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By Edna Wu
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Oct. 16, 2009 |
Two history classes visited an exhibit at a local museum to study ancient Egypt through interactive learning on Sept 24.
History teacher Thomas Martin took his two Advanced Placement World History classes to the King Tutankhamun exhibit, which will be in San Francisco from June 2009 to March 2010 at the DeYoung Museum. The trip, including 68 students, four parent chaperones and Martin, cost about $1,030. “The goal of the field trip was to provide students with concrete examples of the kinds of artifacts archaeologists and historians use to make generalizations about the past,” Martin said. “These artifacts are useful for stimulating students’ imaginations of everyday life thousands of years ago.”
Several students enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the trip. “The field trip had a totally different impact than reading school textbooks,” sophomore Priscilla Ho said. “It definitely helped my understanding of the ancient world with the availability of ancient artifacts that can not be fully described unless seen.”
Along with the field trip, students had an extra credit worksheet to complete. “I put together a worksheet for the students to do while enjoying the exhibit,” Martin said. “Though it is extra credit, most students completed it while touring the exhibit.” The worksheet included informative reading and scavenger hunt problems with essay questions.
“I felt that the worksheet did help me with my studies,” sophomore Calvin Hu said. “It helped me visualize and actually see the weapons, tools and art in the time period of the early Egyptians.”
The trip sparked interest in ancient Egypt with some students. “What’s really unbelievable was that I actually went online and researched other things about Egypt that I found interesting and learned more about them,” Ho said.
Parent chaperones also felt that the field trip was a great opportunity to study ancient culture. “Many students do not take the time to visit museums,” parent chaperone Lily Gee said. “The King Tut exhibit is one that can certainly pique student interest.”
Planning for the trip started in the summer after Martin, who usually takes his AP World classes to a museum in the fall, visited the exhibit. “This rare exhibit is a-once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Martin said. “We just studied ancient Egypt so it was the perfect time to go. This particular field trip was an outstanding supplement to the academic information in the students’ textbook.”
According to Martin, future visits may be impossible because the exhibit comes about every thirty to forty years. “The King Tut exhibit is unique,” he said.
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