Students examine a shipwreck from the late Bronze Age. As a class, they view a variety of slides to describe the cargo and examine the artifacts found on the wreckage. They discuss what each object tells them about the crew and the time...

Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on Native Americans. They analyze Native American cultures, create a Native American artifact for a Living Museum, and develop a tour of the museum using a digital camera and a Powerpoint...

Students use yarn to create a timeline of the first Thanksgiving. After a class discussion, they view pictures of artifacts and Native Americans to identify the tools and items present during the first Thanksgiving. In groups, they...

Students participate in different activities to help them discover the need for preservation. They pretend they are underwater archaeologists and create a sketch of a mock shipwreck in their classroom. They label the parts of the ship as...

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...

Students discuss traditional tools used by historians and archaeologists. They conduct a debate on the advantages and disadvantages of rewriting the past and discuss which side of the debate has the strongest case.

Students classify objects based on their attributes. They explain how archaeologists use classification to help answer research questions.

Third graders are introduced to various Chinese ethnic groups. They consider how geography affects ethnic groups and examine artifacts produced by Chinese peoples. They prepare a presentation of their research and artifact interpretation.

Sixth graders do the work of historians. In this world history lesson, 6th graders examine the artifacts and handouts in mystery boxes that their teachers prepare. Students collaborate to solve the mystery of their assigned boxes as they...

Students draw conclusions about an mystery person based on documents and artifacts provided. In this drawing conclusions lesson, students become detectives by reading and analyzing evidence provided. This lesson includes information on...

Fourth graders discover how to apply the Cartesian coordinate system by figuring out the length and width of their school playground. They determine that pacing is an important tool for the initial mapping of a site. Students conduct a...

Students explore methods for reconstructing the past. In this forest succession lesson, students examine forest succession and how to read the land in order to predict patterns of change. Students will visit a historical site, act as an...

Learners organize items in a "doohickey kit" distributed by the teachers, creating categories using classification schemes. In this classification lesson, students compare systems within groups and write questions that could be answered...

Young scholars research the Mayan civilization and complete an artifact dig. In this archeology lesson, students watch an IMAX video about the Mayan civilization. Young scholars discuss archaeology related vocabulary and then work in...

Young scholars explore the culture of Ancient Egypt. In this ancient civilizations lesson, students are divided into groups to research how aspects of culture were influenced by the Nile River. Young scholars create a slide show that...

Eighth graders begin their examination of the prehistoric period in Illinois. As a class, they discuss the role of archaeology in history and how it helps learn more about native peoples. After examining each period, they develop their...

Students demonstrate basic procedures for archeological excavations. They participate in an archaeological dig exploration off of Blackhawk Island in the Wisconsin River where the Dell House once stood.

Sixth graders discover the ways archaeologists examine artifacts and where they are found. After being introduced to new vocabulary, they use artifacts from their own lives and discover what could be told about their life from them. ...

Students view the video "Empires of Early Africa." They are asked: Who was Nefertiti? They review the facts about Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Students discuss how archaeologists looked for clues to determine the identity of the mummy...

Students work together to grid a 2 x 2 meter unit using the formula for the Pythagorean Theorem. After creating the grid, they identify the location of artifacts and create a map of their location. They develop a graph and table of their...

High schoolers choose one or two of the artifacts found in King Tutankhamen's tomb and describe and analyze the artifact. Explain what it tells us about Tutankhamen's life and about ancient Egyptian 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".

Young scholars discuss the looting and vandalism of various archeological sites. In pairs, they read and complete a worksheet and review their answers as a class. In groups, they role play a artifact preservation skit and perform it to...

Students analyze how studying garbage relates to methods of archaeology. They examine garbage to determine things about their culture and relate that to prehistoric peoples.