The Writing on the Walls: Discovering Medieval and Ancient Graffiti for Middle School Social Studies

by Toni Rhodes

The Writing on the Walls: Discovering Medieval and Ancient Graffiti for Middle School Social Studies is an activity book for grades 6–8 to supplement the study of the cultures of medieval England, ancient Pompeii, and ancient Athens. By looking at these cultures through the lens of graffiti, students learn about the everyday concerns and daily life of people who lived in the past. This up-close look at history will invigorate the classroom and engage and challenge students to identify with the past. For example, a piece of graffiti from ancient Pompeii that praises a "heartthrob" gladiator gets students to reflect on how they express feelings toward their own celebrity crushes. Questions throughout the text and activities at the end of chapters encourage students to reflect on the material and assume the role of archaeologist/researcher. Reading lists provided at the end of chapters extend learning and invite students to continue exploring ancient cultures.

75 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2015

Reviews

[Susan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for kids but can be interesting for an Adult too. It shows different types of medieval writings that you can consider graffiti. The book is also an activity book and gives kids projects to do.

[Michelle Carrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting! Received it in the mail today and sat down to browse it and could not put it down! I was drawn in by the beautiful images and sketches but stayed for the useful info given!

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the premise of this book and I can see a lot of possible connections to historical analysis, integrated curriculum, and general learning of history. Sadly, I feel this book misses the mark. The most prominent visual on the cover is of cave art, which is not discussed at all in the text (my spouse teaches about rock art at the university level, and there are great learning possibilities for middle school students). There seem to be numerous factual errors in the text. I was continually frustrated that images discussed in the text were pages away, and did not contain translations of the graffiti within the captions.

However, where I found myself the most frustrated was the lack of connection between the learning activities and…well, learning. Yes, they are fun activities. Yes, students would enjoy them. No, they often do not connect well to the reading and at times, are about topics or skills never mentioned in the text. Of the 9 activities listed, 6 are not related to graffiti, the analysis of this type of historical artifact, or the topics discussed in the reading. (On a side note, I want to add that the archaeologists and historical preservationists I know discourage gravestone rubbings because these can damage the stones over time.) As a history teacher, one of the most difficult challenges I face is having the time to teach everything required. I don’t have the luxury of time for activities that do not tie directly into learning objectives or that don’t help my students improve their skills. For every class activity, it is important to ask the question, “how does this impact student learning?” I felt continually let down when asking this question as I went through this book. I think historical graffiti is a great topic. With some reworking, this could be a very useful teaching tool.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

[Toni Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an educator, I am always looking for supplemental texts and/or activities. This book is a gem!
Firstly, it is versatile. While the target audience is 6-8th grades, this book could be used as a resource for high schoolers and upper elementary gifted students. It will work equally well with large or small group instruction. Next, it has kid-friendly text with present-day references that kids will relate to,ex. cell phone,texting,computers. Thirdly, the activities are fabulous! I want to do some of them myself! There are activities that will be enjoyable for the visual, auditory, and tactile learner. The only drawback is not the fault of the author. The format chosen by the published is not really student-friendly for the average to slow learner. There is way too much text on a page. I can appreciate conserving paper (and saving money), but not at a learner's expense. Cluttered pages = tuned out kids. In some places, the text is separated by several pages due to the inclusion of pictures. These format and layout issues should be corrected before the next run.
The bottom line is this is a MUST-HAVE book for the middle school classroom or any other place where kids and adults are interested in medieval England, ancient Pompeii, or ancient Athens. All through the study of graffiti. Buy this book. Better yet, buy a class set!

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Writing on the Walls is a good example of using a primary source. The primary source is graffiti, written by people long ago. What an awesome hook to engage middle school students." Middle school teacher Joanne Bell recommends this book in her review at MiddleWeb.
http://www.middleweb.com/24606/histor...