Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Empires of Early Africa

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders examine the Nile's role in the birth and growth of Egyptian civilization.  In this World History lesson, 9th graders explore how archaeologists have learned about life in Ancient cities.  Students present a report...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stone Tool Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders use Internet to familiarize themselves with variety of stone tools used by early man, create information chart describing each tool and its purpose, and discuss why tools have survived thousands of years.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ancient Tablets, Ancient Graves: Accessing Women's Lives in Mesopotamia

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the role of women in ancient Mesopotamia. Several excerpts from the Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets and artifacts are analyzed to determine the treatment, rights, and powers of women in this era.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Measuring Pots

For Teachers 4th - 9th
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ancient Americas

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders compare artifacts used by archaeologists to theorize the first inhabitants of the Americas migrated from Asia across the Bering Land Bridge.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Leaarn to Think Like an Archaeologist

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine how to act as archaeologists by examining artifacts. The inquiry is meant to teach learners about analysis of ancient civilizations and scientific finds. Fossil evidence is also covered to make connection to the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Why Archaeologists Dig Square Holes

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students examine how archaeologists establish and maintain the context of artifacts. They interpret a plan view of an archaeological site and explain the importance of the grid system.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Artifacts 1: What Can We Learn From Artifacts?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
students will learn about artifacts-what they are, how they are initially buried and then excavated. They participate in an online game and called "Stratigraphy" and participate in the "If Trash Could Talk" activity page.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lost and Found

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the historical and modern-day significance of archeological artifacts. They research other important archeological discoveries throughout history and write articles based on their research.
Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Mint Your Own Coin

For Students 6th - 12th
Provide young archaeologists with an opportunity to craft their own artifacts. The step-by-step directions in an engaging resource show them how to mint their own coin, complete with image, date, and motto.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Excavate and Explore

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students simulate an archeological excavation to explain how archeologists identify, date, and make inferences about their findings. They explain the importance of spatial and stratigraphic contexts in archaeology.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Artifacts of Wisconsin's Pre-european Cultures

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students research forms of artistic expression in four cultures. They create a representation of art from one of the cultures and create museum information cards. They develop a rubric to evaluate each others work.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Four Corners Region of the United States Cultures, Ruins and Landmarks

For Teachers K - 8th
Students who live in the inner city are introduced to the four corners region of the United States. In groups, they examine how the region differs compared to where they live and their culture. They develop maps of the area and locate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"How to Think Like an Archaeologist" - Suggested Pre-Visit Activity For Historic Jamestown

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners examine how archaeologists use artifacts to explore other people and their cultures. They discuss types of artifacts, analyze receipts for clues, and discuss how what the items bought reflect about people.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How To Think Like An Archaeologist

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students take a field trip to historical Jamestown. Using artifacts given to them, they must identify them and discover who would have used them and for what purpose. They create a database to organize the information and share it with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Becoming a Louisiana Archaeologist

For Teachers K - 4th
Young scholars examine pieces of pottery as they role play archaeologists. They use cutouts and examine them for markings. They complete a worksheet to end the instructional activity.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tag It and Bag It: Archeology Lab Lesson

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders practice analyzing, collecting and categorizing artifacts. Using charts, they organize and interpret information about the artifacts they classified. They work together to create a graph to represent class totals and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping an Artifact

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students copy a present day artifact onto graph paper. In groups, they decide the scale of the drawing and create the picture using specific graphing points. They are also given photographs in which there are no graphing points and they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Archaeology as a Career

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders read about archaeology as a career. They develop a list of questions they would like to ask an archaeologist and then actually interview an archaeologist on the future of archaeology as a career.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Faces: Understanding Artifacts Through Design Elements

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Young scholars examine and discuss drinking container artifacts from Jamestown. They view images of the artifacts, discuss their purposes, draw an original facial expression for a brown paper jug, and write a description of the facial...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Archaeology is ...

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students demonstrate the importance of context for learning about ancient people. They assess the importance of preservation of cultural resources. They exchange papers with a student in class. The students with the paper are responsible...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lewis & Clark: A Scientific Journey

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students act as archaeologists. In this Lewis and Clark expedition lesson, students develop a list of questions that archaeologists might use to find the physical remains of the expedition and then use print and Internet sources to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stratigraphy and Cross-Dating

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students interpret archaeological strata using the law of superposition. They apply cross-dating to determine the age of other artifacts.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classifying Artifacts

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils examine pictures of pottery and classify them. They work together to create a list of characteristics for each piece. They share their findings with the class.