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History Department: A Stimulation Game in Grade 6 History Class

December 7, 2023

On November 29th, during 6th grade history, the students had an interesting activity: simulating a journey through the afterlife! The ancient Egyptians believed that the soul embarked on a journey to the Field of Reeds after death. During this journey, the soul went through many dark and dangerous places, meeting various gods and facing difficult challenges before finally reaching the Hall of Ma’at, where a very important test awaited. The most crucial part of this journey was the 'Weighing of the Heart' ceremony. The Egyptian god Anubis would weigh the deceased's heart against a feather from Ma’at, the goddess of truth and justice. If the heart was lighter or equal in weight to the feather, it meant the person had not committed any wrongdoing during their lifetime. Their soul therefore was pure, and they would be granted eternal life in the afterlife. However, if the heart was heavier, it indicated that the deceased had committed wrongdoings, and they would have to face the terrible punishment of the gods. In this case their heart would be devoured by Ammit, a terrible beast!

The teachers used a hanger and paper cups to create a special scale for weighing the students ‘’hearts’’. The students each folded a heart using paper and took turns answering some questions in front of their classmate, playing the role of the god Anubis. The God would ask questions such as "Do you tell the truth often?” "Have you ever shared with others?", "Have you ever helped others?", etc. If the answer was "No", they would add a paper clip to the heart to increase the weight. The students nervously monitored the scales and were all very engaged in the activity, desperate not to fail the test of Anubis. Through this simulation game and role-play, the students deepened their understanding of the ancient Egyptians' views of life and the afterlife. They got to experience how the Egyptians’ belief system influenced their lives, values and behavior. This gamified learning approach effectively sparked students' interest and contributed to their great enthusiasm for learning about Egyptian history.

(Written by Liu Chen Pictures by Grade 6 history teachers Supervised by David O’Leary Edited by Cong Luo, Bianca Noguera)