The history of the development of the Western world's alphabets is long and colorful.
Subject Areas
Art and Culture
Archaeology
Visual Arts
Foreign Language
Greek
Latin
Other
History and Social Studies
World History - Ancient World
Literature and Language Arts
World
Time Required
Phoenician Lesson: 3 class periods, four class periods if both activities are used. Greek Lesson: 4 class periods; 5 or more periods if the extension activity is used. Roman lesson: 3 class periods Capstone Lesson: 2 class periods, three or more class periods if both activities are used.
The youngest and newest writers often have a deep interest in the origin of writing
itself. The lessons in this curriculum unit will introduce young students to the history of our alphabet. First, students
will learn about the Phoenicians, the great trading people of the eastern Mediterranean
who invented many of our letters. We'll follow as the Phoenicians taught their
alphabet to the ancient Greeks, and follow again as the Greeks taught their alphabet
to the Romans. Finally, we'll learn that the Romans left their alphabet to us,
and that we use the Roman alphabet to write in English.
By following this path through history we can establish a connection between
these ancient civilizations and the youngest writers. We can show them that
they are using the alphabet that was developed so long ago. The three lessons
in this curriculum unit include short historical introductions to the Phoenicians,
Greeks, and Romans, hyper-links to selected illustrations, and suggestions for
activities.
Guiding Question
“Where does the alphabet come from?” This is one of those questions,
like “Why is the sky blue?” through which children try to define something
basic and important in their world. Although the very first writing is lost in
the mists of time, we can trace the development of our alphabet for about the
last 3,000 years.
Learning Objectives
As the students learn the history of the alphabet they will be introduced to three
important ancient civilizations, and to the idea of cultural inheritance. The
concept of chronological order will be reinforced through an emphasis on the fact
that each group of people passed on the alphabet. In addition to learning history,
the children will practice language arts and art skills.
After completing this unit, students will be able to:
Describe how first the Phoenicians, then the Greeks, and finally the
Romans passed down the alphabet.
Compare some letters from the earlier alphabets to our alphabet, and talk
about how the alphabet changed over time.
Recognize the Mediterranean area on a map and show that the Phoenicians,
Greeks, and Romans came from the Mediterranean area.
Describe two or three basic features of each of these cultures.
Complete some short writing and art assignments based on the alphabets.
Preparing to Teach these Lessons
Read through each of the lessons and select or download the necessary materials.
A short list of necessary materials is given in the “Preparing to Teach
this Lesson” section of each lesson.
