Not-So-Lazy Days of Summer: Archaeology Adventure week 1

we began our archaeology adventure today!

we first asked what the students knew about archaeology and archaeologists.

then we asked them what they would like to know.

we then watched a short video about archaeology and King Tut.

after filling in the L side of the chart, we found that the students learned what an archaeologist does, what they look for, where they work, and what they help us to learn with their findings.

homework for the week:

If an archaeologist dug through your room, what kinds of artifacts would he/she find? Bring in one artifact that shows us who you are/your favorite artifact.

so, what is archaeology?

"Archaeology is learning about ancient people, how they lived, what they looked like, what tools they used and also learning about their culture. The word archaeology comes from the Greek - it means the study of what is ancient and it's pretty fascinating stuff! Archaeologists are the scientists who study the remains of past civilizations or groups of people."

D4K

and how does an archaeologist know where to dig?

"Over time, things and places get covered up and buried. When something lays on the ground day after day, year after year, leaves fall on it, dust blows, and little by little it slowly gets covered up. Before an archaeologist conducts a dig, they do lots of research to determine where they might start.

First, archaeologists know that people need certain things to help them stay alive. These include easy access to water, trade and migration routes, and food sources. With this knowledge and some research, archaeologists can locate the most likely places where people may have lived.

Sometimes people, like farmers and builders, uncover something from the past and an archaeologist comes in to help with the site. Archaeologists also look at buildings, ruins, unusual mounds or sunken spots in the land. Sometimes, archaeologists can tell where old roads or walls once stood by looking at aerial photography. Other times, they can get clues from books and maps. All of these places are potential places where an archaeologist might begin their research when determining where they might conduct a dig."

D4K

we had our Chinese lesson with Mr. Bowen Tuesday morning.

Mr. Bowen began by discussing how a ninja is a Chinese figure. the students learned how to say fire (huo) and what the symbol looked like (like a campfire!).

we also learned that in China, your family name is first where as our family name is last. Mr. Bowen's family name is Xia. And is first name is actually 2 symbols, Bo and Wen. his last name means summer. he said he has researched and cannot find another instance where the pronunciation of a Chinese name (Bo Wen) is the same as how we spell it (Bowen). he also talked to us about the different accents in Chinese. there are 4 accents you can add and they change the meaning of the word. interesting!

he also talked with us and showed us pictures of the Spring Festival which is very important and popular in China.

on Tuesday, the students visited Ms. Brooke's room and learned all about fossils and artifacts and what makes them different.

Fossils are the remains of living things (plants, animals, people), not of things that were made.
Artifacts are the remains of things that were made, not the remains of living things.

Archaeology for Kids

Ms. Brooke also asked what the students hypothetically what they would like to bury at our school for a famous archaeologist to find and then they had to tell if that object was an artifact or fossil.

we also had fun making bubbles in the afternoon!

Wednesday we wondered, what kinds of tools do archaeologists use?

after brainstorming, we watched a very informative PowerPoint created by a teacher participating in an ESEA Title II grant-funded project for use in the teachers' classrooms. She participated in professional development activities provided by Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center.

click {here} to see the PowerPoint

we then asked the students to create an archaeological tool out of clay.

a shovel

a screwdriver

a trowel

a hammer

a shovel

the students presented their tool to the class and told what the tool is used for when digging at a site.

a hammer

a screen for sifting

Miss Morgan Green, Alabama's Outstanding Teen, stopped by today to visit with us, read with us, and to pick up the books we bought with money raised at the book fair for needy Alabama schools.

she was absolutely precious and we wish her the best of luck in the future!

her platform is literacy and she passed out bookmarks to all of us

today the students were introduced to stratigraphy. Stratigraphy is the study of sediment strata, or layers. Over time, natural processes deposit dirt and sand on top of the ground. These changes are visible to archaeologists, allowing them to observe the strata in an archaeological dig. A good example of stratigraphy can be seen in the Grand Canyon; the river has cut a path through the rock, and you can see the different colored stripes up the canyon wall.

in order for the students to better understand stratigraphy, they prepared a special snack today.

each child was given their own dirt and worms cup with M&Ms inside. chocolate pudding was mixed with the M&Ms. then crushed Oreos were sprinkled on top of the pudding. The clear cups allowed the students to observe the stratigraphy. oh, and they placed a gummy worm on top. :)

the students were asked to “excavate” their dirt and worms with a tool (spoon), removing one “layer” at a time, uncovering all of the M&Ms.