Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 133 No. 2 Winter 2011-2012 | Page 6

Middle School News by Brian Lievens Cleopatra, the Last Queen of Egypt Andy, Malia, and Wyatt construct a model of the Nile River. During the week of November 14-18, the entire middle school department participated in an interdisciplinary unit of study spanning all subject areas with a focus on Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt. This week long unit culminated with a trip to visit the Cleopatra exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum on November 17, 2011. The middle school students learned about the historical background of Cleopatra while studying about the Greco-Egyptian religion, culture, and people. On Monday, November 14, 2011, the middle school students explored the historical background of Cleopatra VII. Mr. Lievens presented information about Alexander the Great, Ptolemy the Great, Julius Caesar, and especially Cleopatra. Ms. Havers provided lessons about the Nile River. The students were divided into three groups to design a 3-D model of the Nile River using real grass to explore how annual flooding assisted the Egyptians’ farming. On Tuesday, a book on Cleopatra by Diane Stanley was signed aloud by Mr. Lievens. Based on historical facts, the story described the setting of Cleopatra’s eventual death. Soon the students realized that all information on Cleopatra is for the most part from her enemies who were not always consistent in their portrayal of her. The students along with Mrs. Copeland, examined Egyptian and the Roman writings. Mrs. Copeland provided information about the Rosetta Stone which assisted the linguists in translating the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The students wrote Egyptian hieroglyphics and experimented in trying their hand at writing Roman style letters on a clay tablet. The gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt came alive through Mr. Lievens’ lessons. The students learned that Cleopatra was a divine manifestation of goddess Isis according to the ancient Egyptian beliefs. Winter 2012 - 6 Archeologist, Dakota Kangas is busy at work mapping out his site! Above, Daniel, Alex, and Malia make paper. Left: Tommy writes on his paper.