Exploring Cuneiform Tablets at the NYPL: The Ancient Roots of Homework

Hey, y’all. I’m at the 42nd Street Stephen A. Schwarzman Library on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, discovering the treasures within. 

Today, I’ve found some intriguing tablets written in cuneiform. As many of you know, I’ve been a teacher for 13 years, and every year, I get a question that’s especially popular among middle, but also high school students: “Who invented homework?” 

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 A fascinating answer might be the Mesopotamians or Babylonians. The tablets we’re talking about were used by students for writing practice, likely within the home of a scribe or a master. The pieces you’re seeing now are mainly literary texts that the students were required to copy and submit as demonstrations of their skill. There’s also a tablet featuring mathematical equations among them. Yes, the New York Public Library has a significant collection of these cuneiform tablets. 

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Pro tip: The Morgan Library on Madison Avenue also has an impressive collection of these ancient educational artifacts. So, indeed, do your homework, kids.

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Analysis: Freud, Derrida and the Magic Slate

Do you remember playing with a magic slate as a child? Learn how Sigmund Freud uses this device to talk about the unconscious mind.

A Finnish Version of Freud's Wunderblock.

Do you remember this toy from your childhood? It’s charmingly called a “Magic Slate” or an “Etch-a-Sketch”. In German, the Wunderblock. I had a version of this toy as a kid. The novelty of the apparatus consists in the ability of the pad to retain impressions, such as drawings, and like a normal slate, the impressions can be erased, not by an eraser but by simply lifting the page. Presto. Freud and Derrida loved this thing. Freud liked it because the Magic Slate is a model for the human mind. Psychoanalysis! Derrida liked it because Freud's reading of it seems to suggest the unconscious is inhabited by writing and is prior to speech acts. Deconstruction!

Deconstruction!
The stylus is used to write, scribble, or draw on the transparent plastic sheaf which creates an impression on the middle thin layer. The magic slate I had as a kid was a simple plastic, red stylus. The slate itself was a flimsy plastic backing with the “magic sheaf” part lightly affixed to the backing.

When the sheaf is lifted, the thin papery layer which exists beneath it is erased of its impression. At the bottom, a resinous wax layer exists which retains etched into the resin the residuals, or traces of all the previous impressions.

Freud on the “Magic Slate”
Freud wrote a short seven-page essay called "A Note Upon The Mystic Writing Pad." He wrote the essay to explain his theory of memory via the working apparatus of the Wunderblock. The outer coating represents the protective layer of the mind. The layer protects the mind from too much excitation. Notice if the thin paper layer is torn or contaminated the Wunderblock ceases to work in the same way that trauma can irreparably damage the psyche. The stylus represents a stimulus from the outside world. The papery layer is the conscious mind and the wax resin is representative of the unconscious.

The memory of the present can be erased, but like the mind, retains the impressions in the unconscious. The Wunderblock can both destroy and create.

Freud thought the Magic Slate was the closest machine-toy resembling the human mind. The only difference between the Wunderblock and the human mind is the mind's waxy resin layer can come back and disrupt the psychic life. Notably in dreams and trauma.

Derrida On Freud
Derrida, in an essay called "Freud and the Scene of Writing" was astounded that Freud, as a metaphysical thinker, could have inadvertently stumbled upon a machine that is a metaphor for the techné (production) of memory.

Derrida wonders how Freud could have imagined the Wunderblock to represent the psychic life while not realizing that the fundamental essence of the toy, like the mind, is its reserve of graphical traces, not phonetic signifiers.

Unlock Your Learning Potential: 16 Essential Resources at Just $2 Each! 🌟

As the school year gets into full swing—or if you're like me, gearing up to start teaching right after Labor Day—the need for effective educational tools for our middle and high school students couldn't be more crucial. 

In reviewing some of my most valued resources, I was thrilled to discover that 16 of them are available for just $2 each! Now that's a deal worth exploring!

Key Features:

• Easy-to-use — with printable PDFs and student-facing digital materials for each resource.

• Resources were all modified this Summer, ensuring up-to-date content.

Sharpen Your Analytical Skills

• Introduce resources aimed at analytical skills like:
• "Thinking & Writing: Graphic Organizer for Analyzing Quotes & Textual Evidence"
• "Opposing Viewpoints Debate: On Judging Appearances"

Master The Writing Process

• Focus on resources that target writing skills:
• "Detail Observation Guide: Enhance Narrative & Expository Writing"
• "Prewriting-Drafting-Revising: ELA Writing Cycle Guide"

Tools for Organized Learning

• Resources that help students stay organized:
• "Student Writing Presentation Toolbox for Middle & High School"
• "Student Writer's Portfolio Tracker: Organize & Showcase Work"

Multi-dimensional Writing

• Resources that help students explore different modes and purposes of writing:
• "Writing Modes: ELA Exercise for Improving Writing Skills"
• "Purpose & Mode in Writing: Comprehensive Chart for Student Success"

Boost Creative and Factual Writing

• Resources that offer brainstorming and research techniques:
• "Using Print & Non-Print Sources | Classroom Success for Writing"
• "Clustering Guide: Brainstorming Activity for ELA/Writing Students"

Reading for Success

• Encourage independent reading:
• "Teen Book List: Promoting Independent Reading for Grades 7-12"

Conclusion

I made each of these resources myself based on years of working in middle and high school English Language Arts and Humanities classrooms. You can't go wrong! And, listen, they're all each only $2. #winning

Call to Action:

Grab these essential resources as a bundle, save even more, and take your teaching (and your kids' learning) to the next level! 🚀

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Writing a Movie Review: Writer's Workshop for Middle and High School Grades 8-10

Incorporating Movies into English Language Arts and Writing Instruction

Unlock English mastery! Transform your classroom with
engaging movie reviews that boost language skills, critical thinking,
and student participation.

Movies are more than just an engaging way to pass the time. They are an amalgamation of storytelling, characterization, themes, and visual representation, which offer a vibrant medium to teach English language arts and writing instruction. Imagine this — your class of young, energetic middle or high schoolers analyzing, discussing, and reviewing movies while learning and honing their English skills. Not only is it fun and engaging, but it also provides an interactive way to understand complex language structures, themes, and concepts.

What's Included?

1. Teacher's Note for Using this Resource in the English and Writing Classroom: A helpful guide to ensure you get the most out of the resources provided.

2. Do's and Don'ts Anchor Chart: A visual guide to direct students on what to include and what to avoid in their movie review.

3. Fillable Movie Information Sheet for Before, During, and After Viewing: This allows students to track key information and impressions throughout the viewing experience, which helps build their review later.

4. Extended Written Response, Movie Quotes Double Entry Journal, Parts of a Movie Review Graphic Organizer: These tools support and scaffold students' writing, thinking, and reflection processes.

5. 3 Exit Ticket Strategies for Formative Assessment: These will help you gauge student understanding and progress at the end of each lesson.

6. Movie Review Skills Assessment, 4-Point Grading Rubric, Student-Facing Checklist, and Grading Sheet: These tools help students self-assess their work and aid teachers in providing clear, fair, and consistent grading.

7. 5-Star Rating and Rough Draft Starter: This provides students a starting point for their review and a simple, familiar way to give their overall rating.

Incorporating movie analysis into your curriculum can be a dynamic way to inspire student engagement and improve their English language and writing skills. By combining entertainment and education, you're teaching them language and skills like critical thinking, analysis, and self-expression.

Related Products

To further extend your resources, consider other products from Stones of Erasmus:

✰ Growing Humanities Bundle for Middle and High School 

✰ Myth Unit for Middle and High School (40+ Days of Content!) 

✰ "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor: Short Story Discussion 

✰ Diagnostic English Language Learner Exams and Essay for Middle and High School

✰ Making Timelines and Recalling Events for Writing in English Language Arts

✰ Integrating Quotations: Writing Activity for the English Language Arts Classroom

Join me on this educational journey. Your feedback, comments, and insights are always welcome. Visit my website at stonesoferasmus.com for more resources and ideas.

© 2022-2023 Stones of Erasmus.

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189+ Listings — Let's Celebrate! With the Release of the Stones of Erasmus Educational Digital Download Catalog (as of Summer 2023)

In this post, I reveal how well-organized I am, and as a result, you now have a bird's eye view of every educational digital download available in my TpT store.

Hello, Teachers and Friends,

One thing I love about Teachers Pay Teachers is that it has forced me to become more organized. I am not naturally an organized person. In Kindergarten, my teachers bewailed my lunchroom messiness; in middle school, I barely kept my Trapper Keeper intact. However, flash forward to 2023 — and I have at least become more organized on TpT and in my own teaching practice.

Remember when you used to receive the Sears catalog as a kid, and you would circle in red marker the items you wanted and hoped mom or dad would notice? You are an adult with a bank account, so you don't have to beg Mom or Dad. But you can click the link and add to your wish list any of the items listed. Not going to brag, but you will be delighted. As recent buyers have said:

"Thank you for scaffolding the reading into manageable reading chunks and providing writing opportunities."

- Margie 

"Love [your] products! Very thought-provoking. I used [it for] distance learning with students in zoom class."

- Aron 

So, there you go.

Here is the complete catalog for the Stones of Erasmus store. Feast your eyes.

Stones of Erasmus Catalog 

as of Summer

2023

Note: This catalog does not include bundles (except for a few exceptions). Listings with an asterisk * are free.

Map & Geography Skills resources

• Geography Skills Lesson: Ready-to-Use Worksheet with Blank World Map
• Map Activity: Complete a Day in the Life of Socrates in Athens (411 B.C.E.).
• *Map Skills Lesson: Use Census Data about Ethnic Communities in NYC
• Map Skills Lesson: Using Census Data about the Changing Racial Makeup of the U.S.
• * New York, New York / It's a Wonderful Town: Navigating NYC In One Day

Poetry Lessons and Activities

• Ancient Hebrew Poetry
• Psalm 104: Ancient Hebrew Literature
• Ancient Egyptian Poetry

• “The Great Hymn to the Aten”
• New Kingdom Love Lyrics
• “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
• Visualizing the Industrial Revolution Through Poetry
• William Blake's "London" & “The Chimney Sweeper” Poems

Literary Terms & Vocabulary Instruction, Et Cetera

• Theme and Character Study Analysis
• Crafting Resolutions
• *Paradoxes, Contradictions, and Oxymorons
• Frayer Model Templates
• Four Digital and Print Exit Slips for English Language Arts

Complete Philosophy in the Classroom Series

• Discuss the Marshmallow Test: Minilesson
• "What is Philosophy?" Task Card Set
• Freedom: Task Card Set
• Empiricism versus Rationalism
• Discuss any Moral Dilemma!
• Socrates on the Examined Life: The Apology of Plato
• Socrates at the Piraeus: Introductory lesson on Plato's Republic
• The Ring of Gyges (Glaucon's Argument from Republic)
• The Noble Lie in Plato's Republic
• Plato's Allegory of the Cave Base Lesson (from Republic) —
• Allegory of the Cave Quiz Bowl & Activity Pack
• Plato's Myth of Er (from Republic)
• Plato's Origin of Love (from Symposium)
• Plato's Origin of Virtue (from Protagoras)
• The Problem of Evil (Theodicy lesson)
• Nietzsche's Eternal Recurrence and the Movie Groundhog Day
• Nietzsche's Parable of the Madman (Philosophy of Religion)

Complete Mythology in the Classroom Series

• *10 Everyday Phrases from Greek Mythology
• What is Myth?: Introductory Lesson
• 101 Greco-Roman Mythology Reading Cards
• Hebrew Myths of Creation
• Greek Myths of Creation
• Myths of Creation from Ancient India (Hinduism)
• The Five Ages of Man (Ancient Greece)
• The Four Yugas of Man (Ancient India)
• The Hebrew Myth of Adam and Eve
• The Fates
• The Furies
• Uranus and Gaia
• Kronos and Rhea
• Atlas
• Other Titan Gods and Goddesses
• Pandora's Box (Or. Jar)
• Prometheus and Epimetheus
• Deucalion and Pyrrha (Ancient Greek Flood Myth)
• Noah's Ark (Hebrew Flood Myth)
• The Four Disgracers: Art and Mythology Mini-Unit
• Perseus
• Theseus and the Minotaur
• Icarus and Daedalus
• Tantalus
• Niobe and Her Children
• Bellerophon and Pegasus
• Orion the Hunter
• Sisyphus
• Phaëthon
• Ixion
• King Midas
• Endymion
• Apollo and Daphne
• Orpheus and Eurydice
• Pygmalion and Galatea
• Narcissus and Echo
• Pyramus and Thisbe (Babylonian Myth)
• Cupid and Psyche
• Europa and the Bull
• The Foundations of Ancient Troy
• Leda and the Swan
• The Judgment of Paris
• The Assembly at Aulis

Gods and Goddesses

• The Birth of Venus (Aphrodite)
• Zeus and Metis
• Athena Introductory Lesson
• The Goddess Athena Coloring Book
• The Owl of Minerva
• The Birth of the Goddess Athena (Parthenogenesis)
• Athena and Arachne
• Athena and Marsyas
• Athena as Mentor in The Odyssey
• Nature and Deeds of Zeus
• Nature and Deeds of Apollo
• The Birth of the Twins
• Nature and Deeds of Poseidon
• Dispute: Athena and Poseidon
• Artemis (Diana)
• Hestia (Vesta)
• Dionysus (Bacchus)
• Hades (Pluto)
• Ares (Mars)
• Hephaestus (Vulcan)
• Hermes (Mercury)
• Hera (Juno)
• Demeter and Persephone

Movie-Tie Ins

• Labyrinth (1986): Classroom Film Guide
• Eternals (2021) and Myth Film Guide: Question Bank and Lesson Activity
• Eternals Olympic Myth Mini-Unit: with Icarus & Prometheus

Mythology Graphic Organizers and Charts (& Assessments)

• Five Myth Charts for the Comparative Study of Mythology
• Compare and Contrast Myths (Graphic Organizer and Tracker)
• Mythology-Themed Writing Paper, Mythology Clip Art
• Myth-Related Activities for Writers: 50+ Writing Prompts
• * Greek Mythology Unit Tests
• * World Literature Pre-Test Assessment
• Hinduism Summative Assessment (Unit Test)

Writing Graphic Organizers and Skills Practice

• Academic Honesty & Integrity Student Guide
• Cornell Note-Taking Templates
• * Generic 3-Box Note-Taking Templates
• Imagining: Concrete Writing Skills Practice
• * Choose from Various Forms of Writing Anchor Chart
• Writing a Thesis Statement and Topic Sentences
• Organizing Main Ideas and Supporting Details
• * The Writing Process: Six Stages of Writing
• Analyzing as a Writing Skill: Skills Practice
• Discussion Protocol with Any Literary Work (for Writers)
• Role Playing Activity for Persuasive Writing
• Peer Evaluation Form for Speaking, Listening & Writing
• How to Write a Quatrain: Writing Skills Practice
• * Keeping a Writer’s Journal: Anchor Chart & Student Exercise
• How to Use Freewriting as a Brainstorming Strategy
• * Observing Details & Finding Telling Details Exercise
• The Pre-Writing, Drafting, and Revising Cycle
• The Revision Process
• Using Print & Non-Print Resources
• Integrating Quotations
• Using Questions to Organize Ideas
• Using Interviewing to Gather Ideas
• Methods of Organization (for Writing)
• Modes of Writing: Identifying the Four Modes
• * Purpose and Mode: Writing Anchor Chart
• Choosing a Purpose or Aim for Writing
• Choosing and Focusing on a Topic
• Sensory Details Anchor Chart for Writing
• Choosing & Analyzing an Audience
• Drafts
• Venn Diagrams
• Proofreading Checklist with Standard Proofreading Marks
• Keeping a Writer’s Portfolio: Student Work Tracker
• Finalizing Your Document: Anchor Chart & Writing Exercise
• Sharing and Presenting Student Writing: Idea Toolbox
• Using Computers & Devices in the Writing Classroom
• Diagnostic Essay Writing Assessment (for ESL&)
• * General English Language Exams: Long and *Short Versions (for ESL)

Short Story Discussion Guides

• "Araby" by James Joyce
• *"A Good Man is Hard is to Find" by Flannery O'Connor
• "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield
• St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell
• Literary Quote Posters

Non-Fiction Study Unit

• Stamped: Racism, Antiracism & You by Ibram Kendi and Jason Reynolds: Stamped Discussion Guide and Reading Protocol
• Stamped 115+ Question Bank

Other Non-Fiction Resources:

• *Bobby the Math Whiz (Non-Fiction Reading Passage)
• Apology: Teach the Entire Book!

Reading Campaigns for Teens

• Culturally Responsive Summer Reading Campaign (2021)
• Doing and Being Well Summer Reading Campaign (2022)
• Teen Book List (2023)

Animated Short Film Viewing Guide

• Peter and the Wolf © 2006 Oscar-Winning Short Film
• Writing a Movie Review

First Day of School Resources

• First Day of School English Language Arts Student Survey
• First Day of School English Language Arts Parent Survey
• Student Photo Release Forms
• * 3-Box Note-Taking Template

Bonus Resources

• Art History Exam: from Pre-History to the Renaissance
• Facilitated Discussion on Empathy for Teachers and Staff
• Help Students Cope with Stress: Activity and Guide
• * Tutorial: Create Worksheets with "Forced Copy" (with Google Apps)
• Think About Any Quote! Graphic Organize

Thank you for following me on my journey. Leave a comment, drop a line, and visit me on my website at stonesoferasmus.com.

© 2017-2023

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