Grade 4 Illuminated Letters

Illuminated manuscripts are handwritten books created during the Middle Ages that incorporated pictures and decorations. The illustrations were painted in bright colors with accents of gold to light up, or “illuminate,” the page. 

Students learned of the historical method of creating these letters beginning with the PARCHMENTER who made the parchment of animal skins. The parchment traveled to the SCRIBE who would write the story or document, typically scribes were monks. As the scribe copied the text by hand, he would leave large spaces open for the ILLUMINATOR to create the illuminated letters. These initial letters were enlarged and heavily decorated. The letters were often decorated with details and elements from the story on the page. For the illiterate, this helped them to understand the content of the story. 

Grade 4 students created ILLUMINATED LETTERS of their first initial. They could design their letter with traditional illustrations such as

                                                       
                                                                               plants,
                                                       
                                                                             animals,

                                                           
                                                           and mythological creatures

Of course, letters weren't complete without a sprinkle of strategically placed gold glitter to light up the letters. 

Thanks for reading:D

Some lessons have been taught to multiple grade levels. Not all schools participate in the same lessons due to budget, materials, student needs, etc. Please leave a comment with praise, questions, or ways to polish.