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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Tools of the Trade

For Students 6th - 12th
Archaeologist David Hurst Thomas details his search for a lost Spanish Mission on St. Catherines Island, Georgia. A great way to introduce youngsters to the life of and the tools used by archaeologists.
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What Do You Know About Archaeology?

For Students 6th - 12th
A 10-question interactive permits young anthropologists to study the field of archaeology and the tools archaeologists use to dig into history.
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

What's the Big Idea About Archeology

For Students 4th - 8th
The American Museum of Natural History offers a website sure to engage young anthropologists. Learners can dig into a site that offers an explanation of the field of archaeology, the kinds of questions archaeologists ask that launch...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Create Your Own Time Capsule

For Students 4th - 12th
The corona virus pandemic is indeed a historic event. A time capsule activity permits young historians to document these days of social distancing, remote learning, and quarantine by collecting artifacts that capture what their lives are...
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Workbook
Smithsonian Institution

Ceramica de los Ancestros

For Students 3rd - 6th
Scholars join a field expedition team to unearth a plethora of treasures from Central America. Artifacts listed in alphabetical order come with an informational blurb and a picture designed for participants to color. Activity pages...
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Lesson Plan
Society for Science & the Public

Easter Islanders Made Tools, Not War

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When studying artifacts, especially tools, how do archaeologists determine what the devices were used for? In what ways might researchers' previous experiences influence their perception of an artifact? An article about researchers'...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Channel Islands Film

Sa Hi Pa Ca (Once Upon a Time): Lesson Plan 2

For Teachers 4th Standards
What tools do archaeologists and anthropologist use to learned about what life was like in the past. After watching West of The West's documentary Once Upon a Time that details how scientists use artifacts to establish a history of the...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Channel Islands Film

Arlington Springs Man: Lesson Plan 1

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Learning to craft quality questions is a skill that can be taught. Class members use the Question Formulation Technique to learn how to create and refine both closed-ended and open-ended questions. They then view West of the West's...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Channel Islands Film

Arlington Springs Man: Lesson Plan 3

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Imagine being part of a team of scientists that discover the oldest human remains in North America. Imagine being part of the crew that documents this discovery. Class members get a change to be part of such an exciting adventure in a...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Channel Islands Film

Arlington Springs Man: Lesson Plan 4

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
West of the West's documentary Arlington Springs Man introduces viewers to the remarkable finds on Santa Rosa Island. Archaeologist have discovered on this small island that is part of the Channel island chain, human and pygmy mammoth...
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Lesson Plan
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Channel Islands Film

Cache: Lesson Plan 3 - Grades 4-5

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
Should the excavation of what is believed to be the cave of the Lone Woman of San Nicholas Island be allowed to continue? As a practice exercise designed to prepare pupils for a timed writing exam, individuals read two Los Angeles Times...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Channel Islands Film

Cache: Lesson Plan 2 - Grades 4-6

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Class members will dig this activity that has them trying their hand at recovering artifacts. Groups are assigned a section of a sandbox, carefully uncover the artifacts in their section, and then develop theories about who might have...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Layer Cake Archaeology

For Teachers K - 2nd
Excavating cake? Why not! Kids spoon into some layers and artifacts during this tasty hands-on activity. The cake, a simulated archaeological dig, is the object of observation and discussion.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Transparent Shoebox Dig

For Teachers K - 4th
Take this simulated archaeological dig one layer at a time with your young pupils to encourage observation, critical thinking, and careful attention. Using a transparent box full of layers of sand and artifacts, pupils examine the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inventions Over Time

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Explore the inventions of the past with a project on ancient tools. After reading an article about hunting during the Archaic period, the Late Prehistoric period, and the Historic period, kids fill in a cause-and-effect chart about the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is an Atlatl?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Let's go an an archaeological dig! Prepare your kids with a list of vocabulary terms relating to archaeology, including different types of items that one might find. They study pictures of each item and play a memory game based on the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forensic Detectives: Archaeology at Work

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Dig in! Middle schoolers learn about archaeology by exploring the remnants of the Chiribaya bodies found in Illinois. Compare archaeological investigations, and then write a mystery detailing the discovery of a body! Consider bringing in...
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PPT
Curated OER

The Celts

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Look far back in history and you'll meet a people group called the Celts. Celts, as you'll soon find out, are a group of people who inhabited Britain 2000 years ago. Presented here, is simple information which describes a bit about...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Built the Ohio Earthworks?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students identify relationships between geography or climate and locations of prehistoric sites. They describe the resourcefulness of prehistoric cultures who had to depend upon raw materials in their environment to survive.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fill in the Blanks

For Teachers 8th
Archaeologists, historians, and scientists all work together to create a timeline of our past. Engages learners in a series of activities that all filter through the NOVA video, "Mysteries of the First Americans." Each activity is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

National Marine Sanctuaries Shipwrecks

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Junior oceanographers access the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Shipwreck Database and plot the locations of several shipwrecks. Shipwrecks are always an enthralling subject and this activity allows your learners to act as...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mathematician And The Archaeologist

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students decorate clay pots and destroy them in order to learn the techniques of modern-day archaeologists and practice mathematical measurements. This is an exciting lesson suitable for Social Studies, Math, Science, or Art classroom.
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Kennewick Man: Science and Sacred Rights

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Have respect for the dead!" Scholars investigate how science and religion often clash. As they look into the laws of science and the laws of religion, the legal ramifications at the federal level of both play into an argument they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping the Bone Field: An Area and Scale Exercise

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Here is an excellent cross-curricular lesson. Learners relate multiplication to area by making a grid on graph paper, and then creating the same grid in real space outside in the school yard.