Words into Pictures, by John W. Healy

Cuneiform, the ancient writing system, makes for a fun lesson in the importance of communicating well

First-year teacher Gene Vassel tries out his cuneiform lesson with his nephews and niece.

A basic difference between humans and animals is recorded communication. Recorded communication creates a collective consciousness that transcends our particular time on Earth and enables us to offer succeeding generations our accumulated life experiences. Animals, on the other hand, rely primarily upon instinct and that which they learn from the immediate world around them. The recorded, collective gathering of knowledge and wisdom passed from one generation to another is a uniquely human trait.

Ancient writings
The ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia in about 3500 B.C. developed a means of recording what was spoken. This kind of writing became known as "cuneiform," or "wedge-shaped." Cuneiform was a quantum leap from the instinctual communications of the animal kingdom. Clay in the shape of wedges became an ideal medium for this form of recorded communication. Clay was commonly obtainable, easily marked and when dried was a fixed, portable vehicle of communication. The stylus, a sharp, pointed instrument, was used to engrave the tablet. Pictures or "pictographs" carved into the clay slabs were first used. Later, symbols were developed that expanded the range of communication.

Animals as communicators
Communication is an essential variable determining the survival and well-being of life forms. Those who communicate better tend to be more successful.

A good visual to make this concept clear to your students is to show them two pictures – one of a cow and the other, a wolf. Ask the question, "Which animal is a better problem-solver?" While students usually say the wolf, it is important to ask the class why they have come to this determination. Some possible answers are:

"Cows do not communicate to each other to find food or coordinate a plan for their security."

"All basic needs are provided for a cow; it is not challenged to find food or shelter."

"Communication builds close bonds between members of the wolf pack. This encourages mutual respect and group identity."

"Effective communication allows the wolf to coordinate plans to pursue prey much larger than itself."

"The lone wolf is a misnomer and would have a good deal of trouble surviving on its own."

Welcome to the pack
Despite years of higher and specialized education, a first-year teacher does not necessarily have an abundance of lessons ready for use in the classroom.

Lessons that electrify students while falling within ever-changing curriculum guidelines take years to develop. The tradition of an experienced teacher mentoring a new one is a practical step forward taking theory into practice.

Mr. Gene Vassel is a first-year sixth grade teacher at my school. Under a school mentoring system he was paired with Mrs. Lynn Levy. Mrs. Levy has been involved in teaching the following lesson for a number of years. Tried and true, every year her lesson on cuneiforms becomes better, based on reviewing the workings and outcomes of the lesson. Together these teachers shared with me their insight into how this particular lesson is taught in the classroom.

Comprehending cuneiform

1. Write on the board:

   

2. Ask the students to translate these symbols as a complete sentence. The translation reads, "Stop watching television and read." Ask the class what is clear and not clear about this recorded communication. Discuss these symbols as compared to using words. Explore the advantages and disadvantages of both.

3. Show examples of cuneiform writing to the class. Identify some symbols and their meaning.

4. Create handouts that give a key for some historical cuneiform symbols and their translated meaning. Accompany these handouts with a written sentence or paragraph asking the students to translate a selection of symbols that are interjected into a paragraph. Keep the paragraph relevant to the theme of the Sumerians and cuneiform writing.

5. Divide the class into small groups (four in each is a good number). Each group will be given a different handout to translate.

6. Supply the materials for each group to create a cuneiform tablet using their handouts.

Materials:

• A brick of clay or a bar of soap work well as the tablet on which to write. Reusable, air-dry clay may be recycled for successive lessons.

• Toothpicks are cost-effective, precise and avoid the need to use sharp metal instruments for writing on the tablet.

Have the students pass around their cuneiform tablet within their group to see who can accurately interpret it.

Helpful websites:

1. The Cuneiform Writing System in Ancient Mesopotamia: Emergence and Evolution
   This lesson teaches students about the writing system in Mesopotamia and how to analyze the purposes writing served in Mesopotamia with an emphasis on how those purposes evolved as the civilization changed.

2. History of the Alphabet: From Cuneiform to Greek Writing
   This lecture follows the development of writing, from the pictographs of proto-cuneiform to the symbolic phonemes of cuneiform and hieroglyphics. Then from the abjads of the Phoenecians, Minoans, Hebrews and Arabs to the complete alphabets of the Greeks. It explores the limitations and strengths of each development and draws modern parallels.

Conclusion
This lesson will share with students, in a hands-on way, the importance of recorded communication in their present-day lives and into their futures.

Dr. John W. Healy teaches art at Woodland Middle School, East Meadow, NY.