Why was the “announcement” of the discovery of the statues postponed?

• Prompt a volunteer to explain that an “earthquakestruck Cairo” the “day that the announcementwas” to have been made.

• Help students identify that the “mood” changedin Egypt because of the earthquake. The authorknew that people would not want to hear aboutthe discovery because they were upset about theearthquake. So the announcement was postponed.

• Have students discuss why it would be wise topostpone announcing fun or exciting news ifeveryone was upset—or feeling “gloomy”—aboutthe grave damage done by an earthquake. Be surestudents understand that the people wouldn’t payattention to the news if they were upset aboutsomething else.

(Q3) What did the author immediately think of after the earthquake struck?

• Help students identify that the author “thoughtabout the Sphinx.” He worried that the earthquakehad destroyed it.

• Guide students to conclude that the Sphinx is animportant statue in Egypt.

Strange Coincidences

¶5 This is when strange things began to happen. On the day that the announcement was to be made, October 12, 1992, a big earthquake struck Cairo. I was sitting in my office at Giza when I felt the ground shake so hard that some of my books fell off their shelves. I immediately thought about the Sphinx, which is already in great danger of crumbling to pieces, and all our new discoveries, so I ran outside to see if everything was OK. I was very happy to find everything still standing, but we had to postpone the announcement—after the earthquake, the people of Egypt were very upset, and the mood of the country was very gloomy. Everyone had the earthquake on their minds, so this would not have been a good time to announce our discovery.

events happening at the same time by chance

a huge statue in Egypt constructed in ancient times of a figure with the head of a human and the body of a lion


Day 2


Day 1

9 Stretch 2 Reading

Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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(Q4) What words does the author use to show that he behaved differently on the “new date”?

• Help students find the words “usually” and “but.”

• Guide students to recognize that the authorbehaved differently that day by waking earlierthan he “usually” does, “because of theannouncement.”

(Q5) QuickWrite This section is called “Strange Coincidences.” What are two strange things that happened on the two different days the archaeologists planned to announce their discovery of the statues?


o The first strange thing that happened was ____.(an “earthquake” struck Cairo—paragraph 5)

o The other strange thing that happened was_____. (the author had a heart attack)

• Prompt a volunteer to remind the group of the title ofthe text, “Curse of the Pharaohs.”

• Help students predict that the author will soondiscuss whether he thinks these “strange” eventsare because of the “curse.”

¶6 We set a new date, on a Friday, which is the weekend in Egypt. I usually sleep a little bit late on Fridays then go to a cafe to write. But that day, because of the announcement about the statues, I got up early. My driver picked me up, and we drove off to the pyramids. As a government official, I have my own car and someone to drive me wherever I need to go. I sat in the front seat, reading the paper as I like to do in the morning. Suddenly the sky began to spin, and I fainted—I was having a heart attack!


Day 2

10 Stretch 2 Reading

Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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Lesson Overview:


Revisit the text.



o In the last section we read, Hawassdescribed two _____.

o They were ____ and ____.





• Read paragraphs 7–9 aloud to students orhave a confident student reader read theparagraphs aloud.

• Ask students to follow along as you read thetext aloud.

¶7 I was very lucky because my driver was smart enough to take me right to the hospital, only a few minutes away. I was rushed to the emergency room, where I was given a shot of heart medicine that saved my life. But of course we had to cancel the announcement again. I stayed in the hospital for about two weeks, thinking of Inty-Shedu.


¶9 . . . have been left in place. We treat each grave that we find with respect. We pay attention to the context of each object—exactly where and how it was left. The information that we gather in this way tells us stories about the people who left the objects behind.

Whole Group: • Revisit the text, then have students silently read paragraph 7. (10 minutes)• Read paragraphs 7–9 aloud to students. (10 minutes)

Small Group: • Lead discussion about paragraphs 7–9, using Guided Questions 1–4. (20 minutes)• Use Think-Pair-Share and Idea Wave to encourage active participation by all students.


Day 3


Day 1


Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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(Q1) Think-Pair-Share What actions helped save the author’s life after he had a heart attack?


o One action that helped save the author’slife was ____.

o Another action that helped save the author’slife was ____.


o his “driver” took him to “the hospital” right away

o he was “given a shot of heart medicine” at thehospital

¶7 I was very lucky because my driver was smart enough to take me right to the hospital, only a few minutes away. I was rushed to the emergency room, where I was given a shot of heart medicine that saved my life. But of course we had to cancel the announcement again. I stayed in the hospital for about two weeks, thinking of Inty-Shedu.


Day 3


Day 1


Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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(Q2) Which sentence in paragraph 8 shows that the author has both a sense of humor about “never” being able to make the “official announcement,” and an affection for what he studies?

• Have students reread the second sentence—“Maybe Inty-Shedu was shy and didn’t wanteveryone paying so much attention to him.”

• Help students recognize that this sentencecommunicates humor and affection. Rather thanbeing upset about the situation, he makes a gentlejoke about it. Of course, Inty-Shedu can’t be “shy”as he is not alive.

(Q3) To what does the author say “some people” might “ascribe” unusual events like the earthquake and his heart attack?

• Help students identify that the author says “somepeople” might “ascribe” these events to an“ancient curse”—the Curse of the Pharaohs.

• Guide students to recognize that the author does notbelieve in the curse (“It holds no terror for [him]”).

• Assist students in understanding that he offers uphis heart attack as proof that the curse is nothingto fear. He woke up early on the day of the secondplanned announcement. If he had stuck to hisnormal routine, he “might well have died!”

¶8 So we never made an official announcement of the statues. Maybe Inty-Shedu was shy and didn’t want everyone paying so much attention to him. Some people might say that the earthquake and my heart attack were the result of an ancient curse, to which they like to ascribe all unusual events connected with Egyptology. But if there is a “Curse of Inty-Shedu,” it holds no terror for me. It probably saved my life. If I had been home in bed when I had my heart attack, there would have been no one to notice that I needed medical help, and I might well have died!

to say that something is the cause of something else

the study of the language, history, and civilization of ancient Egypt


Day 3


Day 1


Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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(Q4) Idea Wave Hawass writes that archaeologists “pay attention to the context of each object” they find. What details in paragraphs 2 through 4 support this claim?


o One detail that supports this claim is _____.

o Another detail that supports this claim is _____.


o Hawass saw that the statues were “in situ”

o Hawass “found it strange” that the statues werenot symmetrical

o Hawass “saw that there had once been a secondstatue on the right”

o Hawass saw that each statue “was inscribed withthe name Inty-Shedu”

• If students have difficulty responding, be surethat they have determined the meaning of “thecontext of each object.” Explain that the authorprovides a definition for this phrase after the dash.Archaeologists pay attention to “where and how”things are “left.” Point out that archaeologistsuse “context”—or what’s around a discovery—todetermine the meaning of the objects they find.Likewise, readers determine the meaning of wordsby using context clues in the text around the word.

Treasuring the Past

¶9 What we do as archaeologists is to study the past, with care and love. We search for remains of the ancients that have been left in place. We treat each grave that we find with respect. We pay attention to the context of each object—exactly where and how it was left. The information that we gather in this way tells us stories about the people who left the objects behind.


Day 3


Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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Lesson Overview:


Revisit the text.



o In the last section, we learned that Hawassbelieves _____.

o We also learned that he _____.


• Ask students to read paragraphs 10–11 silently.



• Read paragraphs 10–13 aloud to studentsor have a confident student reader read theparagraphs aloud.

• Ask students to follow along as you read thetext aloud.

¶10 When I discover a new tomb, I am always mindful of the person buried inside. I move and touch the mummies I find as little as possible. And I use all of the latest technologies, such as x-rays and CAT scans, so that I can study them without disturbing their delicate bones. Using these tools can give us detailed pictures of the mummies and provide us with lots of information.



Whole Group: • Revisit the text, then have students silently read paragraphs 10–11. (10 minutes)• Read paragraphs 10–13 aloud to students. (10 minutes)

Small Group: • Lead discussion about paragraphs 10–13, using Guided Questions 1–4. (20 minutes)• Use Think (Write)-Pair-Share and Think-Pair-Share to encourage active participation by all students.


Day 4


Day 1


Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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(Q1) Think (Write)-Pair-Share What detail in paragraph 10 tells you that Hawass has respect for what he studies?


o I can tell that Hawass has respect for whathe studies because he writes that he is ____.(“always mindful of the person buried inside”when discovering a “new tomb”)

• Point to details such as “x-rays” and “CATscans” and help students understand that, ofcourse, Hawass wants to “touch the mummies”“as little as possible” to protect his ability tostudy them scientifically. But his reasons fortouching them “as little as possible” go beyondhis scientific research. He has a deep respect forthe people and cultures that he studies.

(Q2) What can you infer about medical care in ancient Egypt based on details in paragraph 11?

• Help students find the detail “One man hadhis arm amputated and lived for many yearsafterward.”

• Guide students to infer from this detail thatancient Egyptians had good medical care. Theywere able to perform a successful surgery—theman “lived.”

¶10 When I discover a new tomb, I am always mindful of the person buried inside. I move and touch the mummies I find as little as possible. And I use all of the latest technologies, such as x-rays and CAT scans, so that I can study them without disturbing their delicate bones. Using these tools can give us detailed pictures of the mummies and provide us with lots of information.

¶11 By studying ancient bones and artifacts in this way, I can learn so much—the age people were when they died, whether they were sick or healthy, and even what killed them. For example, several of the skeletons from the pyramid builders’ cemetery have wounds that suggest that they were hurt or killed during their work on the pyramid site, perhaps by falling blocks. We even know something about the medical care available: One man had his arm amputated and lived for many years afterward.

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Day 4


Day 1


Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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(Q3) According to Hawass, what are the benefits to studying many mummies or tombs? What are the benefits to reading ancient texts?

• Help students identify that by “studying groupsof mummies or tombs,” Hawass can learn about“families and groups of people.”

• Have students also identify that Hawass learnsabout “religious beliefs and [the ancient Egyptian]economy” by reading their texts.

(Q4) Think-Pair-Share Why does the author devote so much text—paragraphs 9–13—to describing how archaeologists study the past “with care and love”? What is he trying to prove?


o The author is trying to prove ____.


o that archaeologists have a great respect forancient remains

o that an ancient curse would not aim to hurt thepeople who work to preserve the past

¶12 By studying groups of mummies or tombs or houses, I can find out about families and groups of people, and even the society as a whole. By reading the texts that ancient people have left behind, I can learn about things such as their religious beliefs and how their economy worked.



Day 4


Teacher Packet


PDF0804 (PDF)


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Lesson Overview:

Whole Group: Writing Text Definitions

Revisit the text.


• Use the Summary Routine or ask a volunteerto summarize the entire text. Provide sentencestarters:

o “Curse of the Pharaohs” is mainly about ____.

o The author explains how ____.

Preview the writing prompts on page 19.

• Read both writing prompts aloud for students.

• Remind students of the purposes of informationaland opinion writing.

Have students read independently, marking up the text.

• Ask students to read the entire text silently.

• Have them mark up the text or make notes on aseparate paper with questions and observationsabout the text as they read, keeping the writingprompts in mind.

Hidden Statues


[intervening text]


Whole Group: • Revisit the text. (5 minutes)• Preview the writing prompts. (5 minutes)• Have students read silently, marking up the text. (10 minutes)

Small Group: • Guide students to select a writing prompt and prepare for writing. (20 minutes)


Day 5


Day 1


Teacher Packet


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Small Group: Writing Text Definitions

Unlock the writing prompts.

• Reread the writing prompts aloud to students.

• Make sure students understand the type of writingthey would use to answer each prompt.

• Help them recognize the audience/purpose for eachwriting prompt.

• Ask students if they have any questions about eitherwriting prompt.

Guide students to select a writing prompt.

• Ask students what they find interesting about eachwriting prompt.

• Then have them choose a prompt.

Brainstorm.

• Ask students to review the reading and the notesthey made during Whole Group.

• Have students use their notes to list ideas, create anidea web, or make an outline to help them narrowthe focus of their writing.

• Prompt students to discuss and share their ideas fortheir writing.

Hidden Statues


[intervening text]



Day 5

READ 180® Stretch 2 ReadingWriting Prompts


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Choice A: Informational Summary Choice B: Opinion Essay

Review the text. Then write a three-paragraph informational summary telling what the author believes about the “Curse of Inty-Shedu.”

Begin your summary with a focus statement that states your plan for your essay. In your body paragraph, include at least three details and examples from the text that support your focus statement.

Conclude your summary by restating your focus statement and adding an interesting final thought.

Review the reading. Then write a three-paragraph opinion essay telling whether you believe the “Curse of Inty-Shedu” is real or not.

Start your essay with a focus statement that gives your opinion. In your body paragraph, support your opinion with at least three reasons, examples, or facts from the text. Include at least one reason, example, or fact from the Workshop Readings, if possible.

End your essay by restating your opinion and making a recommendation to readers.


READ 180® Stretch 2 ReadingExtension Activities


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Extension Reading Extension Research Extension Project

Have students go to the library and look up books and articles about other amazing discoveries made by archaeologists in Egypt.

Encourage students to look for similarities and differences between the discoveries they read about in the library materials and the discovery of the four statues that Zahi Hawass describes in this book excerpt.

Remind students that archaeologists have made many amazing discoveries in Egypt.

Have students use both print and digital resources to research another amazing discovery in Egypt, such as the Tomb of Seti I, the Secret Mummy Cave, or the Valley of the Golden Mummies.

Ask students to research:

• the date of the discovery

• who discovered it

• location of the discovery

• why the discovery is important

Have students summarize their findings in a brief essay or report that they present in front of the class.

Have students create a website or poster about the tomb of Inty-Shedu.

Students should include the following features in their projects:

• a title

• a map showing where the tomb islocated and important landmarks

• the date the tomb was discovered

• images of objects, or antiquities,found at the tomb, with captions

Encourage students to use both print and digital resources in their research.

Have students present their projects to the class.


teacher packet read 180 overview “curse of the pharaohs

Documents