American Centuries

Pocumtuck Valley
Memorial Association

American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > Simulated Archeological Dig of Native American Artifacts

Simulated Archeological Dig of Native American Artifacts

Details

Author
Johanna Weinstein
Topic/Subject Area
Native American
Historical Era
Early Indigenous and European contact, 1565–1619
Grade Level
Elementary (K–5)
Creation Date
2003
Last Revision Date
2024

Related items

About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will understand the process and problems archeologists face when locating and identifying artifacts and determining what these artifacts tell us by taking part in a simulated “dig” using pictures of artifacts on the website.

Materials & Resources

Collection Items

Teaching Plan

  1. Before class, print out pictures of the Native American Artifacts for this particular lesson. Print one picture per student or students can work in pairs.
  2. Before class, hide pictures of artifacts in a very large box or on the floor under Styrofoam packing peanuts.
  3. Before class, mark site grid coordinates over the box or on the floor using string or chalk. Place a plastic sheet on the floor for easy clean up.
  4. Discuss how some archeologists mark down the location of artifacts using grid coordinates.
  5. Call students up to the site a few at a time to find a buried artifact. List coordinates for each artifact.
  6. Discuss any patterns students notice concerning where artifacts are located, materials, designs, etc.
  7. On a computer, demonstrate how to use the American Centuries website to locate information about the artifact.
  8. Have students research their artifacts and report back to class. Lead the class in a discuss about what each artifact tells us about an earlier culture. Are all the objects from the same time period? How could objects made by different people be found in the same place? Did these people practice agriculture?