Curated OER
Tomb Explorer/Temple Explorer
Fourth graders build an explorer vehicle which they program through an obstacle course to enter the tomb or temple to discover artifacts.
Curated OER
Native Americans of Rockland County
Students comprehend Native American cultures through the use of both secondary and primary sources. They explore and investigate Native Americans in New York State. Students are shown some old Indian arrowheads and they are challenged...
Curated OER
Introduction to Archaeology
Students view a PowerPoint presentation called, Archaeological Terms then discuss the job of an archaeologist and new vocabulary. They view the teacher made "artifact grid" and photograph the grid from different angles. They work in...
Curated OER
Art: African Collar Necklace
Students investigate the significance of African collar necklaces. To make replicas of the jewelry, they cut out the centers of paper plates leaving only the ribbed edges. To complete the necklaces, students apply tempera paints and...
Curated OER
Investigating Sources-Artifacts
Learners discuss artifacts. In this social science lesson, students realize that artifacts can help one in determining about the person the artifacts belonged to. Learners will be put into small groups and will look at objects from a box...
Curated OER
Contextual Clues
Students observe and interpret images of artifacts in different contexts in order to recognize importance of leaving artifacts in original context to correctly understand their meaning, and observe what is surrounding object to interpret...
Curated OER
Kidding Around In The 1980s
Learners examine pop culture of the 1980s. In this historical time period lesson, students view a Smurfs cartoon from the 1980s and discuss its similarities and differences to cartoons today. Learners work in groups to...
Curated OER
Treasure Chest
Students explore Chicago in the fur-trading era. In this Chicago lesson, students discover what life what like during this time. Students read an historical fiction story about life in the fur-trade era. Students view replicas of...
Curated OER
Traveler's in Time
Students analyze artifacts to become familiar with the Great Migration. In this migration activity, students read an article and answer comprehension questions. Students role play a migration scenario using an artifact to help...
Curated OER
A Siouan Village
Fourth graders examine the artifacts obtained from an excavated Siouan village site. They make inferences about the people who once lived there based on the artifacts and complete a Research Team Report.
Curated OER
To Protect and Preserve
Students discuss the impact of war on the Iraqi National Museum and the importance of protecting artifacts of cultural heritage. They write letters to the Milwaukee Public Museum to show support for funding for the protection of the...
Curated OER
Protecting the Past: Give a Hoot, Don't Loot!
Students, in small groups, simulate an ancient civilization and the art they created, another group represents vandals, and the final group represents archaeologists who try to figure out what life was like for the "ancient peoples". ...
Curated OER
Treasure in the Trash
Students decode archaeological artifacts in order to recreate an event, using discarded objects as a model for real-life artifacts. They apply this model to reconstructing historical or literary events from artifacts they create.
Curated OER
Of Amulets And Scrolls
Students come to an understanding of the time period covered in the first five books of the Bible by researching and recreating ancient artifacts. They recreate artifacts that represent the people, lifestyles, and culture of people...
Curated OER
Mongolian Museum
Students act as curator of a Mongolian museum and create a brochure detailing a new exhibit of artifacts. The brochure include a floor plan of the exhibit and a description that be used in the museum tour.
Curated OER
Real-Life History
Learners collect artifacts which are part of their family/community history. They gather at home and share in the classroom at a specified time when extra care and supervision might be provided.
Curated OER
How Do We Learn About the Past?
Students examine archaeological discoveries. In this learning about the past lesson, students view a "Magic School Bus" video, discuss the role of an archeologist, and complete a graphic organizer. Students discuss a variety of artifacts...
Curated OER
Foods and Languages of the World
Students study world cultures with an emphasis on languages and cultures. In this world cultures lesson, students study the countries of Spain, China, Italy, and the United States. Students read the story Everybody Cooks Rice and move...
Curated OER
Mesoamerican Market Fair
Students organize an Mesoamerican market fair. In this early civilizations lesson, students celebrate the culmination of a unit on Mesoamerican cultures by planning, marketing, and hosting a market fair complete with food, games,...
Curated OER
Black Kentuckians and the Civil War
Young scholars demonstrate how the American Civil War affected black Kentuckians socially and politically. They identify and discuss the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which forced the end of slavery in Kentucky months after...
Curated OER
Digging Into the Past
Learners participate in an excavation simulation, and explore the ruins of Sardis. They ponder which clues scientists use to determine if artifacts found in the excavation are of Persian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, or Lydian origin.
Curated OER
Right About Now… and Then
Students discuss significant figures in music history and read an article about the Smithsonian's Hip-Hop exhibit. In groups, they develop and curate an exhibition of hip-hop music and history using artifacts that represent relevant...
Curated OER
Sticks, Stones, Sinews and Stuff: How Early People Used the Environment to Meet Basic Needs
Students create an artifact. In this early survival lesson, students use found objects to create an artifact that could have been used to help early people meet their basic needs.
Curated OER
My Family: Past, Present,
Second graders explore the lives of actual people who make a difference in their everyday lives. They differentiate between events that happened long ago and events that happened yesterday by studying their family histories. The unit...