Curated OER
Preserve is the Word
Students investigate a list of archaeological ethical questions. They select a question/issue and design a 3-minute (maximum) PSA to persuade the public to agree with their idea. They conduct research or interviews with experts to be...
Curated OER
Digging up the Past
Young scholars explore history through archaeology. In this critical analysis instructional activity, students work in teams to recreate a model of the archaeological discoveries made in the excavations at Monticello. This instructional...
Curated OER
Schoolyard Dig
Young scholars begin the lesson by being introduced to the new vocabulary associated with archaeology. In groups, they use the school grounds to simulate their dig site. They record all the objects they discover and what can be...
American Museum of Natural History
What is Anthropology
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...
Curated OER
Gridding An Archaeological Site
Students investigate using some of the basic skills of an archaeologist while using a Cartesian coordinate system. They establish a grid system for a dig site and determine the locations for different artifacts. Students use the...
Curated OER
Dig It Up
Students participate in an archaeological excavation to determine how archeologists make inferences about various cultures. They reconstruct the site using layers of drawings. They discuss the kinds of information they learned.
Curated OER
Sand & Water: Shape Search
Students act as amateur archaeologists as they participate in their own "dig" to explore and record unusual shapes. In this shape exploration lesson, students use trowels and shovels to dig, and learn to sift the dirt with screens to...
Curated OER
Science NetLinks: Collapse 2: Interpreting the Evidence
Students continue to explore the factors that contribute to the collapse of a society; they also explore how archaeological evidence is gathered and interpreted. Students explore about the social changes that caused the collapse of...
Curated OER
World History: Why Civilizations Fall
Students examine factors leading to the demise of ancient civilizations. They list causes that led to the downfall of these societies. Students conduct Internet research and participate in online archaeological investigations.
Curated OER
"Adding It Up" at James Fort
Students discuss jettons and their archaeological importance at Jamestown. They then practice using historic counting sheets and artifacts to understand the calculating methods of the early 17th Century, and identify their similarities...
Curated OER
Archeology: Weapons of the Texanos
Students develop archaeological context skills through a simulation which places them in the year 2500. After listening to the teacher read, "Weapons of the Texanos," they record what they think the weapon is. Next, in groups, they...
Curated OER
Saving the Past for the Future
Students examine the need for preservation of archaeological resources. They discuss and propose possible solutions to a given ethical dilemma.
Curated OER
Why is the Past Important?
Fourth graders discuss the importance of North Carolina's archaeological heritage. They share with the class an object, photograph, or drawing of an object that represents their own or their family's past.
Curated OER
Stratigraphy and Cross-Dating
Young scholars interpret archaeological strata using the law of superposition. They apply cross-dating to determine the age of other artifacts.
Curated OER
Clues to the Past
Pupils analyze how arhaeologists study the past. They define basic archaeological terms, make general inferences from observations, and explain the importance of context.
Curated OER
Why Archaeologists Dig Square Holes
Students examine how archaeologists establish and maintain the context of artifacts. They interpret a plan view of an archaeological site and explain the importance of the grid system.
Curated OER
Archeological Thinking
Sixth graders review the differences between a historian and archaeolgists. At a recent archaeological dig site, they examine the artifacts and determine their usage. In groups, they are given a bag full of artifacts and write down what...
Curated OER
Splitting the Atom
Students use the Internet to research the history of the splitting of the atom. They use that research to prepare a presentation on an aspect of that topic. A map is generated to record findings and results.
Curated OER
Life in Old Babylonia: The Importance of Trade
Students read maps and artifacts for information indicating the existence of a trade network in Old Babylonia and beyond. They list goods imported to and exported from Babylonia. They indicate trading centers on a map of ancient...
Curated OER
Life in Old Babylonia: The Importance of Trade
Students examine the trade network in Old Babylonia. They analyze maps, explore various websites, develop a list of goods imported to and exported from Babylonia, and write an essay.
Curated OER
In Old Pompeii
Students investigate the history of Pompeii and its destruction. They take a virtual field trip to the ruins of Pompeii, create a travel brochure to attract tourists to the site, and write an account of their trip.
Curated OER
The Uluburun Shipwreck Project: Interconnections through Trade in the Late Bronze Age Mediterranean World
Ninth graders examine causes and effects of the Uluburun shipwreck. In groups, they develop their own ways to categorize the artifacts found on the ship and decide on the research questions they are going to focus on. They use the...
Curated OER
Interpreting the Evidence
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.
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Protesting Violence without Violence
The ultimate legacy of Emmett Till's violent death is its role in the non-violent roots of the Civil Rights Movement. A lesson compares contemporaneous articles with the lyrics of Bob Dylan's "The Death of Emmett Till" and prompts...