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Going...going...gone? Tropical Rainforests-How They Work, What They Do for Us, What's Being Done to Them...
Sixth graders explore the Tropical Rainforest and come to understand what it is and how it affects the ecosystem. In this rainforests lesson, 6th graders write about the Tropical Rainforest, imagine they are in the Tropical Rainforest,...
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Work Made Easy
Second graders maneuver placement of the fulcrum on the lever to see how to lift weight most easily. They role-play as archaeologists with the task of lifting a heavy rock from the dig site. They write in science journals about what...
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Point of View
Students participate in an inkblot test to discuss how what they see is different than their classmates. After viewing various artifacts, they write down what they believe the object is and then they are placed into a group to discuss...
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Archeological Thinking
Sixth graders review the differences between a historian and archaeolgists. At a recent archaeological dig site, they examine the artifacts and determine their usage. In groups, they are given a bag full of artifacts and write down what...
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Pieces of the Past
Students study the importance of preserving the archaeological record. They write a paragraph describing an object and why it is important to them. They cut their paper into a puzzle and compare their own to the student they trade with.
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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...
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Stratigraphy and Cross-Dating
Students interpret archaeological strata using the law of superposition. They apply cross-dating to determine the age of other artifacts.
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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...
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Why is the Past Important?
Fourth graders discuss the importance of North Carolina's archaeological heritage. They share with the class an object, photograph, or drawing of an object that represents their own or their family's past.
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POWERFUL POTATO
Students will observe the growth process of a potato plant.Plant a potato in a large clay pot or gallon bucket. You may purchase seed potatoes
from a seed outlet in early spring or use a potato from home that has started to sprout. Make...
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Gridding a Site
Students make observations of effigy mounds and record them in a notebook. In groups, they must determine the scale of measurement and create their own grid to scale part of the Effigy Mounds National Monument. They also practice using...
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Take Action, Save the Past
Eighth graders use their creative and critical thinking skills to find useful solutions to current and future problems concerning the destruction of archaeological sites and artifacts.
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Spear Point Production
Students explore that prehistoric people had to have a good knowledge of the physical world around them in order to choose the best material for spear production. They also explore that prehistoric people were intelligent beings who...
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Energy and Cars: What Does the Future Hold?
Students examine alternative energy. In this research based lesson, students study alternative energy and how it will influence transportation in the future. They will write a report and give an oral presentation of their findings.
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Data Collection in Archeology
Students become familiar with the fascinating world of Rock Art. They focus on images from SE Utah, this is where the pictures were taken. Students are encouraged to use Power Point and Access file as a guide, they explore the early...
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Plants in Texas: Then and Now
Seventh graders discuss continuity and change, identify various plant materials, and compare and contrast ways in which early people used plants in Texas in prehistoric times with ways that modern man in Texas uses plants today.
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Ping!
Seventh graders study side-scan sonar and discover how it can be used to locate objects underwater. They complete a sonar simulation activity in which they create and map mystery landscapes inside shoeboxes.
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History Detective: The Case of the Mysterious Trunk
Students role play as history detectives. In this historical inquiry lesson, students discuss what detectives do, analyze a trunk of "artifacts" and make conclusions about its fictional owner. Students complete six pages of related art,...
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Filling in the Picture
Students 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 archaeological...
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Archaeological Inquiry
Learners describe what they see as they observe an "artifact". They draw conclusions based on the information gathered to identify what the artifact might be used for and determine how old it might be.
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Pleistocene Mammals
Young scholars research the causes of the extinction of Pleistocene mammals. In this Pleistocene mammals lesson, students read essays to understand the Pleistocene epoch. Young scholars write an essay about the personal impact of...
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Making Prehistory
Students create mock fossil records based on current scientific theories about prehistory. By learning about what fossil records teach us about different prehistoric time periods, students gain a greater understanding of theories of...
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How Old Is Mike?
Students examine the absolute dating of fossils, they use a list of names and ages to determine the difference between relative age and absolute age. They explore the relative age and absolute age of people and of fossils.
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It's All in the Rocks
Students think critically to determine fact or inference when examining sedimentary layers with embedded fossils. They are being introduced to geology as well as evolutionary biology.