ARCHAEOLOGY: A CYBER EXPEDITION

OBJECTIVES: students will

• Learn Net-Etiquette.
• Use the Internet’s search engines.
• Bookmark web sites.
• Assist in developing a web resource document.
• Communicate through e-mail.
• Create a PowerPoint presentation.
• Create a time capsule
• import graphics
• Acquire basic knowledge about archaeology.

 
 
 
 
 

Lesson 1 Introduction	Lesson 2 Internet Exploration	Lesson 3 Resource Document Inca Ice Maiden
Lesson 4 Internet Search Archaeology	Lesson 5 Internet Search Lascaux	Lesson 6 Archaeologist/e-mail Intro/PowerPoint
Lesson 7 Archaeology Jeopardy	Lesson 8 Culminating Activity	Lesson 9 Exam/Reflection
Glossary Of  Terms	Internet  Resource Sites	Inca Ice Maiden Reference

 

LESSON 1: Unit introduction

• Discussion of students’ background knowledge and what students would like to learn.
• Present unit components.
• Teacher will share field-school experience/ or obtain speaker if possible (terminology and tools).
• Classroom time capsule: students will create a time capsule to be buried for future archaeological discovery. Students will donate (with parental permission) objects they feel represent their times. These objects will be presented at a culminating activity. Students will need to document reasons for choice and how they believe future archaeologists’ will regard these objects.
• Closing discussion/review.

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LESSON 2: Introduction to Internet search engines and topic (archaeology) exploration.

• Lesson introduction.
• Students will choose cooperative groups that will be used for the duration of the archaeological unit.
• Teacher will present Net-Etiquette
• The teacher will introduce, guide and monitor student group’s exploration of the Internet in search of archaeology web sites. Students will have a hard copy of process for reference.
• Teacher will model how to save site as an HTML file as groups are ready. Students will also have a hard copy of directions for reference or independent use.
• Students will bookmark sites of interest, save on a disc in Microsoft word as an HTML file, and type in the title of the site. The students will then print their bookmark lists.
• The bookmarked sites and information discovered will be shared with the entire class and duplicate sites eliminated.
• Closing discussion/review.

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NET-ETIQUETTE [Craig, D.V. (1999). Science and technology: A great combination.

Science and Children, 36 (4), 28-32.]

1. Click "Search" and select a search engine such as Excite, Lycos, or Alta Vista. Then enter your topic.
2. Use only your topic selection.
3. Check for correct spelling.
4. When you get the search results, read the description carefully before clicking on the site.
5. When selecting a site, check the title to be sure it is related to your topic.
6. Skim and scan the site for information related to your research question.
7. Take notes –include important information that relates to your research topic.
8. If the site is a "five-star site," record and bookmark the address to share later.
9. Chat Rooms are OFF LIMITS.
10. NEVER give out your name.

LESSON 3: Creation of a classroom web resource document.

• Lesson introduction
• Student groups will assist teacher in the creation of resource document: Students will bring bookmark list to classroom’s central computer. Teacher will create resource document by opening Microsoft Word and students will copy and paste their bookmark file into one master resource document. Students will assist in the editing of the document using their printed bookmark list as a reference. Editing will include the deletion of repeated bookmarks and sites students want to omit.
• While individual groups are assisting teacher with the resource document, the other students will be independently reading the expository text, Discovering the Inca Ice Maiden, written by Johan Reinhard.
• Closing discussion/review

Discovering the Inca Ice Maiden:
My Adventures on Ampato
by Johan Reinhard (National Geographic Society)

(This site will provide a review of the above text and purchasing information.)
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Homelink: Student will answer teacher-generated questions pertaining to their reading of above-mentioned text in their LA response journal. Continued reading of Ice Maiden will take place during LA time block.
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LESSON 4: Continuation of Internet research.

• Lesson introduction.
• Student groups will use site offered by teacher to obtain information needed to answer teacher generated questions. The topic of this search is: What is Archaeology?
• Students will write a reflection on research experience in science journal.
• Hard copy directions for searching this site will be provided.
• If time allows after questions are answered, students may continue search.
• Closing discussion/review.

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~anth/arch/mali-interactive/index.html Welcome to Mali

Homelink: Students will take home books on topic from classroom library and create a glossary of archaeology related terms. A minimum of 7 terms required. Glossary is to be written in science journals.

Examples of teacher generated questions and possible answers:

1.) What is archaeology? (The scientific study of peoples of the past, their culture, and their relationship with their environment.)

2.) What do archaeologists do? (Look for clues to learn how past cultures lived, so that we can understand more about how present peoples live and adapt to the environment, gather data at dig site, analyze data, report findings etc.)

3.) How are sites found? (Archaeologist know what environmental factors humans need to stay alive—water, trade routes, natural protection—then they look at maps to locate likely locations where people may have lived.)

4.) What are the three types of information archaeologist look for? (Ecofacts—evidence about past environments [seeds, animal bones, soil], features—evidence of things people made or did that can’t be moved [house floors, hearths], artifacts—evidence of tools or items made that can be moved or carried [projectile points, pottery].

5.) What do archaeologists do with the artifacts they find? (They keep accurate records about each artifact—its location, position, description, condition, and what it is near. Then the artifact is taken to a lab to be—cleaned, glued back together, labeled, and cataloged into a database program.)

6.) What is not archaeology? What do archaeologist not study? (When people think of archaeologists going on a dig, they usually envision them digging up dinosaur bones. This is a common error that people have about archaeology. Archaeologists study past human life, not dinosaur life! Dinosaurs roamed the earth long before humans existed, and scientists who specialize in studying dinosaur bones are called paleontologists.)
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LESSON 5: Additional Internet research.

• Lesson introduction.
• Student groups will use site offered by teacher to obtain information needed to answer teacher generated questions. The topic of this search is: What was found in the cave of Lascaux?
• Students will write a reflection on research experience in science journal.
• Hard copy directions for searching this site will be provided.
• If time allows after questions are answered, students may continue search.
• Closing discussion/review.

http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en/ The cave at Lascaux

Homelink: Students will write to the prompt:

Your class is making a time capsule for future archaeologist to discover. What would you choose to place in the time capsule? Think about items that represent life today or items that represent who you are. Describe your choices. Explain why you have chosen the items and what you think future archaeologist will learn from or think about your choices.

Remember to write in expository format writing an introduction, supporting paragraphs for your choices, and a conclusion. Write in your LA journal. HAVE FUN!
 
 

Examples of teacher generated questions and answers:

1. In what country can the cave of Lascaux be located? (France)
2. What was discovered in the cave of Lascaux? (Cave paintings of animals and men.)
3. Who made this discovery? (Four teenagers named Marcel Ravidat, Jacques Marsal, Georges Agnel, and Simon Coencas while exploring the cave by flashlight.)
4. What 3 animals can be found in the Great Hall of Bulls? ( horses, bulls, and stags)
5. What strange animal was found here? (a unicorn)
6. What animal can be found hidden in a bulls belly? (a bear)
7. Why was the cave closed to the public? (The carbon dioxide in the air from the

The student groups will continue on with the virtual visit by clicking on the icon to the left of the screen. Have the students write about 3 additional points of interest, of their choice, to share with their classmates.
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LESSON 6: E-mail state archaeologist, introduction to PowerPoint, and topic choice.

• Lesson introduction
• Student groups will use Internet to e-mail a chosen state’s archaeologist to obtain information on current archaeological research taking place in that state.

Archaeology.

• Teacher will show example of a PowerPoint presentation.
• Student groups will chose an archaeological site or topic for the presentation. These may be chosen from either teacher or student generated topics.
• Students will use Internet to explore topic and brainstorm about what to include in presentation. Students will bookmark locations to be used and make hard copies of desired pages for idea development.
• The teacher and students will develop a rubric for the presentation.
• Closing discussion/review.

• What technology is used in archaeological research?
• How are archaeological clues destroyed?
• How do archaeologists know where to look for clues?
• What takes place on an archaeological dig?
• What do archaeologists preserve the artifacts they find?
• How can an archaeologist tell how old an artifact is?
• What is radioactive dating?
• What can archaeologist tell about a culture from their finds?
• Mummies

• Pompeii
• Stonehenge
• Tutankhamun’s tomb
• The Great Pyramid Complex at Giza
• China’s first emperor, Ch’in Shih-huang-ti’s tomb
• Easter Island’s stone statues
• The pyramid of the Soothsayer (Mayan temple)
• Catalhoyak

Additional research of topics, using home computers or books from school will be assigned as well.

• Continued research, PowerPoint presentation, time capsule preparation, and working with study cards for Jeopardy will take place for no more than 3 additional time periods. These may include science and LA time periods.

Homelink: The Great Pyramid Experiment—Students will be given directions for making a pyramid out of cardboard. Students will bring their pyramids and pieces of food back to class the next day. The experiment will be conducted and observations made and recorded to see if the power of the pyramid truly exist. This experiment can be found in the book Horrible Histories: The Awesome Egyptians published by Scholastic. *Assignment given 4 days before culminating activity.
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LESSON 7: Archaeology Jeopardy

• Introduction to game
• Student groups will participate in game based on the television gameshow Jeopardy (questions generating from study cards, Homelinks, and discussions)
• Participation will help prepare students for end -of -unit exam
• Preparation for culminating activity
• Closing discussion

LESSON 8: Culminating Activity

• Invited guest will attend activity.These may include family members, administrators, guest speaker, other classrooms, etc.
• Student groups will present PowerPoint presentations.
• Students will display time capsule offerings with their documented reasons for choice, and how they believe future archaeologists’ will regard these objects.
• Students will display pyramids and observations.
• Discussion and reflection.

LESSON 9: End of Unit Exam

• Students will be tested on material covered in unit on archaeology.
• Test design will be teacher generated and include: Multiple choice questions, short answers, vocabulary definitions, matching, true or false, fill in the blanks, and short essays.
• Extra credit will be given to students who write a reflection on the unit. Constructive criticisms will be appreciated and considered.
• Discussion and reflection.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS:

Artifact: Any object made by humans.

Cultures: Groups of people and ways of life.

Excavating: The digging into the ground to uncover buried remains.

Hieroglyphs: One of the earliest forms of writing in pictures introduced in Egypt in about 3000BC.

Mummy: an embalmed, dead body.

Radioactive dating: A procedure used to measure the age of an artifact.

Screen: A tool archaeologist use made of wires that form a close knitted grid. Archaeologist dump dirt onto the grid. The metal mesh allows the dirt to filter through the holes but retain the artifacts.

Site: The location where an excavation is taking place.

Survey: A site is carefully surveyed before and during a dig. It involves measuring distances, directions, and angles so that an accurate plan of a site can be drawn up. The plan may be divided into trenches or a grid of numbered squares.

Test pit: A small area which is dug into to see if artifacts, or soil that looks like it may contain artifacts, exist prior to conducting an extensive excavation.

Tombs: Vaults, graves, or a place for a dead body, normally above ground.

Trowel: A metal tool used to carefully scrape away layers of dirt.

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INTERNET REFERENCE SITES:

http://dig.archaeology.org/ Archaeology’s Dig—A great archaeological web sit for children.

http://www.smm.org/catal/ Mysteries of Catalhoyuk-- 4,000 years before ancient Egypt, one of the world's first cities began. Join an international team of archaeologists in Turkey investigating unanswered questions.

http://members.aol.com/donnandlee/ Mr. Donn’s Ancient History—Lesson plans and activities

http://tqjunior.advanced.org/5751/ Diggin up the Facts about Archaeology. This site has a lot of material about archaeology, and is organized into topics.

http://www.emory.edu/CARLOS/ODYSSEY/ Odyssey On line: a journey to explore Near Eastern, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and sub-Saharan African cultures.

http://www.tourism.egnet.net/cafe/tor_trn.htm See your name in Hieroglyphic Language

http://www.si.edu/organiza/museums/nmah/notkid/ubh/00intro.htm You Be the Historian: Historians study the everyday lives of people who lived in the past by looking at clues.

http://c14.sci.waikato.ac.nz/webinfo/k12.html Welcome to the K12 section of the Radiocarbon WEBinfo site. The aim here is to provide clear, understandable information relating to radiocarbon dating for the benefit of K12 students

http://www.osirisweb.com/egypt/index.htm Anthony’s Egyptology and Archaeology: a journey to ancient Egypt.

http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/aztecs.htmAztecs - designed to educate children on this ancient civilization.

http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/ covers the latest discoveries around the world.

http://kids.library.wisc.edu/ The KIDS Report is a biweekly publication produced by K-12 students as a resource to other K-12 students and teachers.

http://kids.library.wisc.edu/archive/KIDS-990427.html An issue of KIDS Report strictly dealing with archaeology.

http://www.greenbrierhistorical.org/fort.htmlArchaeological Discoveries at a Revolutionary War Fort Excavation in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

http://www.wnet.org/archive/tenement/logcabin.htmlclick on the rooms of the tenement building from each era. There are eleven doll house dioramas in all. The dramatizations are based upon actual tenants.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/icemummies/the companion Web site for the NOVA three-hour special "Ice Mummies"

http://www.osv.org/index.htmlOld Sturbridge Village, the largest history museum in the Northeast.
 
 

http://members.aol.com/chichi/index.htmlWant to give your home page an Egyptian theme? Writing a report or making a multimedia presentation about ancient Egypt? Neferchichi's site will help satisfy your scribal needs!

http://www2.torstar.com/rom/egypt/ This site is recommended for fourth through seventh graders. At this site you can type a letter or a sentence and have it translated into hieroglyphics

http://www.cmcc.muse.digital.ca/membrs/civiliz/maya/mminteng.html The Mystery of the Maya page is packed full of interesting information about the Mayas

http://www.halfmoon.org/ In this site you can learn how to write your name in Mayan Glyphs.

http://www.julen.net/ancient/ This site has links to many different ancient countries.

http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/ Do you know the Seven Wonders of the ancient world? This is a good site to visit to learn about them.

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