Anthropologist Teacher Resources

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...

A colorful resource introduces learners to the four major fields of anthropology: cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, biological anthropology, and archaeology. Explanations are provided for what each field studies, the kinds...

Claude Levi-Strauss’s Structural Anthropology contends that distance and details separate world cultures—and not much else. High schoolers watch a short explanatory video to learn more about the theory of structuralism, the societial...

Imagine studying Korean culture, especially the role of women, as well as marriage and religious rituals from home! Anthropologist Laurel Kendall shares what she has learned from her many trips to this fascinating country half a world away.

Spice up your study of basic anthropology terms using this decoding instructional activity. Using a provided code, learners answer 10 fill-in-the-blank questions. Because the code is very simple, more advanced pupils may enjoy the...

By posing controversial questions about racially charged words and jokes, this presentation explores the function and use of ethnic humor. Sure to inspire debates and discussions in your sociology or anthropology class, the slideshow...

Oxford professor E.E. Evans-Pritchard's Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic among the Azande is credited with developing the field of social anthropology. Introduce viewers to his argument that in the absence of science, societies like the...

In this word search worksheet, students locate 20 vocabulary words related to physical anthropology. The word list includes allele, amino acids, and taxonomy.

Expose your archaeologists to a variety of vocabulary words that deal with people who work in the fields of archeology, anthropology, and paleontology. Pictures accompany each of the slides so there is a visual associated with each...

What tools do archaeologists and anthropologist use to learned about what life was like in the past. After watching West of The West's documentary Once Upon a Time that details how scientists use artifacts to establish a history of the...

Students examine the combined subjects of anthropology and sociology and explain how the disciplines would study the same issue. On poster board, they locate or draw pictures related to the two subjects. Once this is completed, students...

Twelfth graders explore women (or men if they are underrepresented) who are leaders and achievers in the particular core content curriculum area.  In this Anthropology instructional activity, 12th graders study the women who have...

Twelfth graders identify women who have excelled in anthropology. They present their findings which are compiled with other students' research to produce a list of women anthropologists.

Students study the four main subdivisions of anthropology and how they overlap. They explore the careers of several contemporary anthropologists and their fieldwork, comparing the methods and applications of their work.

How do we know how long ago a dinosaur lived or an ancient fire pit was used? Scholars learn about the application of carbon dating and half lives to discover things about the past. They adjust the amount of radioactive carbon in the...

Mythic creatures and where to find them is the subject of an engaging interactive resource. Young anthropologists click on a bright red X on a world map to see an image of and learn the stories of 15 legendary creatures.

Students 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...

Students investigate the role of ceremonies and other traditions of Native American cultures. They research various Native American nations and create posters that visually depict their research.

Sixth graders explore the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road with a focus on a province in China to identify artifacts and research how these items arrived in the city of Turpan.

Students examine the history of mandalas from Tibet. After reviewing the Designing a Mandala handout, they use geometric symmetrical shapes to create their own examples. Next, they write poems or essays and explain the meaning of the...

Students investigate companion planting. For this  communtiy gardening lesson students explore the tradition of the Native American Three Sisters gardening approach. Students act as botanists, anthropologists, folklorists, and curators.

Students explore the concept of cultural anthropology. For this culture studies lesson, students consider the culture of Guinea as they read "The Meaning of Time" by Katherine Ross. Students also discuss the traits of monochronic and...