Writing

Discover how the Ancient Sumerians developed writing, from pictographs/pictograms to ‘cuneiform’ writing. How this early form of writing was on clay tablets that were baked in a kiln to harden them, so they became permanent records which can still be read today.

Teaching Outcomes:

• To understand how early writing developed and how they became permanent records which can still be read today.
• To make their own cylinder seal.

Children will:

• Explain how the Ancient Sumerians developed the first-known writing.
• Understand the importance of scribes in Ancient Sumer
• Make their own cylinder seal.

• The development of writing in Ancient Sumer

• Air-dried clay
• Clay tools
• Plasticine
• String

All about Rebus puzzles from exploratorium.edu
The development of writing from mesopotamia.co.uk
The life of a scribe from mesopotamia.co.uk
Rebuilding clay tablets from mesopotamia.co.uk
About the Gudea cylinders from wikipedia.org
How to write like a Babylonian from penn.museum