Aim 4: Why did writing develop and what are advantages of the different writing styles? (SSWH 1a,d ) Content Expectation: Students will know: Writing came about through a societies need to keep records particularly of agricultural production The invention of the alphabet made it easier for ordinary people to remember all of the characters Pictographs made it easier to overlay a written language over a spoken language. Writing systems evolved over time

You are going to play the children's game "Telephone." You will whisper information in the ear of the first student, who is supposed to whisper the same information to the next student, etc. Students may not repeat the information after they have whispered it. They are to simply pass on whatever they have heard to the next student. The last student repeats the information to the class

Write down what you think this picture is about.

Go through the same process except this time pass around a note make note of the time it takes to complete this activity.

Elements of civilization include: Mohenjo Daro Hammurabi’s Law Code It’s the law Pharaohs 1) Cities 2) Central governments And Law codes

1) Cities 2) Central governments and law codes and law codes Elements of Civilization include: Can you identify the society the societyrepresented by each of these two writing samples? 3) Writing and record keeping 4) Highly organized religions

Elements of civilization include: Mohenjo Daro Hammurabi’s Law Code It’s the law Pharaohs 1) Cities 2) Central governments And Law codes

3) Writing and record keeping 4) Highly organized religion 5) Specialized Jobs Full-time monk Assyrian slaves In Egypt 6) Social Classes 1) Cities 2) Central Governments and law codes Elements of Civilization include:

7) Complex Technologies Chariot 5) Specialized jobs 6) Social classes Bronze Sword 3) Writing and record keeping 4) Highly organized religion 1) Cities 2) Central governments and law codes Elements of Civilization include:

The idea of a writing system may have emerged independently in only two places: Egypt/Mesopotamia and Mesoamerica. Until recently scholars thought that the earliest writing system appeared in Mesopotamia. But now they have discovered a possible sample of writing from Egypt that is older than anything found in Mesopotamia. A writing system may have emerged in China independently, but we are not sure. What do you think were the earliest purposes of writing? In ancient complex societies, only a tiny minority of scribes and officials knew how to write. Why might the state prefer it that way? Complex Writing Systems

Cuneiform writing in ancient Mesopotamia

Character-based, or logographic writing Chinese character for “horse” Alphabetic writing: Arabic & an early form of French. c BCE picture scratched onto bone or shell c. 600 BCE writing looks less like a picture c. 300 CE when writers began using brushes, lines got longer present modern character is simplified Carolingian minuscule: This script was completed form by A.D It then spread rapidly throughout Europe.

I asked a girl about writing in Mesopotamia this is what she told me

So, have you been paying attention or doing a bit of day dreaming? Let’s check! Can you list some of the elements of a civilization? Clue: There were 7!

Good job, huh? Check your answers below: Good job if your list includes: 1.Cities 2.Central governments and law codes 3.Writing and record-keeping 4.Specialized jobs 5.Social classes 6.Complex technologies 7.Highly organized religions

HOMEWORK Come up with a mnemonic for factors of civilization