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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Got a Lava Livin' to Do in Pompeii

For Teachers 6th
Scholars imagine themselves as citizens of Pompeii in 79 AD. First they are assigned a job (or place in society like a child or slave). Then they record their daily activities for the weeks leading up to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Fossil Hunt

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars recall prior knowledge of the process of fossilization. In this fossils instructional activity, students first create and at a later date, recover fossils. Young scholars understand the painstaking process of recovering a...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Buried Bones

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Patience is the name of the game. Using Plaster of Paris and chicken bones, learners simulate an archeological dig site. They excavate the chicken bones over a period of several days using tools and a large amount of patience.
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Lesson Plan
1
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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
Curated OER

The Archaeology of Cactus Ruin

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students simulate archaeologists by excavating a paper site. In groups, they use a sampling strategy to determine information about the people who lived at the site.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digging in the Classroom

For Teachers 1st
First graders "excavate" a story. In this creative earth science lesson, 1st graders become archaeologists and dig through a box of dirt or other material to find pictures from a picture book. It is their job to then put them in order.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digging Detectives

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students demonstrate basic procedures for archeological excavations. They explore an archeological site, students using various archeological methods and techniques to determine some of the aspects of past life and culture.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Excavation Dig

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students engage in a role-play of a dinosaur excavation dig. They dig through sand to locate buried bones and then discuss the ethics of destroying buildings and other property to get at the fossil remains.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Excavating Your Recycling Bin as a Fossil Record

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore how scientists examine the past and use rock layers with fossils to understand the past.  For this excavation lesson students divide into groups and complete an activity. 
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Digging Into Science: Final Analysis

For Students 5th - 8th
In this archeological excavation worksheet, students complete 9 short answer questions based on a simulated archeological activity they performed in a small group.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering Fossils

For Teachers K - 5th
Learners explore fossils. In this fossils geology lesson, students use tools to reveal embedded "fossils" (made with plaster of Paris by the teacher-instructions included), then describe and illustrate their findings.
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

Up Close With a Zapotec Urn

For Students 6th - 9th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's in the Soil?

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders create stratified soil levels using pictures. In this earth science lesson, 2nd graders identify "artifacts" from 3 historic eras and divide them into 3 soil levels. Then they draw their own multi-level soil profile and...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Old Warriors Face New Battle

For Students 9th - 12th
In this history worksheet, students read an excerpt that describes the terracotta warriors and what they faced. They respond to four short answer questions related to the excerpt and photo. Students identify what the archaeologists...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Excavating the Trash

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars look at a day's accumulation of recyclable trash from first through fifth grade classrooms, not knowing which classes it came from. After setting up a collection sheet for data, students remove items from the receptacle...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shells on the Mountain Top?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students work in groups to remove fossils from sediments, classifying as many organisms and parts of organisms as possible into major groups. They study the data from each formation and make conclusions about the types of organisms and...
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Lesson Plan
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Channel Islands Film

Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island: Lesson Plan 3

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Should researchers be able to excavate, examine, and remove Native American artifacts from historic sites? Should companies be permitted to build on sacred Native American land? After watching West of the West's documentary, The Lone...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Lies Beneath

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students conduct Internet research on the history and archaeological excavations at historical Jamestown. They explore various websites, and develop a Powerpoint presentation to present to the class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Going on a Dig

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students study an overview of archaeology and what an archaeologist does. They examine the process involved in an archaeology excavation and illustrate a different part of the process of archaeological excavation.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Take Only Photos and Leave Only Bubbles: Learn About American History from a Sunken Spanish Galleon

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars simulate the research process of investigating a shipwreck. In small groups, they conduct Internet research, and develop and write a proposal for excavation of the archaeological site.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Filling in the Picture

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Young scholars study archaeological sites. They discover some of the problems inherent in choosing sites and what parts are chosen for excavation. They evaluate and explain their choices for study and articulate the process of...
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Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Digging up the Past: Sir Arthur Evans and the Palace at Knossos

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the excavations of the Palace of Knossos on the Island of Crete. They create a simulated news broadcasting on the work of Sir Arthur Evans and his colleges. In their news investigation, learners cover such topics...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Dawn of Humanity

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate recent archaeological challenges to theories of human origins. They research the history and geography of various African regions to create proposals for future excavations.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stonehenge: Solving Ancient Mysteries

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore archeologists and anthropologists and the tools and methods they use to gather and interpret scientific evidence. They research current archaeological excavations and contact the scientists working at these digs.

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