Lesson Plan - How Are Emojis Made?

Watch a Video: A Brief History of Emojis
Ask: What do ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs have to do with today’s emojis?

Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know. 

• universal
• inclusive

Set a Purpose for Reading
Note the “As You Read” question, and have students think about why people keep making new emojis.

1. What does proposal mean in the text? What context clues help you figure it out?
A proposal is a plan or an idea that is suggested by someone. The phrases “ideas for emojis” and “anyone can submit one” are important clues to this word’s meaning.
^{R.4 Academic Vocabulary}

2. Why does the article include thumbs-up and thumbs-down emojis on page 3?
The article includes these emojis to present a list of do’s and don’ts for designing new emojis. A thumbs-up represents a do, and a thumbs-down represents a don’t.
^{R.7 Interpreting Visuals}

3. Based on the sidebar, “Just for Laughs,” how was the smiley face created by Scott Fahlman in 1982 different from today’s emojis?
The sidebar states that Fahlman created his smiley face by typing a series of punctuation marks. Today’s emojis are actual images designed by artists.
^{R.3 Comparison}

FEATURED SKILL: Explaining Ideas
Use the skill builder “Design Your Own Emoji!” to have students plan and describe an emoji that meets the criteria outlined in the article.
^{W.2 Explanatory Writing}