Ancient Writing

Ancient Writing
Developed By: Connie Wood
Spring 98

Summery:
The Purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the concept of ancient writing methods by simulating the process in modern times.

Connections to the Curriculum:
The curriculum connection to eighth grade science is referenced to the TEKS 112.24. Science, Grade 8, Introduction 5.

Science is away of learning about the natural world. Students should know how science has built a vast body of changing and increasing knowledge described by physical, mathematical, and conceptual models, and also should know that science may not have all the answers.

Time:
This lesson should take approximately one week of five hours of class a week.

Season:
This lesson can be done during any time of the year.

Materials:

Paper
Pen or Pencil
Ancient stories

Objectives:

Students will learn to visualize life in the past.
Students will contrast procedures in living today with those of the past.
Students will develop unique codes.
Students will develop writing symbols.
Students will compare different writing systems.

Procedures:

Students will study the concept of ancient writings by looking at examples from books and the Internet.
Have students decode a "secret message" that you have written with scrambled letters.
Students will look at pictures of ancient life. Example: Indians if the southwest 8,000 years ago.
Have students research what life was like in a specific time in your area. Use media centers and Internet sources.
Students will write a paragraph describing the given time period, group and activity.
Students will use geometric symbols to develop their unique alphabet. Students will write their story in their ancient writing code.

Procedures:

Introduce the concept of different types of writing by having students research characters from modern and ancient languages. Also have students research pictographs and other art forms of communication. The students will identify the time period, locations and culture of each example.
Have students research from local sources a specific group of ancient people in your geographic area
Brainstorm in small groups and develop a class description of the given group
Have the class develop a list of twenty or more activities that might have been done by these people.
Compare and contrast these activities to modern life.
Have students decode a word scramble about ancient life.
Students will develop a code for each letter of the alphabet. Work in groups of two. Students can use geometric symbols such as squares, circles, triangles, lines and combinations of up to three symbols.
Students will write a paragraph of a given time period and people.
Students will translate their paragraph into their developed language.

Questions:

What time period are you researching?
What activities were done? Why?
How did ancient people communicate?
What were the physical characteristics of the ancient people that you are studying?
What is the translation of the secret message?
What ways do people use to communicate today?
What ways did people use to communicate in the past?

Evaluation:
Students will complete a checklist of research, secret message, compare and contrast list, activity list, activity description, writing code and paragraphs in English and their writing system. Students will produce a paragraph of describing ancient activities in English, translation code and in their writing.

Expanding the Lesson:

Study ancient pictographs and develop your own.
Make a computer presentation of your pictographs.
Translate other group paragraphs.

Resources:

Joukowsky, Martha. A Complete Manual of Field Archaeology. New York: Prentice Hall, 1980. ISBN 13-162156-4pk
McMillon, Bill. The Archaeology Handbook New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1991. ISBN 0-471-55015-9

Internet Resources:

Bureau of Land management. Environmental Education Homepage http://www.blm.gov/education/mesas/classify.html

Back to Science Intermediate