Illustration of a sandy skeleton head and a snake with the sun in the background
Art by Allan Davey
Play,

The Mummy's Curse

Could an ancient curse be real?

By Spencer Kayden | Art by Allan Davey
From the October/November 2022 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will study text features to gain a richer understanding of a play about an ancient curse.

Complexity Factors
  • Purpose & Levels of Meaning
    This historical fiction play is a dramatization of the events surrounding the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb and the debate over what should be done with its contents. It examines this issue from the different points of view of various characters and explores the concept of a curse associated with the tomb.
  • Structure
    The play has a prologue and five scenes. Most of the events take place in Egypt between 1922 and 1925. The final scene takes place in America in 2010.
  • Language
    The play contains challenging domain-specific vocabulary, such as pharaoh, hieroglyphs, curse, and tomb. A cobra appears throughout as a symbol of the tomb’s curse.
  • Knowledge Demands
    Some background knowledge of ancient Egypt will aid comprehension.
Guided Reading Level: O
DRA Level: 34-38
Featured Skill: Text Features,
Other Key Skills: text features, vocabulary, setting, key details, plot, compare and contrast, author’s craft, main idea, connecting to the text, explanatory writing
Standards
  • Common Core
    R.4, RL.1, RL.2, RL.3, RL.4, RL.5, RL.6, RI.5, RI.7, W.3, SL.1, L.1
  • TEKS Grade 3
    1a, 1c, 3a, 3b, 4, 6a, 6c, 6e, 6f, 6g, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7f, 7g, 8b, 8c, 8d, 9c, 10c, 10d, 12a

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All About King Tut’s Tomb

You’re about to read a play about a team of archaeologists (people who study places to learn about the past) in Egypt. The team is looking for a hidden tomb, or room, that holds the body of an ancient Egyptian ruler named King Tut. King Tut died when he was only 19 years old. For thousands of years, people looked for his tomb. In 1922, it was finally discovered. How much do you know about King Tut’s tomb? Take this quiz to find out. (Don’t worry if you don’t know the answers. By the time you’re done, you’ll be an expert!)

1. King Tut was a pharaoh in ancient Egypt. What’s a pharaoh?

Pharaohs ruled ancient Egypt. They were powerful kings and queens. They commanded armies and were often rich. Pharaohs were honored by the other Egyptians. When they died, they were placed in tombs so that they would be ready for the afterlife.

2. Pharaohs’ crowns often had pictures of cobras on them. Ancient Egyptians believed the cobra _________.

A picture of a cobra was a sign of protection. There are old stories that say cobras spit fire at a pharaoh’s enemies. Many pharaohs were buried in tombs that contain statues of cobras. These cobras were supposed to watch over and protect the tombs.

3. True or false: King Tut’s body was buried inside three different coffins.

True! There were three coffins inside King Tut’s tomb. The third coffin held King Tut’s body. It was made of gold!

4. King Tut’s body was turned into a mummy. What is a mummy?

A mummy is a dead body that has been prepared for the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians believed that there was life after death, so they wanted their bodies to be ready for the next life. To do this, priests would cover the body in oils and then wrap it in cloth. This worked very well. Even now, thousands of years later, many mummies are still in good condition.

5. True or false: There were 5,000 different objects in King Tut’s tomb.

True! King Tut’s tomb was filled with thousands of different objects. These included gold, treasures, clothes, toys, food, furniture, and even boats! 
Take the quiz again
Think and Read: Text Features

As you read the play, look for different kinds of text features (photos, captions, maps, and more). Think about what you learn from them.

Characters

Choose the character you will play.

*Narrators (N1, N2, N3)

Howard Carter, an archaeologist (a person who studies places and objects to learn about the past)

Ahmed, an Egyptian worker 

Tarik, an Egyptian worker

Lord Carnarvon, Carter’s rich partner

Alan Gardiner, an expert on ancient Egypt

Lady Evelyn, Lord Carnarvon’s daughter

Doctor

Andre, a truck driver

Theresa, a truck driver

Prologue

N1: Long ago, people called pharaohs ruled ancient Egypt. 

N2: Three thousand years ago, a young boy became pharaoh when he was just 9 years old. 

N3: His name was Tutankhamen [too-tahn-KAH-muhn], or King Tut for short.

N1: King Tut died when he was 19—mysteriously. 

N2: He was buried in a secret underground tomb. It was said to be filled with treasures.

N3: For thousands of years, people searched for the tomb. 

N1: No one could find it. Until 1922 . . .  

Jim McMahon/Mapman ®

Scene 1

Luxor, Egypt

November 1922

N2: Howard Carter and workers are digging in an area known as the Valley of the Kings. 

N3: Many pharaohs are buried in this area. 

Carter: I’ve been searching for King Tut’s tomb for years. I wonder if we’ll ever find it.

N1: Ahmed trips on a large stone under the sand. 

Ahmed: I may have found something! It looks like stairs.

Carter (excitedly): Keep digging! 

Tarik: There’s a door at the bottom.

Ahmed: It has royal pictures on it! That means . . .

Tarik: . . . the tomb belongs to a pharaoh. 

Carter: I’ll tell my partner, Lord Carnarvon. He’ll want to be here when we open the tomb!

Granger, NYC/The Granger Collection 

A Big Discovery

Howard Carter discovered King Tut’s tomb 100 years ago, in 1922. Here he studies Tut’s mummy. 

Scene 2

Rosemary Calvert/Photographer’s Choice/Getty Images

A Mummy’s Mask 

King Tut’s mummy wore this gold mask. It was made with more than 20 pounds of gold!

The tomb, two weeks later

N2: Lord Carnarvon and Alan Gardiner join Carter at the tomb door. 

Carnarvon: If this really is King Tut’s tomb, it will be huge news. 

N3: The workers break through the door.

N1: They come to another door with more pictures on it.

Gardiner: These pictures were used as a form of writing in ancient Egypt. They’re called hieroglyphs (HI-ruh-glifs).

Carnarvon: What do they say?

Gardiner: Tut . . . an . . . khamen!

Carter: We’ve found it! 

N2: They enter a room filled with glittering statues, jewels, and gold.

Carter: This means King Tut’s mummy is nearby!

Carnarvon: Soon we may be looking at the face of an ancient king.

Gardiner: Wait! 

N3: Gardiner points to a statue of a large cobra. 

Gardiner (nervously): People say that cobras watch over pharaohs and their treasures. I wonder if this is a sign.

Carter: A sign of what?

Gardiner: The mummy’s curse! I’ve heard stories that King Tut will punish anyone who enters his tomb—or takes his treasures.

Carnarvon: King Tut has been dead for over 3,000 years!

Gardiner: But ancient Egyptians believed their spirits lived on after they died. 

Carter: We can’t stop now! Let’s look around.

Scene 3

Cairo, Egypt

April 1923

N1: Lady Evelyn sits next to her father’s bed. 

N2: Lord Carnarvon is thin and weak.

N3: A doctor arrives. 

Evelyn (quietly): Doctor, he must get better. His team has just made a huge discovery. 

Doctor: I know. All of Egypt has heard about King Tut’s tomb.

Evelyn: The treasures have been hidden for more than 3,000 years.

Doctor: Perhaps they should stay hidden.

Evelyn: What do you mean?

N1: The doctor pauses.

Doctor: There are stories that anyone who enters King Tut’s tomb will be punished with a curse. 

Evelyn: Father did get sick soon after he entered the tomb . . .

N2: CLAP! Thunder echoes outside.

N3: The doctor checks Carnarvon’s heartbeat. 

Doctor: He’s . . . dead. 

N1: CLAP! Thunder echoes again.

N2: A cobra slithers out from under Carnarvon’s bed. 

N3: The doctor gasps.

Doctor: Cobras are said to watch over pharaohs. It’s a sign of the curse! 

 Rue des Archives/The Granger Collection 

Ancient Treasures

Howard Carter takes treasures out of King Tut’s tomb. Today, most of the treasures can be seen in a museum in Egypt.

Scene 4

The tomb,

October 1925

N1: Carter and his team continue exploring. 

N2: Some of the workers are nervous.

Ahmed: I heard that another person who entered this tomb recently died.

N3: Suddenly, Ahmed falls to the ground. 

N1: Tarik looks down.

Tarik: He’s fainted!

Carter: Get him water!

Gardiner: The curse has struck again. We must leave. 

Carter: That curse isn’t real! It’s just the heat. We must keep going.

Gardiner: But mysterious things keep happening. Wasn’t your pet bird killed by a cobra?

Carter: That doesn’t mean anything. Cobras live all over Egypt. 

N2: Carter begins removing treasures from the tomb.

N3: Gardiner pulls Tarik to the side. 

Gardiner: We shouldn’t have entered this tomb. And we definitely shouldn’t be taking Tut’s treasures!

Tarik: Carter’s not taking them for himself. He’s giving them to a museum so people can learn about King Tut.

Gardiner: Still, too many strange things have happened . . .

LORDPRICE COLLECTION/ALAMY 

A Mysterious Death

Lord Carnarvon died a few months after entering King Tut’s tomb. He likely died from an infected bug bite. But stories spread that the mummy’s curse killed him.

Scene 5

BFA/Alamy Stock Photo

Scary Stories 

Today, people know that the mummy’s curse isn’t real. But many people like to be scared! That’s why mummies are so popular.

New York, 2010

N1: Years later, Theresa and Andre drive down a dark highway.

N2: They’re carrying some of King Tut’s jewels to a museum.

Andre: I have a strange feeling about this.

Theresa: Why?

Andre: People say that King Tut puts a curse on anyone who enters his tomb . . . or takes his treasures.

Theresa (rolling her eyes): Curses aren’t real. People just like to believe scary stories.

Andre: But I heard that some people who went into the tomb died. 

Theresa: Experts say they died for other reasons.

Andre: Even if there’s no curse, it feels wrong to dig a mummy out from underground and take his jewels.

Theresa: That is pretty creepy. But now people in New York will be able to see treasures from ancient Egypt!

N3: Suddenly, the truck’s headlights shine on a creature in the road.

N1: They see a flash of yellow eyes.  

Andre: Watch out!

N2: A giant cobra slithers across the road. 

Andre: What’s a cobra doing in New York? They don’t live here . . .

N3: The cobra flicks its tongue. Then it slithers into the night.

The Detroit News 

The Curse Explained 

Most people who entered Tut’s tomb were fine. A few people involved with the tomb did die. But experts say there are reasons for these deaths. One possible reason? There were germs growing in the tomb that could have killed them. 

Think and Write

Write a speech telling what the mummy’s curse is and how it can be explained. Use details from the text features and play.

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Can't Miss Teaching Extras

Build background knowledge and engagement by having students first read this issue’s Time Machine article, “Welcome to Ancient Egypt.” You can also ask them to take the for-fun-only prereading quiz, which you can find online at the beginning of the play.

Looking for another play based on a real-life discovery? Have your students act out Finding a Giant, which tells the story of an archaeologist who finds the bones of the largest dinosaur ever.

The archives also offer other historical dramatizations. Your students will love learning about Wilma Rudolph in our play Go! and the brave young workers who stood up for their rights in Newsies.

Fun fact: November 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb! Many museums and other institutions are celebrating the anniversary with special exhibits and articles, like this one from the Smithsonian: “Remembering the Unsung Egyptians Who Helped Discover King Tut’s Tomb.”  

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Close Reading

3. Skill Building and Writing

4. Differentiate and Customize

Striving Readers, Multilingual Learners, Advanced Readers

1. Preparing to Read

Set a Purpose for Reading/Preview Text Features 

  • To build students’ background knowledge, have them read this issue’s Time Machine feature, “Welcome to Ancient Egypt.” They can also take the play’s online prereading quiz, “All About King Tut’s Tomb.” 
  • Look at pages 24-25 with the class. Tell students that this play is based on a true story but that some events and characters have been made up.
  • Instruct students to study the title, subtitle, and illustration on pages 24-25. Ask them to describe the illustration and predict what the play will be about. 
  • Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 25 and the Think and Write box on page 29. 

Introduce Vocabulary

  • The play does not include definitions of vocabulary words with the text, but a Vocabulary Skill Builder online previews six challenging words (tomb, treasures, sign, mummy, curse, and slithers). You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow. 

2. Close Reading

  • Storyworks 3 plays provide a perfect opportunity for students to build fluency.
  • Remind students that the stage directions tell a reader or actor how to say a line or perform an action in the play. Point out the word excitedly in column 2 on page 26. Read the dialogue aloud with appropriate expressions or actions. 
  • Project or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions. (Alternatively, assign all or part of the Learning Journey Slide Deck.)

Close-Reading Questions 

  • How is the map on page 26 connected to what happens in Scene 1? (setting, text features) The map is connected to what happens in Scene 1 because the scene takes place in Luxor, Egypt. The map shows the country of Egypt and the city of Luxor. The map also shows where the Valley of the Kings is located. In this scene, Howard Carter and his workers are in the Valley of the Kings looking for King Tut’s tomb.
  • Read Scene 2. What important information does Gardiner learn from the hieroglyphs on the tomb door? (key details) The hieroglyphs say that the tomb belongs to King Tut.
  • Read Scene 3. Why does the doctor gasp? (plot, key details) The doctor gasps because he sees a cobra. He believes the snake is a sign of the mummy’s curse.
  • Read the caption next to the photo of Lord Carnarvon on page 28. Why do you think it’s titled “A Mysterious Death”? (text features) The caption probably has that title because no one is sure what caused Carnarvon’s death. Many believed he died from the mummy’s curse because he had been in King Tut’s tomb. However, Carnarvon probably died from an infected bug bite.
  • Read Scene 4. How do Gardiner and Tarik feel about Howard Carter taking treasures from King Tut’s tomb? (compare and contrast) Gardiner feels it is wrong to take the treasures. He believes in the mummy’s curse and is afraid more bad things will happen. Tarik disagrees. The items will be in a museum. Tarik believes everyone should be able to see these ancient treasures.
  • Read Scene 5. Why do you think the author includes a cobra in this scene? (author’s craft) The author probably includes a cobra in this scene to make the ending feel mysterious. Cobras show up in other parts of the play. The snake was said to watch over pharaohs and their treasures. Some people in the play believe cobras are a sign of the mummy’s curse.

Critical-Thinking Question 

  • What would you say to someone who believed the mummy’s curse was real? Use details from the play, including the text features, in your answer. (main idea, text features, connecting to the text) Answers may vary, but students should include details from the play and the text features.

Class Discussion: Focus on Teamwork

  • This play demonstrates the power of teamwork. It took many people working together to find the tomb and study its contents. Ask students to think of a time when they accomplished a goal or solved a problem with the help of a team. Why was it important to work together? What were they able to accomplish with others that they could not have accomplished alone? 

3. Skill Building and Writing

Featured Skill: Text Features

  • Distribute or digitally assign the Text Features Skill Builder.
  • Ask students to write a response to the Think and Write prompt on page 29.

Differentiate and Customize
For Striving Readers

Read the play together as a group, pausing after each scene to summarize what happened. Then go through the text features on those pages and prompt students to describe each one in their own words. Ask: What does the feature show? How does it relate to what happens in the play?

For Multilingual Learners

The play includes several instances of ellipses. This punctuation mark may be unfamiliar to some of your multilingual learners. Explain that three dots in a row usually mean that words have been left out. Ellipses can be used to indicate an incomplete thought, to show that someone’s speech was interrupted, or to tell you when there are pauses. As a group, find the ellipses in the play. Discuss how they’re being used (incomplete thought, interruption, pause) and what words (if any) might be missing.

For Advanced Readers

Have students work in pairs or small groups to do research and find out more about the curse of King Tutankhamen. How did the story of the curse get started? How did it spread? What have different scientists said about it? Invite them to present their findings to the class.

Text-to-Speech