Talking+Walls-+The+Stories+Continue+Reinforcing+Activity

To get students to engage with this book, they will be encouraged to add personal ownership over their own wall. But before they can do that, students should understand the important aspects of the cultures represented in this book. With so many diverse representations of civilizations, past and present, students should be able to pull out the key characteristics given within the informational text.

Activity: Students will choose one civilization mentioned in //Talking Walls: The Stories Continue//. Once given the handout, the teacher will place the same handout on the transparency (or other method of showing resource to entire class). The transparency handout will be a version of the graphic organizer telling students what should be in each box. For this example, the main topic box will have "The Title" written in it. Students are to give a title name to the "wall description" of the civilization they have chosen to focus on. In the four remaining surrounding boxes, in no specific order, will be written "What is the setting? (Period in time/place), "Describe the people of the wall.", "What is written/drawn/displayed on the wall?", and "Why are the markings on the wall important to these people?" Students may work with one other person in the class to finish the worksheet, but they must each turn in their own. There are fourteen different civilizations to choose from. If the teacher wishes, he/she can split up the class so that all civilizations are represented in the review.

Once students have finished the front-side of the handout containing the graphic organizer describing their chosen civilization, they will work to complete the back-side. This side has the exact same graphic organizer which will be arranged in the same way as the front, with the same questions. This time, students are asked to fill out the graphic organizer based on what they would draw/write/display on their wall. Would they include their family and friends, pets, quotes, favorite activities? When describing their setting of their wall, students can answer the question of "Where would you draw your wall?" To rephrase, "What wall would you draw on?" Would it be a school wall? A wall separating you from your neighbor or sister? As long as each part is answered, students will receive full completion credit.

As the final part to this assignment, students will be asked to indeed create their own wall. Given a blank piece of paper, students should release their creativity and display whatever appropriately defines them as a person. They should make connections to the types of things that people of the ancient civilizations drew on their walls. For students who are not as artistically talented as the others, the class will be open to using computers, magazine pictures, etc., so that no one is embarrassed by a lack of drawing skills. As long as students connect their expression to the graphic organizer they filled out, which should in turn relate to the types of things filled out on the front graphic organizer, they will receive credit. Full credit, however, will depend on how well they elaborated on their walls.