Teacher's Guide for APPLESEEDS From Papyrus to Pixels: the History of Writing November 2004 This guide was prepared by Lisa Greenberg. Lisa Greenberg taught in international schools in Japan, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia. She now lives and writes for children's and travel magazines in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Getting Ready: Gather books and articles (National Geographic could be a good source) about pictographs, petroglyphs, the history of writing, illumination, sumie, calligraphy, cryptography, codecracking, and other topics discussed in the issue. List or create a bulletin board with interesting vocabulary from the issue: symbols, cuneiform, hieroglyphics, computers, parchment, petroglyphs, pictographs, cryptography, pixel, papyrus, printing press, movable type, proof (in book printing), illumination, calligraphy, cipher, code, pixel. Challenge students to define each of these words as they read through the magazine and to use these words in discussion during the week. Introductory Discussion: Show the cover of the issue and ask students what questions it raises for them. Then brainstorm with class why writing is important? What would life be like if people couldn't write (no school, perhaps)? Have them pair up and list as many materials as they can on which they have seen words written OR list materials as a class exercise. Encourage them to note the obvious, such as paper in books, and the ordinary such as logos on aluminium soda cans, but also the rare, such as inscriptions in gold rings or the unusual such as words tattooed on human flesh. Tell them that people from long ago left writing or pictures all over the world and that Papyrus to Pixels will help them explore humankind's history of writing and communication. As they work with the magazine, they will discover many new words, such as the ones on the bulletin board list, that will help them understand this aspect of our history. "Writing Down the Ages" OUTLINING:
As a group exercise, make an outline of the article on the chalkboard: have students suggest the main idea and details for each paragraph while you model the correct format of an outline on the board. "Wood, Stones, Wax, and Bones" After reading, review with students the list of materials on which people have written that they created during the preparatory session. What new materials were discussed in the article? DISCUSSION: Is paper the best material for writing? Why or why not? "Stone Stories" READ FOR FACTS: Have students answer these questions orally or in written format. 1. What does the word Anasazi mean? (ancient ones) 2. Name some Native American tribes that lived in the Southwest. (Navajo, Ute, Apache) 3. What is a desert varnish? (the natural darkening of some stones over time) 4. What is a petroglyph? (a picture scratched into the desert varnish on a stone) 5. How do scientists date petroglyphs? (by examining how much desert varnish has reappeared in the scratched petroglyph) 6. What is a pictograph? (a picture that stands for a word) 7. What did the Anasazi use to paint their pictographs? (plants and minerals mixed with egg yolks, blood, or another liquid; sticks, leaves, or fingers; stone) 8. How can you distinguish a petroglyph from a pictograph? (a petroglyph is scratched into the rock; a pictograph is painted on the surface of the rock) 9. What kinds of pictures are seen in petroglyphs and pictographs? (animals, people) 10. How can you take care of petroglyphs? (Don't touch them, stay on marked trails, don't trace them) CREATIVE WRITING:
Choose one of the symbols or pictures on page 9 and make up a story about it or write a "message" suggested by the picture. The class might want to collect these in a book to share. "Writing on a Wasp's Nest" DRAMA: Have a small group dramatize the story of the discovery of paper. SEQUENCING: Have students create a cartoon or mural that recaps the story. "Johann Finds a Way" RESEARCH SKILLS/PUBLIC SPEAKING: Have students research the life of Johann Gutenberg, the development of the printing press, or the way in which movable type works and present their information orally. "Making Homemade Paper" If done as a class project, the class might want to make place cards for their Thanksgiving dinner or class celebration. "Pictures on Papyrus" ESSAY WRITING: Challenge students to write a compare and contrast essay on the differences and similarities of paper and papyrus. Before they write, you might want to brainstorm these topics - source material, process by which it is made, appearance, special uses, how collated and stored, etc. - and take notes in table form on the blackboard. "Lively Letters, Ancient Art" DISCUSSION: How and why did handwriting become an art?
How is the calligraphy of Europe different from that of Asia? How do students in the classroom make their writing more interesting sometimes? What have students noticed about text in their books and on their computers? "Inventing Cherokee Writing" DEBATE: Was Sequoyah's invention of Cherokee writing worthwhile? "From Papyrus to What?" Encourage students to try out the pixel experiment on their family or friends. What do they discover? EXTENSION: Projects for individuals or small groups: 1. Build a model of a printing press. 2. Discover more about Gutenberg, Sequoia, and the invention of paper through books and the Internet. Share with the class through an essay, a speech, or a poster board presentation the information. 3. Make paper at home, following the directions in the magazine, and share with the class. 4. Collect and display "different" materials on which people write. Suggestions for field trips: 1. local publisher of newspaper or books 2. museum collection of illuminated manuscripts 3. graphic art studio where work is done on computers Suggestions for speakers: 1. a local writer or editor 2. an artist who incorporates illumination or calligraphy into his or her work 3. a local historian familiar with petroglyphs in the area 4. a museum curator of ancient Egypt/Mesopotamia