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
Traces: Historic Archaeology
Young scholars list at least five different kinds of artifacts archaeologists have found in U.S. excavations. They cite artifacts when describing life at a particular archaeological site.
Curated OER
What Can We Learn from Artifacts?
Students examine how artifacts are discovered and explore their significance as it pertains to gathering important information. In this artifacts lesson, students obtain knowledge about the way artifacts are excavated and examine an...
Curated OER
Excavation reveals a village buried by 1815 volcanic blast
Pupils create a photo essay depicting how natural features have impacted their town. In this natural features lesson plan, students read about a volcanic blast, answer comprehension questions about it, and then discuss how natural...
Curated OER
Networking at Early James Fort
Learners examine the impact of global trade on regional civilizations of the world after 1500. They research and analyze images of pottery excavated at Jamestown, and create a poster that presents information about world trade networks...
American Museum of Natural History
What's the Big Idea About Archeology
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...
Curated OER
The Vikings: Woodquay, Dublin
Middle schoolers view the progamme that leads them through the process of researching an historical site. They are given the deifinition of an archaeologist. Students watch as two ten year olds are given the task of finding out as much...
Curated OER
Investigating the Mammoth Mystery
Fourth graders go on a virtual dig to find out where the mammoth bones found in a rural U.S. county came from. They determine whether the bones were created by humans or were they the actual remains of mammoths who walked the area during...
Curated OER
Archaeology Preservation Lab
Students imagine themselves excavating their classroom 5000 years in the future. They discuss what they find there, what items be preserved and which not, and what the objects tell about the people who lived there.
Curated OER
Bringing Dinosaurs Back to Life
Students explain how the earth makes fossils and how dinosaur remains become fossils. In this Bringing Dinosaurs Back to Life lesson, students solve paleo-puzzles which ask students to solve problems as if they were paleontologists....
Curated OER
Sunken Slave Ship
Students investigate shipwrecks. In this marine archaeology lesson, students create the site of a shipwreck by using a tub filled with sand and items from a "ship". Students excavate the site and analyze the findings.
Alabama Learning Exchange
We Can Dig It!
Third graders understand the process by which fossils and rocks are excavated. In this fossil and rock lesson, 3rd graders explore the job of the paleontologist in a podcast.
Curated OER
Dinosaur Detectives
Middle schoolers write a report about a paleontologist. In this paleontology lesson plan, students research and write a report about a noted paleontologist. They discuss the importance of technology to paleontologists and how...
Curated OER
Excavating the Past
Students discover how palaeontologists conduct a dig for fossils and how they interpret the age of the fossils. In small groups, they prepare a "dig site" consisting of bones, rocks and soil layered in a cardboard box. They switch boxes...
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
Virtual Day in Archeology
Students use the internet to examine a day in the life of an archeologist. In groups, they discover what types of tools they use in the field along with the process of an archeological excavation. They complete a worksheet in which...
Curated OER
Big Bones, Little Bones
Students investigate archeology. In this archeology lesson, students research the process of excavation. Students participate in a mock-excavation and sort objects by physical properties.
Curated OER
Primary History: Viking Towns
In this Viking history instructional activity, students complete 3 extension activities that help them learn about Viking towns. Students research the excavation work at the Jorvik site, compare Viking technology with current technology,...
Curated OER
Fossil Evidence for Plate Tectonics
Students draw maps of counties that were important to the discovery of plate tectonic theory. In this plate tectonics lesson students excavate constructed fossil sites from matching coastlines and discuss the possible explanations for...
Curated OER
Mystery of the Maya
Students examine a piece of pottery and make conclusions about the culture. They demonstrate the skills used in digging at a dig site. They also make inferences about the responsibility archaeologists have when excavating a site.
Curated OER
Ancient Egypt: Unearthing the Past
Sixth graders imagine traveling the River Nile, excavating sacred burial tombs, investigating ancient rituals, exploring Wonders of the World, and translating ancient writings.
Curated OER
Mapping with a Compass: A Simulated Survey
Students use compasses and grids to map the locations of artifacts found in a simulated dig site. In groups, they role-play as future archeologists excavating a school site. Groups begin at their assigned datum and site the artifacts...
Curated OER
Hurricane Katrina Poetry
Students write poems about the effects of a storm. Students study on what it might be like to be excavated. Students explore on how to revise and re-draft their work. Students construct a poem from words and phrases prompted by a picture.
Curated OER
Mystery of the Maya
Students research the Mayan civilization and complete an artifact dig. In this archeology lesson, students watch an IMAX video about the Mayan civilization. Students discuss archaeology related vocabulary and then work in teams to...