The Writing on the Wall
Exploring Ancient Writing Ages 8-12 ● Social Studies, Communication Arts, Fine Arts Museum of Art and Archaeology - University of Missouri-Columbia
Title: THE WRITING ON THE WALL: EXPLORING ANCIENT WRITING
What motivated Ancient cultures to create writing systems? How did this affect the oral tradition of communication that had existed long before writing developed? Take a trip to Mesopotamia and Egypt, and learn about early inventions of writing. Consider origins of writing and tools used to incise, carve, or display symbols. Try your hand at cuneiform and hieroglyphs.
Assessment and Instructional Plan:
Assessment: Assessment occurs informally through shared dialogue about connections between the written and spoken word during the tour at the Museum of Art and Archaeology. Instructional Plan: 1. Welcome the participants to the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Share what people look for in museums and how we’ll look (rules of museum behavior, overview of today’s museum tour). 2. While in the the lobby of the Museum of Art and Archaeology, introduce today’s activity with the following question: Which invention is the most important and why? Encourage students to respond to each other as they evaluate the inventions and their importance to the ancient and modern world. 3. Begin a discussion about early forms of visual communication (and see a timeline of writing systems @ http://www.ancientscripts.com/ws_timeline.html): a. Paleolithic Cave paintings in Lascaux, France date back to 17,000 years ago, contains more than 1500 pictures of animals –not the oldest paleolithic cave paintings, but one of most significant b. Writing was invented independently in at least three places, Mesopotamia, China, and Mesoamerica. Recent discoveries might also provide evidence that writing was invented in Egypt and Indus independently of Mesopotamia. c. “Modern day” alphabet, the so-called Roman Alphabet, was the result of nearly 4000 years of transformation. i. Early Greek was written right-to-left, just like Phoenician. However, eventually its direction changed to boustrophedon (which means "ox-turning"), where the direction of writing changes every line. By the 5th or 4th century BCE, left-to-right was the de-facto direction of writing.. Museum of Art and Archaeology – June 2006 1
ii. Our modern Roman alphabet, including all 26 letters, upper case and lower case, came to be early in the 9th century during the reign of Charles the Great. d. Religious paintings for non-readers – popular during Medieval and Early Renaissance e. 1440 invention of movable type and Gutenberg’s printing press – made books more available and aided the spread of knowledge. Then The Nuremberg Chronicle, a pictorial history of the earth from creation to the 1490s was published in 1493. f. Photography - the making of images on light-sensitive materials-was heralded in 1839 g. Pc - the integrated circuit was developed in 1959; and the microprocessor first appeared in 1971, the first such desktop-size system specifically designed for personal use appeared in 1974 and sold for $400. 4. Proceed to the upstairs galleries to visit any combination of the following: a. Weinberg Gallery of Ancient Art – Mesopotamia: i. Cuneiform Tablet and Case (L-19) - Mesopotamia, Larsa (?),17491712 B.C. ii. Cuneiform Tablet (71.25) – Mesopotamia, Umma, 2047 B.C. iii. Cylinder Seal (62.23.2) – Mesopotamia, Akkad Style, ca. 2350-2300 B.C. iv. Cylinder Seal (62.23.3) – Mesopotamia, Old Babylonian, ca. 20001900 B.C. v. Plaque with Large Boss (64.93.1) – Southwest Iran, Ziggurat at DurUntashi, ca. 1234-1227 B.C. b. Weinberg Gallery of Ancient Art - Egypt: i. Idi, the Count and Overseer of Priests (60.46) – Egypt, ca. 2350-2170 B.C. ii. Grave Stela (X-3) – Egypt, ca. 664-525 B.C. iii. Tomb Relief (58.1) – Egypt, ca. 1295-1190 B.C. - hieroglyphs iv. Shroud (61.66.3) – Egypt, ca. A.D. 150 c. European and American Gallery: i. Medieval and Early Renaissance art – art/iconography as communication d. Barton Gallery of Modern Art i. Anten-nalope (artist influenced by Cave paintings, technology) e. Carlebach Gallery i. Asian sculpture – symbolism as form of written language 5. Conclude the tour. Invite kids to share observations of the art and artifacts and the message they convey. Invite kids to share aloud or with a neighbor the art or artifact that was most interesting/memorable. Museum of Art and Archaeology – June 2006 2
6. Follow-up with hands-on activities: a. Cuneiform writing b. Hieroglyph writing
Student Prior Knowledge:
Basic understanding of symbols and signs as forms of communication
Vocabulary (source from Encarta Dictionary):
Cuneiform - relating or belonging to any of several writing systems of the ancient Near East, for example, Sumerian or Linear B, in which wedge-shaped impressions were made in soft clay Hieroglyphs (hieroglyphic) - a symbol or picture used in a writing system to denote an object, concept, sound, or sequence of sounds, originally and especially in the writing system of ancient Egypt. Symbolism - the use of symbols to invest things with a representative meaning or to represent something abstract by something concrete Iconography - the symbols and images used conventionally in a genre of painting, or the study and interpretation of these symbols and images Paleolithic – early Stone Age, the early part of the Stone Age, when early human beings made chipped-stone tools, from 750,000 to 15,000 years ago
Estimated Classroom Instructional Time (Hours):
30-40 minutes gallery visit, 40-60 minutes artistic creation time
Lesson Objective:
Students will View and construct meaning about art and art objects from primary resources explore concepts about language and culture demonstrate effective listening to learn, process and analyze information identify examples of hieroglyphics and cuneiform writing illustrate comprehension of tour focus through creation of various forms of art
Material and Resources:
Materials list Tablecloths – plastic Cardstock for hieroglyph cartouche Pencils, markers, paint pens Pencils as reed stencils - carve away sections of eraser on end of pencil to leave a triangular shape Hand-outs – The Sumerian Writing System, The Egyptian Alphabet, The Invention of Writing activity sheet Clay – air drying or Plastiroc Cardboard for work space and platform to hold cuneiform sample Museum of Art and Archaeology – June 2006 3
Resources (always check websites for safe content): Conversations about cuneiform writing from the following resource: Teacher's Guide for APPLESEEDS, Children of Ancient Mesopotamia, Issue October 2004 http://www.cobblestonepub.com/resources/app0410t.html?x=9.0671310424805 0142862001150907966 , scroll down to section called "Cuneiform -- The World's First Writing," and use the questions for discussion of cuneiform writing. Edsitement lesson plan - The Emergence and Evolution of the Cuneiform Writing System in Ancient Mesopotamia (grades 6-8) http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=622#04 Summerian Settlers – image of cuneiform tablet http://www.geocities.com/csonyaancientegypt/sumerian.htm Write Like a Babylonian – see your monogram in cuneiform, the way an ancient Babylonian might have written it. www.upennmuseum.com/cuneiform.cgi
Classroom Organization: (large group, small group, pair etc…)
whole class instruction and discussion, groups of 4-10 for activity work
Student Work Product(s):
1) Cuneiform writing sample in clay/Plastiroc using incising tools (reed pencil stencil works best) a. Visit http://www.ancientscripts.com/sumerian.html for the Sumerian writing system that evolved into cuneiform writing. b. Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago http://mesopotamia.lib.uchicago.edu/mesopotamialife/index.php 2) Cuneiform writing sample using a pencil reed stencil and ink pad on paper 3) Hieroglyph writing sample – draw letter symbols on cardstock cartouche a. Visit http://www.rom.on.ca/schools/egypt/learn/alphabet.php for an Egyptian hieroglyphic alphabet
Strategies for Learner Engagement:
Reciprical dialogue. Observe body language showing evidence children are engaged in the topic.
Homework / Parent Communication:
Parents/care-givers assist in chaperoning the group to the Museum, modeling behavior that encourages and invites all to be engaged in the program.
What We Are Learning:
Object-based learning in a museum Appropriate behaviors in a museum Critical thinking skills Observation skills Listening skills Museum of Art and Archaeology – June 2006
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Relevant Missouri Grade Level Expectations: Grade Subject
K-4 5-8 Social Studies
# and description
7a. Knowledge of the use of tools of social science inquiry (such as surveys, statistics, maps and documents) (1) Identify, select, use and create appropriate resources for social science inquiry Identify and use primary and secondary sources 7b. Knowledge of the use of tools of social science inquiry (such as surveys, statistics, maps and documents) (2) Selecting and analyzing primary/secondary sources
9-12
Social Studies
Grade Subject
K-12 Fine Arts
# and description
Fine Arts - being developed (2-18-2006)
Grade Subject
K-12
Communication Arts
# and description
K-12
K-12 K-12
Reading 1 Develop and apply skills and strategies to the reading process Communication Reading Arts 3 Develop and apply skills and strategies to comprehend, analyze and evaluate nonfiction (such as biographies, newspapers, technical manuals) from a variety of cultures and times a) Text Features c) Text Elements d) Understanding Directions Communication Listening and Speaking Arts 1 Develop and apply effective listening skills and strategies Communication Information Literacy Arts 1 Develop and apply effective research process skills to gather, analyze and evaluate information 2 Develop and apply effective skills and strategies to analyze and evaluate oral and visual media
Museum of Art and Archaeology – June 2006
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