ICLON

1. Formulating a teaching metaphor:

mountain guide: the knowledge relating a specific topic is likea wonderful mountain to explore,
and I have to choose the best route. The route could change basing on several factors: sometimes
the best choice is the faster one, or the most beautiful ine; on the other hand, I can choose a
specific route to see a specific place, or evaluate specific skills, like climbing. Mountain is of
course beautiful but it could be also dangerous and I have to explain specific technique: where
and how to use your hands, your foots and the tools in order to climbing

2. Learning Objective
From University Middle Egyptian course
The students will have a basic knowledge of the hieroglyphic script and the grammatical structure of
the language. They will be able to read simple inscriptions and know how to perform research in order
to decipher more complicated ones. They will gain knowledge of the tools needed to understand
discussions on textual matters in the Egyptological literature.

For my mini tutorial

The students will have a basic knowledge of the hieroglyphic writing system. At the end of the mini
tutorial they will be able to recognize hieroglyphic signs with the help of the appropriate tools (like the
Gardiner Signs List) and to understand to which class of sign (alphabetical/mono-liter; bi-liter; tri-liter;
determinative) they belong.

3. Motivation
What motivates you as a learner? I love my discipline and I really want that the students
understand what they are studying.
What teachers have motivated you in the past and what were their most important attributes and
behaviour? Passion, inspiring curiosity, empathy with their students, patience.
How can you apply these insights in your own teaching? In my field, first year students are always
strongly motivated (Egyptology is not like Medicine or Engineer There are no parents who use
to encourage their children to study Egyptology in order to achieve a good job). On the other
hand, sometimes they show a wrong motivation (they like the Ancient Egypt idea showed by
media and when they discovered that it is a scientific discipline with a lot of boring normal
things they start to be less motivated There are a lot of crazy weird people (also around 4o
and more years old..) who want to study Egyptology because they believed to be the reincarnation
of a queen or a king (it is a serious problem Cf. a paper by J.C.M. Garcia, The Cursed.
Discipline. In: In: W. Carruthers (ed.), Histories of Egyptology: Interdisciplinary Measures,
London, 2014, p. 50-63)
Patience, empathy passion
4 Design and give a minitutorial

Time Teacher Content Student Materials Matches

activity activity learning
objective
1 min. Introducing What is Taking Papers and To understand
the topic hieroglyph? that Hieroglyph
notes pens is not a language
(opening) differences
but a particular
between
writing system;
language and
writings
3 min Activating Discussion Learning English To understand
about how that hieroglyph
teaching conversation rebus; is a writing
hieroglyph
writing system (Socratic papers and system that uses
Method) pens different kind of
could work in signs combined
their opinion. each other
In order to
suggest the
right answers, I
will show an
English rebus

7 min. Lesson and Explain the 4 Taking Gardiner The students will
main signs understand how
practical notes; signs list; to use the
classes:
exercise (alphabet, bi- practice Papers and Gardiner signs
pens. list, recognizing
liter, tri-liter, specific
determinative) Cartouche hieroglyphs with
and how to use with their phonetic or
the Gardiner semantic value
signs- list
Tutankhamon
The students name.
will try to
identify some
signs from
Tut-ankh-
amun name.

Learning conversation questions:

1. In your opinion, how could work the hieroglyph writing system?
2. Is it possible to read hieroglyph?
3. If yes, Is it like the alphabetic system in English (every sign corresponding to a single sound?
4. Do you know what is a rebus and how it works?
 1) Hello to everybody, my name is Renata and the main aim of my minitutorial eill be to introcuce
you in understanding hieroglyph.
The first common mistake that students use to do is thinking that hieroglyph was the language spoke by
ancient Egyptians. This is not true, the language that Ancient Egyptians spoke was banally .. the ancient
Egyptians language (that had several phases: OE, ME, NE, LE, Coptic.).
Hieroglyph is the name of a writing system who combine different kind of signs to understand the
difference between language and writing system is a crucial point: lets think: Italians, French and Dutch
speak different languages, but use the same writing system (Also modern Egyptians and Iranins
2- In your opinion, how could work the hieroglyph writing system?
1. Is it possible to read hieroglyph?
2. If yes, Is it like the alphabetic system in English (every sign corresponding to a single sound?
3. Do you know what is a rebus and how it works?

In your opinion how could it work? see the rebus, the eye, mean eye or is it used as a special kind of
letter???
Well hieroglyph work in the same way.
3- Scholars used do distinguish different classes of signs:
Monoliter: like as alphabet, but without vowels (as in Arabic or Jewish)
Biliter: two consonant and a vowel (conventionally an a, or the conventional pronunciation of the
Mater Lectionis)
Triliter: 3 consonant
Determinative: signs who have not a phonetic value, but express concept in order to define the
semantic class of a word

N. B. Our pronunciation of the Egyptian language is conventional (in Latin could be the same).
You have to memorize more than 400 signs but for beginning student (and for great scholar
that always need an help) there are specific tools to recognize the meaning of a sign. First of all
the gardiner signs lis.
It is list of hiero. Invented by gardiner. Basing on the shape of the signs (men, woman, animal,
fish, house furniture) you can find the sign into a specific class in wich it is associated to a code.
And to all the possible phonetic or ideographic meaning.
Now, lets try to identify some signs from Tutankamun name.