American Museum of Natural History
Making a Field Journal
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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Mysteries of Egypt
Students investigate the Egyptian civilization. In this cultural lesson, students watch the film Mysteries of Egypt and create a replica of an ancient Egyptian artifact.
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Ancient Mediterranean Trade Fair
Sixth graders begin the instructional activity by discussing how artifacts are located. In groups, they define the terms supply, demand, resources and trade and discuss how the United States is affected by International trade. They use...
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Protecting the Past: Give a Hoot, Don't Loot!
Young scholars, in small groups, simulate an ancient civilization and the art they created, another group represents vandals, and the final group represents archaeologists who try to figure out what life was like for the "ancient...
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Ancient Cyprus: The Cesnola Collection at the Semitic Museum, Harvard University
Ninth graders review what they already know about ancient civilizations. Before visiting the museum, they complete a pre-test on Cyprus and how trade is important to the island. During the visit, they travel in small groups to examine...
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ARTIFACT to ART to GLYPHS
Students study the development of early Latin American civilizations in unit one. The second part of the unit is based on early image-making attempts from the Cro-Magnon to the Peruvian Incas. Students create their own weavings using a...
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Minoan and Mycenaean Comparison and Contrast
In this ancient history activity, students compare and contrast the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures in the given chart. They identify their art, trade, building techniques, language, religion, and the area that they were each located.
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What Death Brings to Life - English Component
Students are introduced to the characteristics of ancient Indian, Chinese and Aztec cultures. They consider what was valued by these cultures and compare the cultures' values to their own. They write an essay on their reflections.
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The First Farmers
Students investigate how constant irrigation, with repeated evaporation of water eventually ruined farm land in southern Mesopotamia. They discuss the development of irrigation.
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Four Ancient River Civilizations
Students explore how the environment shapes man, how man transformed his world, nd how art became part of the human process. The group is divided into clans and their migratory routes developed in the eight lessons of this unit.
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Ancient Civilizations: Medieval and Early Modern Times
Seventh graders gain an understanding of the history of Mongolian culture through making inferences about Mongolian artwork
American Museum of Natural History
Up Close With a Zapotec Urn
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...
Dig-It Games
Mayan Mysteries
Who is Ladrone? Join Fiona and Charlie as they accompany their Uncle Alex to Guatemala to help Chief Mateo determine the identity of the elusive Ladrone and solve Mayan mysteries. Players of this interactive game learn much about Mayan...
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Science NetLinks: Collapse 2: Interpreting the Evidence
Young scholars 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...
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Treasures of the Silk Roads
Students examine and discuss art objects from the Silk Roads. They analyze images of artifacts, create a word map, and develop and write a short story or poem based on the slides viewed.
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Relative Dating in Archaeology
Students create a timeline that explains how ancient cultures used artifacts. In this Relative Dating in Archaeology lesson, students examine artifacts and draw conclusions about their origins. Then students analyze antiquated objects or...
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Artifact Puzzles
Students role-play the position of archaeologists to determine the different types of artifacts. They cut out a drawing of their object and connect them with their classmates objects. They write an essay about their object and where it...
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Lesson 4: A Field Trip to the Maine State Museum
Pupils analyze the Maine State Museum's exhibit 12,000 Years in Maine. They create an artifact and write a description of that artifact that demonstrates their understanding of the way technology shapes culture.
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Teaching About Trade in the Ancient Mediterranean
Sixth graders examine the trade routes in the Mediterranean of the Ancient world. In groups, they view slides of artifacts while answering questions on a worksheet. After watching a video, they discuss how each object was found and...
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China's Ancient Tomb Culture
Students research and discuss Chinese history through the examination of ancient tomb artifacts. Emphasis is placed on the creation of student posters displaying "what they would put in a tomb".
American Museum of Natural History
Being an Archeologist: Chuck Spencer
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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Cargoes from Three Continents Ancient Mediterranean Trade
Sixth graders begin the lesson by researching the different types of ships and shipbuilding techniques used to help trade in the Mediterranean Sea. Using different objects, they determine what one can tell about a society and discuss...
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Texas Treasures
Students explore the meanings of the word "treasure," and examine the use of clay in the construction of buildings in San Antonio, Texas. They examine clay artifacts, and watch a video about pottery artist, Harding Black. Students then...
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Ancient Man in Asia
Seventh graders analyze and synthesize information about major historical developments by interpreting data, evaluation sources of information, identifying and comparing experiences and perspectives from multiple cultural perspectives.