| Standards Compliance |
NCSS
Strand 1
Culture
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NCSS
Strand 2
Time, Continuity, and Change
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NCSS
Strand 6
Power, Authority, and Governance
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NCSS
Strand 9
Global Connections
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NCTE
Standard 1
Students read fiction, nonfiction, classic, and contemporary works to acquire information for various purposes.
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NCTE
Standard 3
Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.
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NCTE
Standard 5
Students use a wide range of strategies and elements to write to communicate with different audiences and for purposes.
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NCTE
Standard 7
Students conduct research by generating ideas, questions, and problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data.
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NCTE
Standard 12
Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes.
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ISTE
Standard 5
Technology research tools
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Introduction:
Louisa Adams was, by the standards of the 19th century, a very well educated woman, interested in a great many things that most women avoided as belonging to the world of men. As the wife of a diplomat, she was also knowledgeable about military matters, and always interested in the affairs of France, where she spent a great deal of time prior to her marriage to John Quincy Adams. It is therefore likely that when French soldiers engaged in Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt found the Rosetta Stone, she would have known about it. The discovery of the Rosetta stone fostered new interest in the western world in the ancient cultures of Egypt. The hieroglyphics were deciphered in 1822 and unlocked the meaning of many pieces of ancient writing.
Objectives:
The purpose of this lesson is to allow students to research the various aspects of the Rosetta Stone: its discovery, history, and deciphering and its subsequent impact. Then, students will assume roles for a simulation of a World Court debate on the subject of who should “own” the actual Rosetta Stone.
Materials Required:
Access to the Internet; access to print reference materials about the Rosetta Stone.
Procedures:
All students need to have background information on the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, the history of the stone itself, how it was deciphered by Jean-Francois Champollion in 1822, and the impact on archeology that Champollion’s work had. After everyone is secure in the factual information, divide the students into 3 national teams—British, French, and Egyptian. Based upon the common base of knowledge and fortified by additional research using the Task Sheets attached to this lesson, these three teams will make the case before the World Court that the Rosetta Stone truly belongs to their country. If possible, invite other teachers or members of the administrative team to sit in as justices to decide on the basis of the arguments.
Extending the Lesson:
The teacher may wish, instead of a simulation, to have students write out the arguments that each country’s delegation might make to the World Court. The three national teams could also develop a PowerPoint presentation to accompany their arguments.
Sources & Resources:
Books:
Downs, Johnathan. Discovery at Rosetta: The Stone that Unlocked the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt. 2008.
Parkinson, Richard. The Rosetta Stone. 2005.
Websites:
Background:
The Rosetta Stone on Wikipedia
The Rosetta Stone
The Discovery of the Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone at the British Museum
How the Rosetta Stone "Works"
Debate on Who Should “Own” the Rosetta Stone
About the Rosetta Stone
Video on the debate between the Egyptians and the British
Hieroglyphics and the Rosetta Stone
Egyptian Argument
English Argument
French Argument
Task Sheets for Egyptian, British, and French Teams
(Click on "A Date with Fate" link)
Credits:
This lesson was developed by Bette Brooks, Kent State University.
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