Each year, the Frenship Foundation for Leadership awards teachers with grants that fund supplies, technology, instructional materials, and innovative lessons that spark a passion for learning. Back in September, all the elementary gifted and talented teachers received a grant to purchase Jumbo Pyramid Dig Kits for their students. Their goal was to provide the students with rich, real-world experience to expand their Ancient Egyptian Unit.  

Over the last two months, the gifted and talented students have been diving deep into ancient Egyptian culture. Students from all nine Frenship elementaries utilized their dig kits to explore the rich history of Ancient Egypt through the excavation of cultural artifacts. 

The students were divided into small groups to collaborate and excavate using chisels, hammers, brushes, and picks. The group devised an excavation strategy and then worked together to uncover 12 Ancient Egyptian artifacts buried within. The kits included an information booklet, so as students found artifacts they rotated reading the information about that particular artifact. 

Amy Mitchell, the gifted and talented teacher at Bennett Elementary, explained that since every student was able to excavate at the same time, the whole class was highly engaged in the activity. 

“This lesson allowed students to guide their own learning,” said Mitchell. “They pretended like they were Ancient Egyptian archaeologists in the field. They took the task very seriously and were very excited every time a new artifact was found.” 

Beyond uncovering artifacts and exploring culture, gifted and talented teachers also wanted to strengthen students’ teamwork skills. By working collaboratively and cooperating with their group, they learned to make decisions leading to the greatest amount of team success.

Mitchell emphasized the value of their Frenship Foundation for Leadership teacher grant in providing more hands-on learning and engaging lessons for their gifted and talented students. 

“Hands-on learning is critical for GT students,” said Mitchell. “They use challenging work to stimulate their intrinsic curiosity, inspire innovation and creativity, and encourage meaningful connections and understanding. Thanks to the Frenship Foundation, this kit allowed GT students to have an ideal learning experience.” 

She went on to explain that experiential lessons like the dig kits help the students take ownership of their learning and grow their critical thinking skills. Having an opportunity to work with other high-level peers also gives them a chance to increase their social-emotional skills.  

“Receiving the grant allowed us to impact student learning by synthesizing two of our large units this year: Archaeology and Ancient Egypt,” said Mitchell. “The kits gave students the opportunity to apply their skills of archaeology to our current unit on Ancient Egypt. It also gave us the opportunity to hype up careers within both units. We witnessed many passionate, aspiring archaeologists during our digs!” 

With the support of the Frenship Foundation, which provided the funds for these digs, gifted and talented teachers across all elementary schools have witnessed their students unearth a passion for archaeology. Mitchell went on to thank the Frenship Foundation for Leadership for their incredible generosity in aiding the teachers in fostering a creative and engaging learning environment.  

"Because of them, GT students across nine campuses engaged in a highly meaningful and rewarding experience through the excavation pyramid kits,” said Mitchell. “As evidenced by giddy students in the halls sharing with their friends what they did in GT and by grateful parents who expressed their appreciation for these experiences, I know this learning experience will have a lasting impact. Frenship Foundation is making a forever difference in the lives of students!” 

By bringing the past to life through hands-on learning, students across Frenship elementary schools didn’t just learn about archaeology, they lived it. Through opportunities like these, the Frenship Foundation continues to leave a lasting imprint on classrooms and students. 

For more information on Teacher Grants through the Frenship Foundation for Leadership click here.