Native Americans of the Southwest created thousands of images to com-municate with each other. These images, known as pictographs, helpedpeople recall certain events, ideas, or information. Even if the peoplewho created them were no longer present, others could read the mes-sages. Most images were painted or carved on the surfaces of rock. Thereare three types of pictographs: petroglyphs, petrograms, and geoglyphs.(See HELP DESK on the next page.)

ACTIVITY Create a pictograph that other students will decode, or figureout. Then, acting as an anthropologist, interview students in one othergroup about their pictograph.

drawing paper orposter board

markers

regular and coloredpencils

watercolor paints andbrushes (optional)

an envelope

STEP BY STEP

Examine reference materials.In the library or on the Internet,

research Native American pictographs.Use the information you find to helpstart your project. (See HELP DESK onthe next page.)

Form a group of 4 or 5 students. Together, think of a

message to tell someone living in thefuture. What might you want futuregenerations to know about your cul-ture, or way of life? If you’re havingtrouble coming up with a message,copy the chart below into your note-book. Write information for eachcategory that you think would beinteresting to future generations.Then choose one of these categoriesfor your message.

TOOLBOXEach group will need:

Create and Decode a Pictograph

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Sports

Politics

Fashion

Music

Entertainment

Weather

Daily Life

The Fremont culture carved this petroglyph. It iscurrently located in Dinosaur National Monument—most of which sits in northwestern Colorado.

CALIFORNIA STANDARDS

REP4 Students assess the credibil-ity of primary and secondarysources and draw sound conclu-sions from them.

Create your pictograph.Communicate your message

with symbols like the ones that youhave researched. Sketch your picto-graph on the drawing paper or posterboard with a pencil first. Make the pictograph simple so that the de-coders will understand your message.Remember to use symbols—not letters.

For related information seeChapter 1, p. 29.

Researching Your Project• On the Trail of Spider Woman:

Petroglyphs, Pictographs, andMyths of the Southwest byCarol Patterson-Rudolph. Showsvariety of actual pictographs.

• 21 Kinds of American Folk Artand How to Make Each One byJean and Cle Kinney. Explainsprocess of making pictographs.

For more about pictographs . . .

Did You Know?Petroglyphs are images carvedinto a rock using stone tools.Petrograms are images paintedon a rock. Geoglyphs are imagesformed on the ground by scrap-ing away soil or by arrangingstones to form an image.

RESEARCH LINKSCLASSZONE .COM

• Which symbols in your pictograph were clear to the decoders? Which werenot clear?

• What methods did you useto decode the messages ofothers?

• What did you learn aboutlanguage and communica-tion from doing this picto-graph decoding activity?

Decorate your pictograph.Use markers or watercolor

paints to finish your pictograph. Also,record the translation of your picto-graph in your notebook.

Compare the other students’ translation with youractual message. Did the other students understand your

message? Let them know how accurate they were.

REFLECT & ASSESS

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WRITE AND SPEAKUsing the information in the pictograph that you decoded,write a description of the people who created the message. Use the symbols as well as the message itself to help you in your description. Explain to the class how you came to your conclusions.

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Exchange your pictographwith another group of

students. Try to decode the messagein the pictograph that the other groupof students has given you. Write your translation and place it in yourenvelope. Give the envelope to thegroup whose pictograph you decoded.

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