This week’s academic spotlight shines on Mrs. Cheryl Borgeson and Ms. Lilly Webster, two outstanding sixth-grade social studies teachers who prove that history doesn’t have to be something students just read about. It can be something they experience and remember. Their recent Mummification in Ancient Egypt lesson turned the classroom into a hands-on learning environment that brought the past to life in creative and meaningful ways.
As part of their Ancient Egypt unit, students became “embalmers for a day.” They rotated through a series of stations set up around the 6th-grade commons area, each representing a different step of the mummification process. At every station, students worked through the rituals of washing the body, removing the brain through the nose, drying the body in “natron,” wrapping it in linen, and finally placing their finished mummy in a sarcophagus. Students used their iPads at each station to record notes, take pictures, or capture reflections as evidence of their learning.
“The kids were totally into it,” said Ms. Webster. “They weren’t just learning about history. They were experiencing it.”
Mrs. Borgeson said, “It’s the kind of lesson that sticks because students are doing, not just listening.”
The students agreed:
David Jason Lockett said, “I love my teacher Miss Webster because she has incredible patience.”
Bryn Hoins shared, “Ms. Webster makes learning about Egypt so fun and interesting.”
Abel Christopher Wolters added, “I like Miss Webster because she is nice, and I like how she is forgiving for bad handwriting.”
Brycen Micle Trotnic said, “I like this class because everyone participates so I don’t have to.”
Using creativity and students in mind, Mrs. Borgeson and Ms. Webster showed what powerful teaching and learning look like in Lansing USD469. They transformed a history lesson into an experience that was engaging, memorable, and full of authentic learning.
Lansing USD469 is incredibly lucky to have them both!