The library, usually silent, was buzzing with conversations on Tuesday, January 7 … about farming along the Nile, hieroglyphics, mummification and more. Team Aspire’s Ancient Egyptian Museum was open for business, and parents, other classes, and many teachers and administrators toured the exhibits and spoke to the student curators about their insights.
Student-run museums are a hallmark of John Jay Middle School’s sixth grade social studies. Students choose topics that intrigue them. This powers their research, energizes their essays, and inspires amazing creativity in making artifacts that bring each topic to life.
“The students are truly experts,” said teacher Kathy O’Neil. “Their learning is reinforced as they teach others.”
She looked over the library. Nearly forty students were delivering crisp presentations about their topics to guests.
Zoe lifted the front of her pyramid with a snap and a smile. She pointed out the deep well on the model's bottom floor. It was lined with spikes. “This was one way they trapped intruders,” she said. “Some of the tombs were robbed immediately - by the construction crews who built them!”
Max pulled a bow back and forth, spinning one piece of wood against another. He was demonstrating the bow drill that he built for his project on Ancient Egyptian Woodworking. “This is how they drilled holes,” he said. “It can also create a spark to start fires.”
Sophia was inspired to learn more about mummification after learning that archaeologists discovered a 4,300-year-old mummy in 2023. She showed visitors tiny replicas of the canopic jars that Ancient Egyptians used to contain a deceased person’s organs.
From a replica of the board game found in King Tut’s tomb to a model of one of the musical instruments played by Egyptians thousands of years ago, students’ artifacts engaged guests and drew them into the story of Ancient Egypt.
“It’s great to be here on Museum Day!” said Librarian Jenn Useted, who worked with the students throughout the research process. “I’m very proud of the students and I appreciate the challenges they took on.”
Enter the Ancient Egyptian Museum here!
