The first Night of Notables was held at our school in 2003. This means that every student in the school can recall the fun they had in Year 7, dressing up as a famous person and showing their parents and the rest of school how creative and thoughtful they could be. And here’s an amazing thing: older students love to come and see what the new kids on the block are doing for the Night of Notables. Those new kids on the block are YOU! Which notable person will you choose? How will you make the night special and memorable?
Here’s a tip: choose someone that no one else has ever chosen. Choose someone YOU don’t know very much about. That way there will be a mystery for you to solve and many people will be curious to know about the person you have chosen.
So here are some notable people who, despite their great achievements and determination to improve human life, have (at least to my knowledge) never been chosen by students before. I’ve taught Year 7 every year since the Night of Notables was introduced, so I do have a pretty good idea. For each person below, I’ve tried to give a little description or at least include a link to a reputable site that will tell you about the person. I am hankering for someone to choose one of these people, instead of the obvious people who are chosen every year. Be original! Go for it!
PS: You won’t be able to watch any of the You-Tube videos at school, I’m afraid. Our computers crack up when you ask too much of them. But don’t despair: these videos should work at home.
Notable People who have never been N O T A B L E at our School:
Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonuccal) She was an Aboriginal writer and activist who gave back her MBE in protest against the treatment of her people. Influential in winning the vote for Aborigines, she was a writer of great purpose and conviction. For instance, she wrote: “We need help, not exploitation.” One of her saddest poems was about an old man who was the last of his tribe. There was noone left who could speak to him in the language of his people. The poem shows her sense of loss and the desperate isolation of the old man. Oodgeroo Noonuccal wrote many moving poems. She was also partially responsible for gaining the vote for Aboriginal people. Click on this link to read a brief introduction to her life: http://www.library.uq.edu.au/fryer/worth_fighting/2.html
http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Search/Home?lookfor=Judy+Horacek&filter%5B%5D=format%3APicture
Sir Mark Oliphant was a brilliant Australian scientist whose work in nuclear physics was partially responsible for the creation of the bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was forever regretful at the calamity they had caused, however, and later spoke out against the use of science for immoral ends.
http://www.abc.net.au/schoolstv/australians/oliphant.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/stories/s153006.htm
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/barak/artist.html
Sofonisba Anguissola was a great woman painter of the Renaissance. Until the internet came into being I didn’t even know she existed. Woman artists rarely make it into art books. Yet some of her paintings are just lovely. They warm my heart because they show people enjoying life and doing quite ordinary things – even smiling! One of her most famous paintings shows a few young girls playing chess and smiling. This was quite rare in those days. There’s also a self-portrait of the artist at her easel.
- Golda Meir – Israeli Prime Minister
Ancient Egyptian Writing
A photo of the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum (taken in 1995)
Here’s a quotation from an article about the 20-year history of the internet, by Guy Rundle in The Age on Sunday 15 March:
Five thousand years ago, the invention of writing in Mesopotamia [Sumer] separated information from presence – a few strokes of cuneiform on a clay tablet established that meaning, intent, communication could be separated and transmitted without a person there to present it.
From this event flows every modern institution of the state…”
Photo of the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx kindly provided by John Bayley
Ancient Egyptian writing:
http://www.ancientscripts.com/egyptian.html
Use this site to write some notes on the nature of hieroglyphic writing for your Emit assignment.
A Biography of Jean-Francois Champollion
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/abcde/champollion_jean-francois.html
The Story of the Decipherment of Hieroglyphics
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/decipherment_01.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/decipherment_02.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/decipherment_05.shtml
These links tell you the story of a man who started learning dead languages (and writing his diary in them) when he was as young as you are. He knew that understanding an ancient language would unlock secrets. Read the story of his determination and final achievement.
Legacies of Ancient Egypt
A legacy in this context means a special contribution that a civilisation leaves behind. It might include:
Clipart kindly provided by www.phillipmartin.info A famous piece of ancient architecture. Can you think of other arenas based on this concept? |
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a memorable idea such as a special way of organising a society or dealing with a problem;
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some kind of scientific knowledge;
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an invention;
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a monument;
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a skill;
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an impressive achievement in art, government, literature, etc;
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something that later societies have admired and sought to emulate.
For instance, ancient Sumerians are believed to have been the first to create a writing system. They pressed wedge-shaped marks into clay tablets. Many historians believe that this is what gave the Egyptians the idea of developing hieroglyphs.
Here’s a quotation from an article about the 20-year history of the internet, by Guy Rundle in The Age on Sunday 15 March: “Five thousand years ago, the invention of writing in Mesopotamia [Sumer] separated information from presence – a few strokes of cuneiform on a clay tablet established that meaning, intent, communication could be separated and transmitted without a person there to present it. “From this event flows every modern institution of the state…” That’s some legacy! |
Cuneiform – clipart kindly provided by www.phillipmartin.info I always think that it would be wonderful if the first writing was created to write love poems or great literature. But no – someone wanted a receipt. Sigh. This is a material world.
The ancient Egyptians had many achievements over the course of their long history. Their beautiful tomb paintings, for example, show us all about their lives on the Nile River. They drew figures in a way that changed little over the years. Can you think of other great and inspiring achievements that others might have built upon?
Egyptian peasants during harvest – note the side-on presentation of the bodies in classic Egyptian style
Image in public domain from wikimedia.commons
See what you can find out about the legacies of the ancient Egyptians at these sites.
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General: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_461511156_4/ancient_egypt.html (Scroll down to find ideas about legacies.)
Monuments:
http://www.jaconline.com.au/retroactive/home/downloads/retro-1-2e-spread-2-10.pdf
This is a pdf on the pyramids and monuments.
Mathematics:
http://math.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_mathematics_of_ancient_egypt
Ancient Egyptian ideas about pi:
http://ualr.edu/lasmoller/pi.html
Ancient Egyptian art:
http://www.aldokkan.com/art/art.htm
Ancient Egyptian water engineering and inventions: http://www.waterhistory.org/histories/nile/t1.html
(You’ll need to scroll down to read the vital information.)
Managing time – calendars and clocks: http://library.thinkquest.org/J002046F/technology.htm
Ancient Egyptian writing:
http://www.ancientscripts.com/egyptian.html
Your task: Create an attractive A4 page divided into four parts. Your heading is “Legacies of Ancient Egypt”. In each quarter of the page paste a picture and write (using your own words) about the legacy you have chosen and why you think it is impressive, significant or influential in history.
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Then write a comment in answer to this cruel but fascinating question: What legacy would you as an individual like to leave behind?
Another way to put this could be: How do you intend to leave the world a better place than you found it?
My legacy…