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Cave Art Drawing
Students design an environment that resembles a prehistoric cave. They use ancient rock art as inspiration for their own artistic expression. They demonstrate their understanding of the vocabulary, tools, and techniques used in...
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Prehistoric Indians
Fourth graders identify the four Native American groups of Wisconsin. They compare the four groups through discussion and list the four groups with their tools, food, shelter, and time period.
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"it's All in the Cellar"
Seventh graders examine the process of constructing a site plan map at archaeological sites. They discuss the process of mapping techniques and calculation of percentages, create a plan site map of a cellar at Jamestown, and calculate...
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Discovering the Past Using the Future: Remote Sensing and the Lost City of Ubar
High schoolers use a video, maps, worksheets and Internet research to explore the role that sensing played in locating Ubar - the lost city of Arabia.
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Our Link To The Past
Students explore how we are linked to the past and what that means. Inquires are made into the concept of history as the passage of time and changing seasons.
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Dig This
Fifth graders explore the work of paleontologists and the life of dinosaurs and create a sculpture of the bones of a Stegosaurus. The sculpture was then buried and used by other classes for a dig.
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What Can We Learn From Bones?
Students discuss what type of information they can gather from bones. In groups, they travel between stations in which they can view photos and listen to actual accounts of finding bones. They focus on the tools available to Native...
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Archaeological Study
Learners analyze the difference between archaeology and anthropology while studying the evolution of different products. In this archaeology and anthropology lesson, students trace the progression of a certain tool or product and come up...
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How to "Read" an Artifact
Middle schoolers discuss the types of information they can get from artifacts. In groups, they practice "reading" artifacts and determining their usage. They use inferences to test against official information about certain pieces. ...
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A "Real" Picuture of a Scientist
Students share their own stereotypes when they talk about scientists. In groups, they draw a picture of a scientist where they are working and the tools they most commonly used. Using the internet, they discover how archeolgists use the...
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Rock Art
Fourth graders examine and interpret rock art to illustrate its importance in the cultural heritage of a people and as a tool for learning about the past. They create their own rock art that is a symbol of their culture.
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Charge and Defeat
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.
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Amazing Aztecs
Students research information about the ancient Aztec culture. In this Aztec instructional activity, students conduct Internet research about Aztecs to find the answers to questions about their language, jewelry and tools, and the Aztec...
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Archeology: Weapons of the Texanos
Young scholars develop archaeological context skills through a simulation which places them in the year 2500. After listening to the teacher read, "Weapons of the Texanos," they record what they think the weapon is. Next, in groups, they...
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Introduction to Indians and the First Thanksgiving
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...
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Cultural Murals
Seventh graders research the cultural time period of early Wisconsin people. They create a mural depicting the diet, shelter, activities, climate, clothing, tools, and other materials used.
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Coordinate Grid: Mapping Archeological Sites
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...
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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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Dell House Dig
Students experience an archaeological dig exploring off the shore of Black Hawk Island and Wisconsin River. They study in the same place where the infamous Dell House once stood. Dell House and its historical significance is reviewed...
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Living in the Oak Woodlands: Early People of the Jewett Mine Area
Students are introduced to the early peoples living in the Jewett Mine area. After viewing transparencies, they view pictures of the mine today and its main area of production. For each picture, they develop symbols and captions about...
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A Day Full of Popcorn
Learners use the "tool" popcorn with activities in Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, P.E., Music, Art, Science and EATING.
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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...
University of North Carolina
Anthropology
Anthropologists ask the question that everyone wants answered: what does it mean to be human? An online handout provides a brief introduction to the study of anthropology and outlines three common types of anthropology writing...
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Chalkboard Challenge: The Beginning of Human Society
After studying Ancient Civilizations, learners could use this jeopardy-like game as a review. Having questions relating to the Neolithic, Paleolithic Era, and more, this presentation would be a great whole class or center activity.