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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interpreting the Evidence

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students find out about the social changes that caused the collapse of important ancient civilizations in Central America, Mesopotamia, the southwestern United States, and western Africa.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Can We Learn From the Past?

For Teachers 7th - 11th
What would future archeologists learn from your scholars' personal belongings? Have them bring in a box of "primary sources" from their home. Discuss the difference between observations and inference, using some of your own items to...
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Activity
University of California

Migration of Early Humans: Evidence and Interpretations

For Teachers 6th Standards
While much of prehistory is cloaked in mystery, ancient ancestors left evidence in DNA, languages, and materials from their time. Using photographs of items such as cave paintings and ancient tools, as well as maps of linguistic patterns...
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Activity
PBS

Reading Adventure Pack: Archaeology

For Parents 2nd - 3rd Standards
Readings of fiction and nonfiction texts followed by a series of activities put scholars in an archaeologist's shoes. Learners read two texts, Archaeologists Dig for Clues by Kate Duke and The Shipwrecked Sailor: An Egyptian Tale with...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Finding Fossils

For Students 6th - 12th
How does one go about finding fossils? Find out with an informative webpage that looks at the digging process, showcases rocks and common fossils, helpful tips, and a list of archeological do's and don'ts. 
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Talk to a Titanosaur

For Students 6th - 12th
Learn all about the Titanosaur with an engaging website that delves deep into the large reptile's physical traits, family history, discovery, and fossil reconstruction.
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Lesson Plan
Museum of the American Revolution

Pop-Up Museum

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Museums offer more than interesting exhibits—they are key to keeping history alive. An immersive activity uses a virtual field trip to show academics the importance of museums in preserving history. Young historians learn how museums are...
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Handout
Plimoth Plantation

History In A New Light: Illuminating the Archaeology of Historic Patuxet and Plymouth

For Students 4th - 12th Standards
Sixty-seven pages take scholars on a digital tour through the exhibit, History in a New Light: Illuminating the Archaeology of Historic Patuxet and Plymouth. Crystal clear pictures accompanied by text offer a deep understanding of the...
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Anatomy Adventure

For Students 6th - 12th
Sometimes science is puzzling. Using an online animation, individuals manipulate skeletal bones of an ancient species to recreate its skeleton. Learners complete the skeletal puzzle and learn about the process of paleontology in person...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Buried Bones

For Students 6th - 12th
Patience is the name of the game. Using Plaster of Paris and chicken bones, learners simulate an archeological dig site. They excavate the chicken bones over a period of several days using tools and a large amount of patience.
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Make Your Own Mythic Mask or Puppet

For Students 6th - 12th
No need to wait until Halloween to create a mask. Young anthropologists get involved in the centuries-old tradition of mask and puppet making with the help of an engaging resource that shows them how to craft their own masks or puppets.
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Mint Your Own Coin

For Students 6th - 12th
Provide young archaeologists with an opportunity to craft their own artifacts. The step-by-step directions in an engaging resource show them how to mint their own coin, complete with image, date, and motto.
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What's This?: Early Humans

For Students 6th - 12th
Early humans crafted shelters out of whatever materials they could find. A one-question quiz asks learners to identify the type of bones used to construct the hut pictured in a display.
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Make Your Own Paper

For Students 6th - 12th
Paper, paper everywhere. Paper is so prolific that few think about where the idea for it originated and how it is made. Introduce young readers to the paper-making process with an activity that lets them create their own.
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Piecing It All Together

For Students 6th - 12th
Archaeology digs are much like giant jigsaw puzzles. The artifacts found are often in pieces and scientists must reconstruct them. A hands-on activity lets young archaeologists experience this facet of the job as they create, smash, and...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Map Your Own World

For Students 4th - 8th
Young archaeologists practice their mapping skills by creating a detailed site map of their room or another room in their home. After indicating walls, windows, doors, and closets, they add furniture and objects, labeling each item.
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Making a Field Journal

For Students 6th - 12th
Trowels and brushes are certainly important tools for an archaeologist working on a dig. Perhaps more important, however, is the archaeologist's field journal. Christina Elson, an archaeologist working with the American Museum of Natural...
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

Being an Archeologist: Chuck Spencer

For Students 6th - 12th
Meet Chuck Spencer, an archeologist who studies the Zapotec people who lived in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico over 2000 years ago. Spencer shares in print his response to questions posed by kids.
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

Up Close With a Zapotec Urn

For Students 6th - 9th
If a Zapotec urn, buried for over a thousand years in a temple in the lost city of Xoxocotlan in the Valley of Oaxaca in the mountains of southern Mexico could talk image the stories it could tell. That's the set up in a clever resource...
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

What is Anthropology

For Students 6th - 12th
A colorful resource introduces learners to the four major fields of anthropology: cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, biological anthropology, and archaeology. Explanations are provided for what each field studies, the kinds...
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Inca Investigation

For Students 6th - 12th
A fascinating interactive resource lets young archaeologists dig through the history of Huanuco Pampa. The Inca city, located high in the Andes mountains of Peru, was once a thriving community. Craig Morris has spent years researching...
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

A Walk Through the Ruins of Petra

For Students 6th - 12th
Walking through the ancient Nabataean city of Petra can be a challenge. A tour begins with a 20-minute walk down a rocky slope through the narrow Siq to get to the famous Treasury known to Indiana Jones fans. But that is just the...
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

The Ancient City of Petra

For Students 6th - 12th
Anyone who has seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade will recognize the entrance to the Nabataean city of Petra. Young archaeologists don't need horses or camels to travel through the Sig and tour this fascinating city, however. With...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

If Trash Could Talk

For Students 6th - 12th
Trash can talk! Young archaeologists dig through their trash to see what it reveals about their lives. After they examine their midden, links permit users to test their knowledge of archaeology with a 10-questions quiz, learn how...