Can You Crack the Code?

A Language Arts/ Social Studies Web Quest for Grade 5 and up.

ARIZONA STANDARDS AND TEACHER RESOURCES

Have you ever wondered why we make our manuscript or cursive letters the way we do?  This Web Quest will help you find out. Solve a secret code. Learn some new ways to write. 

Process:

Go to the following link to find information about the history of handwriting.  You will find information about different cultures.  Try out the different methods of writing. Try to read some documents from history. Take some notes.  You will need them later. Prepare a presentation to show your class. When you are finished, play some handwriting games. Remember to use your computer "Back" button to return from these links.

http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/history  (go to - Writing Through the Ages)

What did you learn?    You may return to this link later.

TASKS:

You are now ready to become a handwriting expert. To make it easier, form a group of five student investigators. Each person is to select a handwriting culture to investigate. The next links, under Cracking Codes,  show how archaeologists and anthropologists were able to interpret ancient writing.

Cracking Codes:
Rosetta Stone:  http://www.british-museum.ac.uk/cracking_codes/guides.html 
Story of the Rosetta Stone: http://www.homestead.com/ntalia/rosetta.html
Enlarged graphics of Rosetta Stone: http://cs.oberlin.edu/htx/examples/slide/exsliden00.html
     (This link shows enlarged Hieroglyphics, Demotic, and Greek writing on the stone.)

 
Graphic from Crystal Cloud Graphics

EGYPT  -  hieroglyphics: http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/history/hieroglyphics.html 
Egyptian Alphabet: http://www.donf.com/egypt/medu/alpha.htm
Write Your Name: www.beakman.com (go to Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs)
Rosetta Stone Coloring Book: http://www.clemusart.com/archive/pharaoh/rosetta/coloring/color99.htm
English to Egyptian: http://www.donf.com/egypt/medu/vocab1.htm 
Egyptian Numbers: http://www.donf.com/cgi/enumpage.cgi?n=32
Egyptian Names: http://www.donf.com/egypt/medu/names.htm 
Tutor:  http://emuseum.mankato.msus.edu/prehistory/egypt/egypttutor/
Ancient Egypt Webquest http://www.iwebquest.com/egypt/mission5.htm (go to Mission 5)
Little Egyptian Book:  http://home.prcn.org/~sfryer/Egyptian/intro.html

Coptic Alphabet: http://www.stshenouda.com/coptlang/coalfa1.htm#
History of the Coptic Language: http://www.stshenouda.com/coptlang/copthist.htm
Greenland: http://www.halfmoon.org/inuit.html 

SAMARIA - cuneiform: http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/history/cuneiform.html

Encarta: http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?ti=02D85000
Proverbs in cuneiform: http://www.sumerian.org/proverbs.htm
Alphabet: http://members.truepath.com/worldhistcuneiform/p2.html
Quiz in Cuneiform: http://www.smcm.edu/academics/aldiv/art/webcourses/arth100/monumentality/Sumer/cuneiform.htm
Cuneiform Gold Tablet: http://oznet.net/iran/cuneifor.htm

ROMAN - http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/history/roman.html 

Phoenician/Roman alphabet: http://www.phoenicia.org/tblalpha.html
Roman Numerals 101: http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/lawrence/romaindx.htm
Roman Numeral Conversion: http://www.ivtech.com/roman/ 
Phoenician to Latin Character Set: http://www.wam.umd.edu/~rfradkin/latin.html 
                         (watch letters change over time)
Table of Roman Numeral Dates: http://www2.inetdirect.net/~charta/Table.html
English to Latin Dictionary: http://www.histopia.nl/onldict/lat.html
Documents in Latin Script in Egypt: http://www.lib.umich.edu/pap/introduction/languages.html 
Book of Kells in Latin: http://www.dubois.ws/people/paul/kells/kell4bmp.gif

GREEK - http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/history/greek.html 

Phoenician/Greek alphabet: http://www.phoenicia.org/alphabet.html 
Greek Alphabet: http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/LAO-GA.gif
Encarta: http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?ti=03643000
Evolution of Alphabet: http://www.wam.umd.edu/~rfradkin/alphapage.html
Greek Alphabet Table: http://www.msoe.edu/~tritt/greek.html

CELTS, VIKINGS, EUROPEAN - minuscules to roundhand 

Medieval Spanish: http://www.gwi.net/ephemera/JAVA/ALF-JAVA-2.htm 
The Juan II privilege was signed by his regents: Catalinia of Lancaster, wife of Pedro the Cruel, half-sister of Henry IV of England and daughter of John of Gaunt (Hundred Year War connections) and Ferdinand of Aragon (ties to Ferdinand and Isabella).
Medieval English: http://www.gwi.net/ephemera/YORK/YORK-DOCS.htm
(Both links sent by Deana at Adena Graphics & Maine Arts and Humanities Outreach Program, Inc)

Anglo Saxon Runes: http://www.combase.com/~westilson/runes.gif
Anglo Saxon Days of the Week: http://www.combase.com/~westilison/daysweek.htm
Maps to 1066ca: http://www.anglosaxon.org.uk 
Anglo-Saxon England: http://www.georgetown.edu/cball/oe/oe-map.html
General History of Runes: http://www.gis.net/~dansmith/fonts/runes/
Brief History of English Language: http://www.wordorigins.org/histeng.htm
Oxford University samples: (Descriptions of plants) http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/wmss/medieval/mss/ashmole/1431.htm
Print off sample 17th century:   http://www.amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/oldhand.html
Examples of Letter of the 17th Century:  http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/oldalpha.htm
Declaration of Independence: http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/declaration/decstone.jpg 
Letter from George Washington to Oliver Pollock June 8, 1788: 
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/frontiers/GWtoOPollock.html

Famous documents and people: http://www.handwriting.org/main/hwasamps.htm 
Magna Carta: http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/magnacarta/magcart.jpg
Gothic: http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/history/gothic.html
Italic: http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/history/italic.html
Copperplate: http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/history/copperplate.html
Calligraphy: http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/history/calligraphy.html
German: http://genweb.net/~inripley/decipher.html 

Russian Cyrillic: http://www.friends-partners.org/newfriends/cyrillic/russian.alphabet.html 
Russian Dictionary of sound and images: http://www.visi.com/~swithee//dictionary/menus/mainmenu.html 
Russian Cyrillic History of 1812: http://www.museum.ru/museum/1812/Library/Rs1/index.html
Modern: http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/history/modern.html 

ASIAN -  calligraphy

Chinese Handwriting Gallery:  http://www.interlog.com/~neutrino/cwrite.htm
Chinese Calligraphy: www.interlog.com/~neutrino/cwrite.htm
Original Story of "Mulan":  http://www.chinapage.com/mulan.html
Calligraphy styles: http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/towers/3171/styles.htm 
Chinese Writing: http://rabbitmoon.home.mindspring.com/asw/chinese.html 

Japanese Language: http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?ti=04437000#s11
Japanese Kanji: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2046.html 
Japanese Kanji Character Word List: http://www.garage.co.jp/~nakaya/kanjitop.html
Japanese Calligraphy: http://metrotel.co.uk/ohmori/intro1.html
Japanese Characters: http://markun.cs.shinshu-u.ac.jp/japan/shodou/index-e.html
Japanese Writing Tutor: http://members.aol.com/writejapan/
Children and Calligraphy: http://www.primenet.com/~bec/calligraphy.html

MESOAMERICAN - picturegraphs: http://www.halfmoon.org/writfork.html

Prepare a group newspaper display using your new information about your handwriting culture.  Show its history with samples of the style from the internet and write a letter about the culture you studied. Try to write your name in that style. Include a map of the cultural area you studied. As a group make a timeline showing the development of the writing style you studied. Review your assessment to make sure you have completed your task. Play some games. Hand in a folder with your notes and practice sheets to your teacher when due. Extra credit if you find more Internet sites about handwriting. Your presentation may be in the form of a Word, PowerPoint, FrontPage document, or prepare a display board. To learn how to use a Microsoft product, go to ACTDEN.

Maps: Historical Maps - University of Texas at Austin:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/historical/history_main.html

Downloadable maps to print: Owl and Mouse Software (free)
http://www.yourchildlearns.com/owlmouse.htm 
Search Engine Sites Link

Sources of graphics:
  Crystal Cloud Graphics 
Barley Sheaf School  Library Media Center
Teacher Files.Com