Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
Piecing It All Together ActivityPiecing It All Together Activity
Publisher
American Museum of Natural History
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
6th - 12th
Subjects
Social Studies & History
2 more...
Resource Type
Activities & Projects
Audiences
For Teacher Use
1 more...
Duration
2 hrs
Instructional Strategies
Direct Instruction
1 more...
Technology
Internet Access
Usage Permissions
Fine Print: Educational Use
Activity

Piecing It All Together

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Piecing It All Together activity also includes:
  • Stencils of Different Designs
  • Join to access all included materials

Archaeology digs are much like giant jigsaw puzzles. The artifacts found are often in pieces and scientists must reconstruct them. A hands-on activity lets young archaeologists experience this facet of the job as they create, smash, and reconstruct a piece of pottery.

4 Views 2 Downloads

Concepts

remote learning, archaeology, artifacts, archaeological digs

Additional Tags

social studies

Instructional Ideas

  • Involve the whole family in the activity by having an adult or sibling try to reconstruct the smashed pot
  • If space is available, bury the shards and conduct a dig

Classroom Considerations

  • Younger learners may need supervision as they shatter their pots

Pros

  • The illustrated directions are detailed and easy to follow
  • Links are provided to related resources

Cons

  • None

See similar resources:

Lesson Plan

The Mathematician And The Archaeologist

Curated OER
Students decorate clay pots and destroy them in order to learn the techniques of modern-day archaeologists and practice mathematical measurements. This is an exciting lesson suitable for Social Studies, Math, Science, or Art classroom.
4th - 6th Math
Lesson Plan

Cache: Lesson Plan 2 - Grades 4-6

Channel Islands Film
Class members will dig this activity that has them trying their hand at recovering artifacts. Groups are assigned a section of a sandbox, carefully uncover the artifacts in their section, and then develop theories about who might...
4th - 6th English Language Arts
CCSS: Designed
Instructional Video

The Search For King Richard III - The Archaeological Dig

TED-Ed
The discovery of the remains of King Richard III in early 2013 sparked media attention all over the world. Take a walk through the archaeological site itself and learn about the process behind the excavation, from how the dig site was...
8 mins 9th - 12th Social Studies & History
Website

Pbs Nova Online: Be an Archaeologist

PBS
Ancient artifacts tell archaeologists a lot about the lives of prehistoric people. Sharpen your archaeological skills by reassembling broken pieces of a clay pot. See before and after photos of ruins, plus a film of a projected...
9th - 10th Social Studies & History
Website

Bbc: History: Wetwang: Story of a Dig

BBC
This multipart site offers more information about the burial mound, gives history on chariots in the Iron Age, offers a learning game where the student reconstructs the chariot, and a final quiz.
9th - 10th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

Archaeology: Digging in the Classroom

Curated OER
Young scholars explore how an archaeologist works and makes discoveries. In this archaeology lesson, students participate in a simulation in which they excavate broken pottery. Young scholars use measurement, geometry, and observation...
3rd - 6th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

Measuring Pots

Curated OER
Students use an activity sheet to construct analogies about possible function of ancient or historic ceramics and compute circumference from a section of a circle as they study measuring pots.
4th - 9th Math
Instructional Video

Nova Online: Remote Sensing in Archaeology

PBS
This article, a companion piece to a NOVA special called "Lost City of Arabia," explains remote-sensing technologies that are helping archeologists find ancient cities from the air.
9th - 10th Social Studies & History
Handout

American Museum of Natural History: Piecing Together the Puzzle of History

American Museum of Natural History
A brief introduction for students to the field of archaeology.
9th - 10th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

Dig It Up

Curated OER
Learners 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.
K - 6th Science
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use