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Archaeology Around the World: A Lesson Plan

 

Lesson Plan created by:

Gene Hill, Shenandoah High School, Sarahsville, Ohio.

 

NEH Summer Institute for Teachers 2009:

“Daily Life in Ancient Times: Archaeology of Israel and Jordan”

July 17, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  TITLE OF LESSON PLAN:


Archaeology Around the World

 

SUBMITTED BY: Gene Hill, Shenandoah High School

 

LENGTH OF LESSON: Three classroom periods (approx. 45 min. @)

 

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12

 

SUBJECT AREA: World History/ Native American Cultures (9-12 Elective)

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will understand the following:

 

1. Archaeology is the field that concentrates on recovering and studying physical evidence of earlier human life and culture. Students will begin to understand and appreciate their contributions by bridging the gap between the past and the present.

 

2. Students will discover that archaeologists cannot be stereotyped this hardy band of men and women are of all ages, nationalities, and educational backgrounds who work on sites all over the world.

 

3. Students will sharpen their research skills by utilizing both electronic and print sources.

 

RESOURCES:

For this lesson, you will need:

1) Computer stations with internet access.

 

2) A copy of the “Questions to Ask” sheet to each student

 

3) Your World History textbook http://www.glencoe.com/sec/socialstudies/worldhistory/gwh2003/

 

4) Back issues of Biblical Archaeology and Archaeology and American Archaeology or

   any other topic related materials at your disposal

 

5) A copy of a sizable bibliography and glossary accompany this lesson (See Attachment   

    C).

 

 

 

 

 

LOGISTICS:

 

1. I will use the website posted by Dr. Ellen Bedell on the site at Tall al-‘Umayri, Jordan http://sara.theellisschool.org/ironage/index.htm  to illustrate the complexities and challenges facing archaeologists today.

 

2. I will begin by sending my class to the computer lab and opening up Dr. Bedell’s website. You might want to consider navigating the site ahead of time so you can choose your point of emphasis. After the students get a feel for the site move on to step three.

 

3 As a class, come up with a series of questions that might be asked about any prior civilization and that students should be able to answer through research into the work of modern archaeologists. Will call this list,” What’s Up In Archaeology? (See Attachment B)

 

4. Assign one of the following archaeological sites (or others that you may prefer to focus on) to each of your students. There are some great examples listed below. (See Attachment A)

 

5. Make sure students include other questions that might arise through the process. Point out to students that scientists working at archaeological sites generate theories that as time passes are confirmed, modified, or replaced with new theories. Encourage your students, if possible, to mention in their reports early theories about their sites that did not hold up on further study.

 

6. Have students provide images and maps that detail the work and location of the site. These might include city plans showing which structures may have stood where, maps showing where the sites are in relation to other cities or countries, photographs showing archaeologists at work or the artifacts they found, and so on. A great source here is

http://earth.google.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATTACHMENT A

Archaeology Around the World

 

  1. Easter Island- Indian Ocean

 

  1. Masada, Israel

 

  1. Knossos, Crete

 

  1. Machu Picchu, Peru

 

  1. Great Pyramids, Egypt

 

  1. Mesa Verde cliff dwellings

 

  1. Nineveh

 

  1. King Tut’s Tomb

 

  1. Chichen Itza

 

  1. Pompeii

 

  1. Lascaux Cave

 

  1. Iceman

 

  1. Stonehenge

 

  1. Ephesus

 

  1. Tall al-‘Umaryri (also spelled Tell el- ' Umeiri)

 

  1. The Terracotta Army of Shaanxi Province, China

 

  1. Troy (Hissarlik, Turkey)

 

  1. Ur (Mesopotamia)

 

  1. Petra, Jordan

 

  1. The Acropolis, Athens, Greece

 

  1. Sukhotai, Thailand

 

  1. Angkorwat, Cambodia

 

  1. Bagan, Myanmar

 

 

ATTACHMENT B

What’s Up In Archaeology?

 

  1. What nations and institutions (Universities, private foundations, etc.) are presently active at your site?

 

  1. How is your dig funded?
  2. Describe and draw an artifact attributed to you dig.
  3. What recent contributions to archaeology has your site uncovered?
  4. Make a list of the different types of experts who work on a dig and briefly explain their role in uncovering important historical data.
  5. Describe some interesting facets of your topic.
  6. What single web site would you recommend for further inquiry about your topic?
  7. How will history be altered or changed by evidence uncovered or revealed at your site?
  8. Who lived here, and when and why?

 

  1. What kinds of structures/buildings did these people leave behind?

 

  1. What other evidence of culture did these people leave behind?

 

  1. What practices or customs did these people follow?

 

  1. What happened to the people who lived here?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EVALUATION:

You can evaluate each student’s work using the following three-point rubric:

Three points: substantial factual information including visuals; answers to or comments about all questions; well-paced and clearly articulated oral presentations

 

Two points: substantial factual information including visuals; answers to or comments about most questions; oral presentations too slow or fast and not clearly enough articulated

 

One point: not enough factual information or visuals; incomplete answers to or comments about questions; poorly paced and unclearly articulated oral presentations

You can ask your students to contribute to the assessment rubric by determining the number of facts the oral reports should contain.

 

EXTENSION:

 

  1. Dramatic Reenactment -Students research an archaeologist and report on him or her from a first person perspective. Dressing up in appropriate period dress will enhance the experience

.

  1. Student could build a model of their site and give an oral and written narrative.

 

  1. Student will complete the context exercise on page 21 of the Bureau of Land

      Managements book, Intrigue of the Past by Shelley Smith, et al, Department of

      Interior, 1996 (see attachment D)

 

  1. A cross curricular presentation can be prepared  that fits teacher in-services  implementing the math, literature, science or other components of  the Bedell 

      website.

 

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Arnold, Guy. Datelines of World History, New York: Warwick, 1983

Beck, Barbara, The First Book of Ancient Maya, New York: Knopf; Franklin Watts, 1965

Bisel, Sara. The Secrets of Vesuvius. Toronto, Madison Press, 1970

Briquebec, Keith. The Ancient World. New York. Warwick Press, 1990

Cahn, Wm.and Rhoda. The Story of Writing. New York. Harvey House. 1963

Caselli, Giavani. The First Civilizations. New York. Bedrick Books. 1985

Corbishley, Mike. Everyday Life in Roman Times New York: Franklin Watts, 1994

Fagg, Christopher and Frances Halton, Atlas of the Ancient World . New York. Warwick, 1981

Gibson, Michael. Digging into the Past London. Haughton and Stoughton, 1975

Goor, Ron and Nancy. Pompeii: Exploring a Roman Ghost Town New York. Crowell, 1986

Lessem, Dom. The Iceman New York. Crown. 1994

Porell, Bruce. Digging the Past New York. Addison-Wesley. 1977

Scott, Joseph and Lenore. Egyptian Hieroglyphics For Everyone. New York. Funk and Wagnalls. 1968

Ventura, Piero and Gian. In Search of Troy New Jersey. Silver Berdett. 1985

 

ACADEMIC STANDARDS:

 

Grade Level: 9-11

Subject Area: World History

Standard: Students will understand the biological and cultural processes that shaped the earliest human communities.

Benchmarks: Understands scientific methods used to determine the dates and evolution of different human communities (e.g., different types of evidence dating techniques; different methods employed by archaeologists, geologists, and anthropologists to study hominid evolution; how human remains can be used to construct possible chronological sequences of human evolution).


Grade Level: 9-11

Subject Area: World History

Standard: Students will understand the biological and cultural processes that shaped the earliest human communities.

Benchmarks: Understands how different human communities expressed their beliefs (e.g., possible social, cultural, or religious meanings inferred from late Paleolithic cave paintings found in Spain and France; theories about the ways in which hunter-gatherers may have communicated, maintained memory of past events and expressed religious feelings).

 

Grade Level: 9-11

Subject Area: Geography

Standard: Students will recognize the physical and human characteristics of place.

Benchmarks: Understanding the causes and effects of changes in a place over time (e.g., physical changes such as forest cover, water distribution, temperature fluctuations; human changes such as urban growth, the clearing of forests, and development of transportation systems).

 

 

Grade Level: 9-12

Subject Area: Geography

Standard: Students will recognize the physical and human characteristics of place.

Benchmarks: Knows how social, cultural and economic process shapes the features of place (e.g., resource use, belief systems, modes of transportation and communication, major technological changes such as the agricultural and industrial revolutions, population growth and urbanization).

 

Grade Level: 6-8

Subject Area: Geography

Standard: Understands how human actions modify the physical environment.

Benchmarks: Understands the ways in which technology influences the human capacity to modify the physical environment (e.g., effects of the introduction of fire, steam power, diesel machinery, electricity, work animals, explosives, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, hybridization of crops).

 

Grade Level: 6-8

Subject Area: Geography

Standard: Understands how physical systems affect human systems.

Benchmarks: Knows the ways in which human systems develop in response to conditions in the physical environment (e.g., patterns of land use, economic livelihoods, architectural styles of buildings, building materials, flows of traffic, recreational activities).

 

Grade Level: 9-12

Subject Area: Geography

Standard: Understands how physical systems affect human systems.

Benchmarks: Knows how humans overcome "limits to growth" imposed by physical systems (e.g., technology, human adaptation).

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATTACHMENT C

Glossary of Archaeology Terms:

 

  1. Amphora- Round bottom pottery jar for storing liquids

 

  1. Anatomical- Concerned with anatomy; related to the structure of an organism

 

  1. Artifact- An object produced and created by humans and then left behind

 

  1. B.C.E. - Before Common Era and  is a secular substitute for B.C.

 

  1. Carbon-14 dating- A technique to measure the amount of carbon left in a an organic object to determine how long has past since death

 

  1. C.E. - Stands for Common Era and may be used in place of A.D.

 

  1. Chronology- Arranging in the order in which they occurred

 

  1. Context- The place or situation from objects originate and how they relate to one another

 

  1. Coprolites- Preserved feces

 

  1. Cuneiform- First known form of writing recorded

 

  1. Dendrochronologist- One who counts and analyses tree rings to determine age, climate and other features

 

  1. Domesticated animals- Tame animals that live and work with humans

 

  1. Excavate-To expose or uncover by digging.

 

  1. Field- A section or area of site to be excavated

 

  1. Forensic archaeologist- One who studies human body remains to determine such things as diet, health, age, and disease

 

  1. Fresco- Painting made on a freshly plastered wall

 

  1. Frieze- Sculpture carved into a wall or building

 

  1. Hieroglyphics- Ancient stylized writing

 

  1. In-situ- Latin phrase meaning “in place” excavated artifacts are recorded in situ before removing them from the field or excavation site

 

  1. Kiln- Oven where pottery is heated to very high temperature

 

  1. Marine archaeology- Excavations done at sea or other water body.

 

  1. Midden- Ancient garbage dumps

 

  1. Mosaic- Picture made from small pieces of glass or rock

 

  1. Mummy- Corpses of human or animals preserved by embalming or drying

 

  1. Neanderthal- An extinct Stone Age species of human

 

  1. Numismatist- One who studies coins

 

  1. Organic- material that was or is alive

 

  1. Paleobotanist- One who studies ancient, fossilized plants

 

  1. Papyrus- First form of paper common in ancient Egypt

 

  1. Petroglyphs- Pictures carved or painted on rocks and cliffs

 

  1. Pithoi- Extremely large, heavy jars used to store grains and other food stuffs

 

  1. Pothunters- Derogatory term used for those who disturb and rob ancient sites

 

  1. Quipu- Knotted string used in ancient record keeping

 

  1. Radioactive- Having atoms that decay and send out radiation

 

  1. Scribe- Person who wrote documents, a high ranking post in antiquity

 

  1. Seal- Small inscribed stone used to imprint official documents

 

  1. Sherd- Broken pieces of pottery

 

  1. Stele- Stone maker or pillar inscribed with writing or pictures

 

  1. Tel- Artificial mountain made by layers of habitation over many centuries

 

  1. Thermoluminescence- Technique to date pottery by measuring the amount of light produced when object is exposed to very high temperatures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATTACHMENT D

CONTEXT EXERCISE

 

  1. List ten things in your bedroom that would tell about you. Imagine the things on your list as clues for an archaeologist.

 

a)

b)

c)

d)

e)

f)

g)

h)

i)

j)

 

  1. Imagine a site member finds your ten items. What might he or she learn about

      you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. All of the objects in your room are in context. What could be learned about you if 

      selected things were missing or scattered all over town? Give a couple of 

      examples and explain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

      4. Why is it important to leave artifacts in place (in situ) at archaeological sites?