If you’ve ever played a game of telephone then you understand how unreliable human memory is on its own. The invention of writing was a game-changer! No more telephone. Humans finally had a way to efficiently and effectively pass down their knowledge.
Driving Question: How did the invention of writing accelerate collective learning?
- Do you like to look back at your old notes to prepare for a test? Do you have an old family recipe scribbled on a notecard? If so, then you understand the power of writing to unleash the greatest of our human potential. Those notes you took in class recorded your memories so that you could build upon them later. That old family recipe was preserved on that card so that you could enjoy a delicious treat today! Without writing, the task of passing down that knowledge is a whole lot harder and a whole lot less reliable. Before writing was invented, we had to rely on memorizing and reciting stories, passing them down orally.
Word of the Day: History
- Definition: A discipline that records and interprets past events involving humans.
- History is the story of people! We know about history from records of the past, which are only possible thanks to the invention of writing. We call the period before written history, prehistory.
Lesson
- Go to Khan Academy and read David Christian’s article, “Recordkeeping and History.”
- As you read, think about how writing changed the way humans preserve history. How was it an improvement over the oral traditions of the past?
Historian’s Journal Prompt
- What important and unique knowledge do you have in your brain that you want to pass down to the next generations?
- When I was home for the holidays, I asked my grandma why all of her recipes said, “Bake until done.” She never puts a temperature or a time on her recipes! She told me that I would just know when it was done, if only I was willing to pay close attention. My grandma is an amazing cook, and I learn a lot from being in the kitchen with her. I’m writing down what I learn from her so that when she’s gone, I’ll be able to replicate her world-famous tater-tot hotdish. What unique and important knowledge are you trying to preserve for the future?