One of the most important areas of enrichment in the FasTracKids lessons is the students' communication skills. We can never learn good communication skills and techniques too early, so these lessons are devoted to developing these to the highest level possible. This lesson gives students a history lesson to demonstrate how people develop more and more tools to make communication more effective and convenient.

"Setting the Stage" - Before starting the program, ask the students: Do you use the telephone? Why? Do you read books? Do you watch television? Why? Do these things have anything in common? Do you know what 'communication' means? Do you think people always had the telephone to call their friends?

Teachers using the Hitachi whiteboard will need to activate their pen tool to be used in the segment about drawing, "Drawing to Communicate". Smartboard owners will use their finger to draw.

"What is Communication?"
In this lesson, Spencer Bunny will narrate and guide the students as they complete a timeline. As the lesson covers a form of communication, it will be added to the timeline on the Learning Station.
Hands-on activity - as a class project, students should create a timeline of their own in the classroom. Provide a long horizontal line for students to attach the icons as determined by their decisions. This can be on a cork board, a felt board with for velcro attachments, long roll of paper such as butcher paper, or a simple line drawn on a chalk board. The icons of each communication tool are provided on your disk. Have these printed prior to starting the lesson. The lesson starts by defining 'communication'. Encourage students to think about as many forms of communication as possible. The icons of different communication tools are then shown on the Learning Station. Encourage the students to talk about what each one represents and decide, as a team, how to place them on the timeline. Do not correct the students or rearrange their placement, as this will become evident as the lesson proceeds. Allow the students to discover for themselves if they are correct or not. If they do not know what an icon represents, such as the printing press, invite them to put it where they think it might belong. The timeline can be observed from time to time throughout the lesson, but should not be changed until Spencer tells them to make their corrections.

"Speaking"
The first icon and communication method to be discussed is 'talking'. This one is quite obvious, but it will get the students started as they determine the progression of the timeline.
Activity - This game is one that has been played by children and adults for years, and is always effective as a way to show how information can become distorted as it travels from person to person. Spencer Bunny will give the directions on the Learning Station. Encourage the students to listen to and follow them. Children should be seated in a circle. The teacher will whisper a sentence to the first student. That student whispers what he/she heard to the next student. This continues around to the last student, who repeats the sentence out loud. A sample sentence is given with a cartoon image on the Learning Station. This will give students a visual 'hint' if they have difficulty with such a nonsense message. After the message has made the complete circle of students, the teacher should create another sentence to convey. Because there is no visual clue to this sentence, it may be more difficult. (Remember to start the sentence at the opposite end of the row of children from the first time.) Talk about how accurate or successful this form of communication was. Did the picture on the Learning Station help? What happens if there is no picture to help guide you? What happens if there is some distraction, interference or accent difference? Talk about how all these factors can cause miscommunication.

"The Cave Family"
This cartoon family introduces the next form of communication to be added to Spencer's timeline on the Learning Station. A father tries to describe to his children an animal that chased him home. As he has less and less success getting his message to them clearly, he becomes frustrated. Children can identify with this frustration as they are building their vocabulary. Talk about how we all experience this frustration occasionally, and how it gets easier as we learn new words and develop our communication skills. Remind students that this frustration is normal for all smart FasTracKids, but it is also why we practice speaking in complete sentences. The concept of drawing pictures to convey our thoughts is introduced and added to the timeline.

"Drawing to Communicate"
Learning Station drawing activity - Using the pen tool or finger, (determined by which board is being used) students draw simple pictures on the Learning Station, similar to the father drawing the picture on the cave wall for his children. Encourage the students to listen to the directions carefully. For a younger student with few drawing skills, the teacher may want to help with very simple lines as directed by the student. Encourage the students to be different and creative with their messages.

"Pictures"
As the students draw their pictures, they may find that a simple message takes time to convey. This will lead them to the next communication concept, once the icon of pictures has been added to the timeline.

"Hieroglyphics"
Symbols as messages are introduced as students discover Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Optional activity - the teacher may want to show where Egypt is located on the map or globe.
Touch-screen activity - Students are presented a sample of hieroglyphics to match to images of what each one represents. Talk about how some are easier than others to understand, due to the way they were drawn. Talk about how impossible it would be for everyone to draw exactly the same and how some confusion would be inevitable. Would this be a completely effective way to communicate?
Hands-on activity - a handout of this activity is provided on the disk for students to complete by drawing matching lines, then coloring, if time permits.

"Cuneiform"
Another form of record-keeping and communication is introduced. The cuneiform was developed about the same time as hieroglyphics. Spencer Bunny introduces how people used their problem-solving creativity to create these more portable ways to carry their information.
Hands-on activity - provide your students with play dough or clay and a stick so they may gain a better understanding of the difficulty of this form of communication. Encourage them to follow the instructions given on the Learning Station, and study the example shown.

"Making Writing Easier"
The next communication tool discussed is the invention of ink.
Optional - you may want to locate China, the birthplace of ink, on the map or globe.
A question on the Learning Station asks the students to think about what was invented to write on with their ink. Ask students if they thought paper was always so accessible. What would they use if paper had not been invented? Talk about how people continue to use their creativity to solve these problems. Mass production of paper and writing is next introduced as books. Talk about how many, many words and drawings are in every book they read. How can someone write all of these books?

"The Printing Press"
The next tool for our timeline is the printing press. To get a better understanding of printing, students have the opportunity to make their own print blocks.
Hands-on activity - Using dry sponges, draw and cut out a simple image to stamp. Remember that if a letter is desired, it must be cut out backwards. Densely compacted sponges that are wafer-thin are available at most craft stores for this project. These are very simple to cut, and swell substantially when they are wet. Spencer Bunny will remind the students to use the ink (finger paints work best) sparingly to make their image. Trial and error usually teaches this quite quickly and effectively. Talk about how difficult it would be to write a whole book using this method.
(optional activity) - at another time, use the sponges for students to make wrapping paper or greeting cards as gifts for family and friends.

"The Telephone"
"The Radio"
The next series of communication tools will be grouped together closely on the timeline, as they were developed so closely together in history, compared to what was just covered. This will be mentioned by the dialog when the radio is added, but the teacher may want to encourage this observation by the students. Students are asked to think about the difference between the radio and the telephone. Talk about how one can be used to send and receive messages, while the other only sends messages. Students are also encouraged to communicate a message to their audience as if they were on the radio. Encourage students to be imaginative.

"Television"
"Computers"
These modern tools of communication are much more common to the students, so less discussion is devoted to these objects. Encourage students to talk about how computers can be used as a communication tool. Some students may have seen the technology lesson about computers and e-mail, so the teacher can determine how much to cover during this topic.

"Before You Go Home"
Now that the timeline is complete on the Learning Station, students are instructed to compare it to the one they created in the classroom. Talk about how it may or may not need to be corrected and why.
Videotaping activity - divide the class into teams or groups. Each team must discuss and decide, as a team, which method of communication was most important and why. Encourage them work as a team and use their reasoning skills to arrive at a consensus. Encourage each member of the team to present a complete sentence to justify their answer while videotaping each group. Talk about the differences and similarities in their answers.
Handout - provide the students with their own timeline and icons to complete and take home. This might be a good activity to do while preparing their videotaping session. Encourage students to describe their timeline to their families when they get home.

Before Students Go Home - Review
What does communication mean?
Why were hieroglyphics and cuneiform invented?
How did people solve different communication problems, such as not being able to hear or draw accurately?
How is the radio or television a communication tool?
How is the computer used as a communication tool?

Supply List for Activities
"Today I Discovered" - parents handout
Long roll of paper or board to create a long timeline for students to create and add pictures to as the lesson progresses (optional: velcro to attached icon pictures)
Cutouts of icons representing tools of communication as they are presented in lesson (on disk)
Clay or playdough and sticks to make cuneiforms
Hieroglyphics worksheet (on disk)
Sponges to cut- to make printing blocks to dip into ink (craft stores sell sheets of highly-compressed sponges that swell once they are wet- these are very easy to cut into patterns).
washable ink to stamp (finger paints work best)
Timeline handout and icons to cutout and create as take-home activity
videotape