Archaeology Lesson Plan

Ideas for Digging Up Facts about Archaeologists and What They Do

Nov 21, 2008

An archaeologist's job sounds like a lot of fun, but it is often grueling work. Teach your children about this interesting occupation with these lesson plan ideas.

The objective of this lesson is to teach the child how to gather clues and make determinations based upon those clues. Much as archaeologists dig for the secrets to our past, we can use the same principles to find out information about our family's past and background. This lessen will help teach a child problem solving skills, as well as how to correctly gather information in order to use those problem solving skills.

Archaeology Facts

Have your child pick one fact from this list and write a short report expanding on the fact or draw pictures that show the fact in action.

[Resources: Archaeology, Dialogue for Kids, Idaho Public Television, December 2005; Diggin' Up the Facts About Archaeology, ThinkQuest, 1999]

Archaeology Field Trip Opportunity

If you live close to an area populated in the past by Native Americans, a great field trip can be taken to a near by stream or lake area. Many times fossils are located on the banks and shores. Fossils can be easily found by sifting through the top few layers of dirt. You will need a small shovel and sieve for each child. If it is not too wet, a sturdy small cardboard box with several holes in the bottom will work well for sifting through sand. The child may find fossils such as arrowheads, but there are also fossilized clams and other shells. Talk about how long ago the fossil was alive and what this fossil can tell us about the area.

Example: An arrowhead will provide evidence of Native Americans in the area. Many Native Americans set up their camps close to sources of water. A shell or a fossilized clam will show how long these animals have been in the area and how their appearances have changed very little over time. If the shells are open, it could also be evidence of another animal that ate the clams or other shellfish. Ask what types of animals might have been interested in this type of food.

Archaeology Activity

You will need three shoeboxes. Take three items that are specific to each member of your family. Do not just focus on the immediate members of the family. Ask grandparents, aunts, and uncles for items to use as artifacts as well. Item suggestions include:

Place a layer of sand in the bottom of the box. On top of that layer of sand place an item that will best tell who the box belongs to. On top of that layer, place another item. This item should be something that gives a better idea of who the box belongs to. Now cover that item with sand. Next choose something very generic to the family, such as an old family photo with lots of people in it. Cover this with sand as well. You can place items in a small zip lock bag if there is a chance the item would be harmed by the sand.

Have the child slowly remove the layers of sand and find each item. See how many layers it takes before the child can tell who the box belongs to (grandparent, parent, etc.). Explain that this is how archaeologists use excavation digs to learn about our history.

Other Archaeology Resources on the Web

Dig on Site is an archaeological magazine for kids. There are terrific articles, games, and quizzes.

Enviro-Explorers is an excellent website for information on what is entailed on a true archaeology dig, including preparation for the dig, the tools used, and the methodology used when digging.

Archaeology is one subject that attracts the attention of almost all children. It is even more fun when able to perform a dig just like real archaeologists. It is just as fun to plan the lesson. Hopefully, the ideas presented here will make for a great lesson plan.

The copyright of the article Archaeology Lesson Plan in Homeschool Curricula is owned by Denise Oliveri. Permission to republish Archaeology Lesson Plan in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.