Inspired by: Scarabs Secret - Week 1

In the heart of a vibrant classroom, a lesson on fronted adverbials unfolds, inviting students to explore the nuances of language and emphasis. The focal point of the activity is a delightful tale of a scarab beetle who finds joy in discovering a mural of himself within a newly adorned temple. The sentence "There, on the far wall, just below the man with the head of a jackal – that’s me." serves as a prime example, highlighting the location of the beetle's painted likeness at the very beginning of the sentence, thereby emphasizing its position. Students are encouraged to experiment with adverbials of manner, place, and time, rearranging them to shift the focus of a sentence. The classroom becomes a playground for linguistic discovery as pupils embark on a 'place phrases hunt', seeking out expressions that denote proximity within their reading materials, and categorizing them based on how they convey distance – from the immediate to the far-flung.

Simultaneously, another aspect of the lesson delves into the historical significance of the scarab beetle, particularly its representation of the Egyptian god Khepri. Students are tasked with researching and compiling a fact-file, unraveling the reasons behind Khepri's divine status, his various epithets, and the symbolic imagery associated with him. They learn that the ancient Egyptians revered the scarab beetle for its dung-rolling behavior, which they saw as a metaphor for the celestial forces propelling the sun across the sky. This multifaceted lesson not only enhances the pupils' understanding of language structure but also enriches their knowledge of ancient Egyptian culture and mythology, as they piece together the intriguing story of Khepri and the reverence bestowed upon a humble beetle.