Global Oneness Project
After the Quake: Preserving the Artifacts of Kathmandu
On April 28, 2015, a 7.8 earthquake ruptured the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. Seven UNESCO World Heritage sites are located in this valley. The efforts of experts and archeologists to restore three of them—Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan...
Smithsonian Institution
Spanish American War
Today, Cuba and America sometimes struggle with diplomatic relations, but did you know that America went to war against Spain to free Cuba? Learners examine many interesting facts related to the Spanish American War using an informative...
Smithsonian Institution
Eastern Indian Wars
Many know that Native Americans were forced off their lands and moved west, but how did these people react? The Red Sticks faction of the Creek nation opted to defend themselves and their lands in a series of wars called the Eastern...
Center for History and New Media
Slavery and Free Negroes, 1800 to 1860
What was life like for enslaved and free black people before the American Civil War? Explore the building tension between states and the freedom of individuals with a thorough social studies instructional activity. Learners of all ages...
Curated OER
What Artifacts Reveal About The Past
Students take a closer look at artifacts to learn about the people who used them. In this colonial America lesson, students examine photographs of everyday items used in colonial times and determine what the uses of the tools may be...
Society for Science & the Public
Easter Islanders Made Tools, Not War
When studying artifacts, especially tools, how do archaeologists determine what the devices were used for? In what ways might researchers' previous experiences influence their perception of an artifact? An article about researchers'...
Curated OER
The Mathematician And The Archaeologist
Young scholars 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...
Curated OER
Artifact Identification-What is it?
Learners observe an artifact and make an inference about the artifact's purpose. They are going to role-play as archaeologists by using artifacts to hypothesize about the lives of past people.
Curated OER
What Do We Learn From the Repartiation of Alaska Native Artifacts?
Students observe and evaluate evidence of Alaska Native cultural symbols and artifacts. They research historical data from a variety of primary resources, including the Harriman expedition journals, related web sites, oral accounts,...
Annenberg Foundation
America's History in the Making: Classroom Applications One
Someone finds a time capsule 100 years from now, and it includes your family photo album. What would the photos tell that person about you and your place in history? Scholars investigate how artifacts tell stories. Using photos, maps,...
Reading Through History
The Slaughterhouse Cases
Do modern citizens interpret the Fourteenth Amendment the way it was intended? Scholars study the Slaughterhouse Cases to see how judges interpreted the amendment in the 1800s. Following the reading on the subject, they answer...
ReadWriteThink
Designing Museum Exhibits for The Grapes of Wrath: A Multigenre Project
Challenge readers of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath to create a museum exhibit that uses artifacts to focus on one issue raised by the award winning story of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the Joads.
American Museum of Natural History
Piecing It All Together
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...
American Museum of Natural History
Mint Your Own Coin
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.
American Museum of Natural History
Being an Archeologist: Chuck Spencer
Meet Chuck Spencer, an archeologist who studies the Zapotec people who lived in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico over 2000 years ago. Spencer shares in print his response to questions posed by kids.
Smithsonian Institution
Ceramica de los Ancestros
Scholars join a field expedition team to unearth a plethora of treasures from Central America. Artifacts listed in alphabetical order come with an informational blurb and a picture designed for participants to color. Activity pages...
American Museum of Natural History
What is Anthropology
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...
Museum of Tolerance
And Justice for All? Slavery Not Just in the Past
Slavery in India, Sudan, and Mauritania? What about in the United States? Groups research modern slavery in these four countries, collecting factual evidence (What), determine their feelings about this evidence (So what), and consider...
Civil War Trust
Creating a Historic Site
A historic site marks a place where a relevant historical event occurred, no matter how many people know about it. Small groups choose their own historical sites, including a place where a class member was born, or even a football field...
Smithsonian Institution
War of 1812
Luckily for those who aren't history buffs, anyone can guess that the War of 1812 happened in ... 1812. But how to cover the rest of the story? The resource does just that with effective direct instruction that includes statistics,...
British Museum
The Kingdom of Benin
Discover the society of Benin through analysis of several artifacts and rich primary source materials. Here you'll find worksheets on topics as the work of Benin craftsmen, the influence of the all-powerful Oba, explanations for the...
American Museum of Natural History
Being a Zoologist: Sandra Olsen
Are your students wild about horses? Then introduce them Sandra Olsen, a zooarchaeologist, who has been studying horses and the people who herd them. Ms Olsen responds to 15 interview questions and details how she goes about her...
US House of Representatives
Objects in Time
New ReviewArtifacts can be used to study people and events of the past. That's the takeaway from the fifth lesson in a unit study of African Americans who served in Congress. Groups select an artifact associated with a Black Congress Member from...
Curated OER
Daily Life in Spanish St. Augustine 1565-1763
How do we know so much about the past? A student-crafted presentation provides viewers with images of artifacts from St. Augustine, Florida that give historians and archaeologists clues into lives already lived.