Syracuse University
Ancient World Writing System
Most twenty-first century pupils don't know how to interpret cuneiform. Examining images of cuneiform and papyrus writing and using a chart and Venn diagram, young historians extrapolate what life may have been like for people who lived...
Curated OER
Write From the Beginning
Students discuss the earliest form of writing, pictographs and view several examples. They then create their own hieroglyphics and write a short story using them. They then create and label a timeline including methods of writing prior...
Curated OER
Mesopotamian Tablet, Egyptian Art
First graders examine cuneiform writing from a stone tablet, then write a simple sentence using pictographs. They analyze various examples of Egyptian art, construct a model of an Egyptian boat, and create a class painting using glyphs...
US Department of Agriculture
Agriculture Counts
Agricultural survey and the documentation of livestock or goods was the basis for the first written language. Youngsters discuss sorting and counting, and how these skills have been used for thousands of years. They accent their class...
Curated OER
Africa Review
Seventh graders trace the major events in African history. In this social studies lesson students, create a flowchart depicting the things they learned during this lesson. Students understand the chronology of major events that took...
Curated OER
Passages of Man and Word
Third graders explore transportation and written communication prior to the Renaissance.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Art History: Cuneiform and the Invention of Writing
Example of a cylinder seal and the impression it made. Indication of Cypro-Minoan script. 14th century B.C.E.. At the Louvre.