Can You Dig It?

Archaeological Unit for SEW ‘09

Amber Whitlock

Menu for Grades K-1 and 4-5

"Archaeology is the scientific study of peoples of the past... their culture and their relationship with their environment. The purpose of archaeology is to understand how humans in the past interacted with their environment, and to preserve this history for present and future learning."

Larry J. Zimmerman

"Historical archaeology is more than just a treasure hunt. It is a challenging search for clues to the people, events, and places of the past."

Society for Historical Archaeology

Essential Understandings:

  • An Archaeologist studies people of the past and their cultures.
  • An Archaeologist has to use a combination of thinking skills and talent to complete an analysis of a dig.

Essential Questions:

  • What skills are needed to be an Archaeologist?
  • What tools must Archaeologists have both logically and literally?
  • What is a culture and what did you discover about the culture you uncovered?

Type I’s / Type II’s / Possible Type III’s
K-1 / 4-5 / K-1 / 4-5 / K-1 / 4-5
Students will work with teacher to choose books to place in iib interest center that will lead to a greater knowledge of Archaeology, eliminating books that aren’t as desirable / Make a list of many, varied and unusual household items real Archaeologists could use as tools (PT) / Make an Archaeological presentation using a Voki or other tech tool.
Examine real Archaeological tools to learn more about them and their varied uses / Students will make tools to use out of recycled materials (empty Clorox bottles make terrific scoops). / Create a display for repaired artifacts
Exploration of interest center to become more familiar with the topic of Archaeology and what an Archaeologist does / Students will invent new archaeological tools to use on a dig / Write a story about a person from the recreated culture
Discuss the differences between an Archaeologist, an Anthropologist and an Paleontologist / Develop a culture for your opposing team to dig up / Design a brochure for a museum about our culture
Read Kate Duke’s Archaeologists Dig for Clues together to discover more about Archaeology / Think of all the materials and equipment you will need for your dig of the opposing teams culture and make a list. (P) / Make a model of the culture’s “village”
Discuss the components of a culture with the students to prepare for the development of their own culture / Dig up opposing team’s culture / Write and perform a speech for the unveiling of an artifact
Discuss student roles related to Archaeology (finding artifacts, digging, research, etc.) / Create Wikispace for our SEW group / Make a scrapbook of the dig and the findings
.Discuss what each would most like to do if on site working as an Archaeologist / Complete Chocolate Chip Cookie Archaeology to learn about how to carefully excavate artifacts and plot them. / Create Archaeological Board Game
Visit with an Archaeological expert to find out more about what her job consists of and where she has been on digs. / Sort fragments of artifacts to prepare them for cleaning and repair / Write a kids dictionary to help them better understand the terminology of Archaeology
Discuss various Archeological dig sites and different cultures to help students better understand the purpose of Archaeology. / Repair damaged artifacts that have been excavated / Create a Webquest and post online to help others learn more about Archaeology
Research online to locate resources about Archaeology post websites/resources on SEW website / Plot location of items in classroom on grid
Collect items to add to interest center to help students better understand the purpose of items being a part of the interest center / Create a set of criteria representing what is believed to make up a good Archaeological photo
Examine an artifact and form questions about the artifact / Decide how to compose the notebook/keep track of information when they start the dig
Skype with an expert to gain further knowledge throughout “expedition” / Research/discuss how findings are recorded and displayed correctly
Learn how to photograph, label and catalogue artifacts as they are found / Pick one artifact of your choice to describe. Spend ten minutes studying this item. Use communication #1 make a written list of as many, different single words as you can to describe this artifact. (C-1)
View photos from various web pages or magazines that are of Archaeological sites or historical sites where a dig has or may take place / Make a list of single word verbs to describe what they think that item (above) could do (was used for)
Watch United Streaming Videos on Archaeology to learn more about various sites and the lives of Archaeologists Watch / Examine a bone with some peculiar markings on it. Think of many, varied predictions as to what caused the markings on this bone. (F-C)
Review material and information from Moundville to learn about a local Archaeological dig site / Attempt to recreate the “bone” damage observed by using DM skill to decide which tool (out of 2-3 choices) caused marks on a bar of Ivory soap (DM)
Discuss the proper care and handling of artifacts / Use digital microscope to compare markings and artifacts
Discuss the different layers of soil Stratigraphy) and where artifacts/items are found / Participate in a thinking skills lesson as to what students would do in the situation of a dig having to occur at the site of their playground.
Visit different museums around the world, virtually / Complete waste basket Archaeology to discover as much as possible about a “culture” from their trash.
Use different resources to learn more about varying forms of artifacts (household items, tools, jewelry, etc. / Play Bloom’s Cube Game and learn how to describe and think about Archaeology using Bloom’s Taxonomy.
United Streaming Videos to discover more about different cultures and how they lived / Engage in an activity creating analogies using terms and ideas related to Archaeology
Discuss/taste the difference in food from previous cultures and food today
Invent a new language/alphabet for the culture
Build a list of foods that would represent your culture
Discuss the types of housing that members of your culture had
Confer about the economy of your culture
Perform a newscast from the dig site
Draw a map of the dig site
Create artwork from the culture
Recreate other team’s culture
Make a mural to represent the culture