Title: Writing – mankind’s great invention

Lesson plan elaborated by: Katarzyna Kuczyńska

Target group

4th grade students of an elementary school.

Core curriculum

I. Ancient civilizations. Student:

5) characterizes the most important achievements of material and spiritual culture of the ancient world in various fields: philosophy, science, law, architecture, art, literature.

III. Reflection on history as a science. Student:

3) recognizes types of historical sources;

4) distinguishes history from legendary events.

The general aim of education

Student gets to know the history of writing.

Key competences

• communicating in a foreign language;

• communicating in the mother tongue;

• learning to learn;

• social and civic competences.

Learning outcomes

Student:

• identifies and understands similarities and differences between oral speech and writing as two forms of human communication;

• talks about selected elements from the history of writing: pictograms and cuneiform script of the Sumerians, hieroglyphs of the Egyptians, alphabet of the Phoenicians;

• explains that the invention of writing is one of the most important discoveries of mankind and begins the era of antiquity.

Methods / techniques

• programmed methods: using e‑textbook;

• problematic methods: activating methods: discussion, analysis of differences and similarities between two objects; developing speech and writing maps;

• practical methods: exercises concerned, working with text, logical puzzles, keeping the minutes;

• exposing methods: elements of a lecture, a talk.

Forms of work

• collective activity;

• activity in groups;

• individual activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons or felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard.

Before classes

The teacher asks students to read about different types of writing used by people in history, what they wrote on, and what tools they used.

Lesson plan overview (Process)

Introduction

1. The teacher gives the pupils the subject and purpose of the classes. He/she gives the students the criteria for success.

2. The teacher discreetly assigns the same task to three students: to listen carefully for the next 3 minutes and write down scrupulously what other students and the teacher are talking about; the observers must not take part in the conversation and must not interfere in any way in it during this time. The other students solve the riddle: What is it? If we say its name, it will disappear. If the students guess, the teacher passes on, if not - the teacher gives them the answer (silence). Then, the teacher asks a question: How can you “cheat” silence? How can you evoke its name for everyone so that it does not disappear? As in the case of the previous puzzle – the teacher either gets the right answer or he/she gives his own answer (write it down in a place visible to everyone).

Realization

1. Starting from the answer to the second puzzle, the teacher asks how one form of evoking the name of silence (speaking) differs from the other (writing), and what are similarities between them. The teacher listens to the students' answers - ordering their statements, e.g. in two columns (“similarities” and “differences”). The teacher says that these are similarities and differences between oral speech and writing.

2. The teacher asks the observers to give their descriptions of the lesson conversation during the first 3 minutes. Together with the students, the teacher comments on the differences in the descriptions of the three authors, and asks if this exercise reveals any differences or similarities between oral and written language.

3. The teacher points out that the history of human languages began with oral speech, and only then did the writing appear. Students fulfill Instruction 1. Then, on the basis of the information they had to prepare before the lesson, students discuss the invention of the Sumerians from over 6000 years ago, i.e. the writing, and the purpose of its creation. Then the students fulfill Instruction 2. Students fulfill the first part of Instruction 3 and, if there is enough time, Instruction 4. When performing their tasks, the students should be able to ask for help. The teacher provides feedback and checks the correctness of completed tasks.

4. Together with the students, the teacher discusses writing system of the Egyptians and the social classes which used it. Then, the teacher asks the students to look at the interactive illustration and explains when and how the hieroglyphs were read. The teacher asks the students if they know what things were used to write thoughts on and what do we use today?

5. Together with the teacher, the students (individually, in pairs or in groups) analyze the map within the part “Where was the writing created?”, looking at different alphabets, and fulfill Instruction 5. Then, in section “Summary”, the students perform together interactive Exercises 1 and 2 as well as Exercise 3 – matching contemporary alphabets to the countries where they are used. The teacher provides feedback and checks the correctness of completed tasks.

6. The students work together to create a map of oral speech and writing: on the board, they symbolically mark the areas of human experience where, in their opinion, oral, direct communication is very important, and where the use of writing is important. They can also point to common areas. The teacher moderates the discussion – he/she may ask additional questions (e.g. what happens when important information about feelings is passed on only in writing, e.g. when expressing anger towards a specific person on social media, or when sending wishes to a loved one by text message only; or what happens if no one in the school must write anything down anymore).

Summary

1. The teacher presents the students with an example of an alphabet that is not a writing system - Morse code - and asks them to perform Exercise 4. The teacher provides feedback and checks the correctness of completed tasks.

2. The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare an evaluation questionnaire for self‑assessment and assessment of the teacher's work and other students.

Summary of the most important contents of the lesson

1. Reflection on the similarities and differences between oral speech and writing as two forms of human communication.

2. Learning about selected elements from the history of writing.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Writing – mankind’s great invention

The oldest surviving written texts date back to the 4th millennium BC. Writing first assumed the form of pictographic script and continued to evolve over time. The cuneiform script was developed in Mesopotamia. Clay tablets served as main carriers of information. Wedge‑shaped marks were made on the tablets with a reed stylus. In Egypt, hieroglyphs (which means: sacred writing) were invented. They were engraved in stone or written on papyrus, a material made from plant fibre. Initially, writing was used to record economic information. Later on, it was also used to document traditional stories about gods and heroes.

Writing is considered to be one of mankind’s greatest inventions. Thanks to writing, we can accumulate knowledge and benefit from the legacy of both past generations and other peoples. The invention of writing marks the end of prehistory and the start of a new era, antiquity.