Full transcript
0:00Taylor: Hey everyone, welcome back to the Learning Lounge. I'm glad you're here.
0:06We got a letter through MiaMail, and you're just in time to help us answer it. Hey Mia,
0:12I was just telling our friends about the letter we got. Should we read it again to them? [Mia beeps]
0:19All right, you heard Mia, let's do this!
0:38"Hi Taylor, My best bud, Juan, just got back from a trip to his family's place in Peru. He
0:43brought me a really neat-looking mask! He told me it's something special from where his family
0:48is from. I thought it was super cool, but it got me thinking, what's special about this mask and
0:55where it's from? Do all places have special things like this? Thanks a bunch, Marcus."
1:05[Mia beeps] I know, Mia, that mask looks so amazing! I have to know
1:10more about this. Let's pull up a webpage to see if we can learn more about these masks.
1:17"Masks are an important part of the culture of Peru. The masks are used in stories and
1:23dances. They reflect local traditions, beliefs, and history. They are a symbol
1:28of the culture of different areas of Peru. These masks are artifacts that can teach us
1:34more about the people living in Peru today and those who lived many years ago in the past."
1:42Hm, Mia, I recognize some of these words on the webpage. Last time we spoke to our
1:48friend Anthony the anthropologist, he mentioned some of these words. Friends,
1:54pause the video here to highlight the words you recognize on the webpage. I
2:01recognize "cultures," "stories," "dances," "traditions," and "beliefs." And now I'm even
2:08more curious! There are some new words here too. I see symbols and artifacts. I think
2:15we should call Anthony up again and see if he can help us understand more about this.
2:26Anthony: Anthony speaking.
2:27Taylor: Hi, Anthony!
2:27Anthony: Hey there, Taylor! How's it going over there on the Learning Lounge?
2:31Taylor: Things are great here. We got another new Mia mail and
2:35started researching on our own. We are learning about Peruvian masks.
2:40Anthony: Oh, nice! Peruvian masks are some of my favorite kind of artifacts.
2:45Taylor: There's that word again, "artifacts." That's exactly why we called you,
2:50Anthony. While we were researching, we came across two words: "symbols" and "artifacts."
2:57Can you help us learn more about what these are and why they are important?
3:01Anthony: Absolutely!
3:03Taylor: Great! Friends, remember,
3:05as we talk to Anthony, you can pause the video at any time to complete this
3:09section of your PDF. I'll be taking notes on my learning log. Okay, Anthony, we're ready.
3:16Anthony: Let's define these new words you came across. Symbols and artifacts
3:21fall under the lens of culture. Symbols are things that represent something else.
3:27An example of this is a heart symbolizing love. Artifacts are objects made by humans
3:34that tell us about their culture and history. The Peruvian masks you're
3:39learning about are special because they are both symbols and artifacts.
3:43Taylor: Really?
3:44Anthony: Yes! In Peru, masks are used in dances and festivals to
3:50tell stories. The masks are symbols that can represent gods, animals,
3:55or nature. The materials and colors can symbolize the different regions the masks come from.
4:01Taylor: That's really cool! So, Marcus's new mask is not only a symbol from Peru, but it's
4:07also an artifact? I thought artifacts were those dusty, old objects you pull from the ground.
4:14Anthony: Whether an object is 50 years old or 5,000 years old,
4:19it can still be an artifact. Anthropologists study human-made objects, like the masks,
4:26to find patterns and tell stories about people today and long ago.
4:31Taylor: But couldn't human-made objects be,
4:35well, everything, like chairs and computers and toy cars?
4:42Anthony: [Chuckles] Well, we can learn from basically anything humans make and
4:45use in their lives. Anthropologists usually study categories of things like art, tools,
4:52and clothing. These things tell us a lot about a group of people's way of life,
4:57just like the masks and the stories they are used in can tell us more about the people of Peru.
5:03Taylor: I can't believe how much we can learn from just one object!
5:07Anthony: It really is cool, isn't it? When anthropologists find things like masks,
5:12clay pots, jewelry, tools, and more, we start to see a story of the past come to life.
5:19Taylor: I can see how symbols and artifacts help us understand more
5:22about cultures around the world. Anthony, are symbols always objects, like the mask?
5:29Anthony: No, not always. There are other types of objects used as symbols,
5:34like flags and statues. They stand for countries around the world or important people who did
5:41meaningful things. But sometimes the form a symbol takes can be as simple as an image.
5:47Taylor: That's what I was thinking, like how you told us a heart can be a symbol for love.
5:52Anthony: That's right! Symbols like this help us represent big ideas,
5:57like love, peace, and friendship, with simple images. Some symbols are religious symbols,
6:04representing a whole system of ideas and beliefs in one single image.
6:08Taylor: Oh yeah, I've seen some of my friends wearing symbols like that on
6:13jewelry! And sometimes I see them on people's cars, as in bumper stickers.
6:18Anthony: Yes, I'm sure you have! People can wear those symbols or put them on
6:23their cars as a reminder to themselves or a signal to others. That's how symbols can
6:28help us learn about and understand each other, our ideas, and beliefs.
6:33Taylor: I'm thinking of lots of things I suddenly recognize as symbols, like doves sometimes
6:39represent peace and owls represent wisdom. And... wait a second! Anthony, is Mia a symbol?
6:49Anthony: She is a symbol! Mia represents Miacademy.
6:53Taylor: Mia, how cool! You are a symbol! [Mia
6:59beeps happily] Thanks so much for your help today, Anthony.
7:03Anthony: No problem. Talk soon! Bye, everyone.
7:10Taylor: Friends, we learned so much today about symbols and artifacts. It's time to
7:19take that information and put it together with our own experiences. Pause the video here to
7:25complete the "Put It Together" section of your PDF. Then we'll come back to reply to Marcus.
7:34Today's call with Anthony got me thinking about the symbols and artifacts in my own
7:38life. Whenever I doodle a heart on a note or see a bumper sticker of a dove, I'm using symbols
7:44to communicate with people. And every day, as I live, work, and play, I'm using things like tools,
7:52clothing, and other human-made objects. If an anthropologist were to come into my room,
7:59I wonder what they'd learn about me. Anyway, let's get to the big idea and write back to Marcus.
8:15"Dear Marcus, Today we learned a big idea about culture. Did you know your mask from Peru is both
8:23a symbol and an artifact? A symbol is something that represents something else. An artifact is a
8:30human-made object that tells us about how people live. The mask represents Peruvian
8:36culture and teaches us more about their way of life. Such a cool gift! I hope you research your
8:43new mask more and keep learning about symbols and artifacts. From, Taylor and friends."
8:52Friends, it was so fun learning even more about culture with you today. Have fun completing the
8:58rest of your PDF this week, and we'll see you next time at the Learning Lounge. So long! [Mia beeps]