Shoe Box Archaeology

Learners make a box layered with information about grandparents, parents, and themselves. They dig up each other boxes and try to decipher the personality or lifestyle of the person whose box it is.

Students 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.

Take this simulated archaeological dig one layer at a time with your young pupils to encourage observation, critical thinking, and careful attention. Using a transparent box full of layers of sand and artifacts, pupils examine the...

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...

Sixth graders identify methods archaeologists use to date soil layers. They interpret soil profiles and discuss the examination of soil at a dig site. They discuss texture and color of soil.

Junior archaeologists examine types of artifacts from the Bronze Age on the internet. In collaborative groups, they create a story about a ship from this period and then construct a model of the ocean floor after their ship has sunk....

Middle schoolers identify what and how to complete an Archaeological excavation is conducted. They identify the transition from one layer to the next more easily if the colors of the layers are different. When creating a dig, the...

Students discuss artifacts. In this social science instructional activity, students realize that artifacts can help one in determining about the person the artifacts belonged to. Students will be put into small groups and will look at...

Sixth graders do the work of historians. In this world history lesson plan, 6th graders examine the artifacts and handouts in mystery boxes that their teachers prepare. Students collaborate to solve the mystery of their assigned boxes as...

Learners evaluate how archaeologists use soils to interpret sites and determine components of a soil sample.