Engagement Activity: Lesson One

Mini Excavation Sites!

Grid off a shoe box with string, fill with artifacts (be sure to label boxes with artifact contents) and then fill with rice. Provide  empty shoe boxes or paper bags for students to dump sifted rice into as they hunt for the artifacts. We will be using small paper cups to sift with.

How to make an excavation shoebox

How to log observations

What is Archeology?

Think of it as the study of a puzzle with all the pieces scattered and some missing. (Above is sample of puzzle reflection homework activity). In  this workshop students will dig into shoe boxes full of rice and discover real artifacts to catalog and document. They will learn about the professional field  of Archeology and Anthropology.

Reference sites:  http://www.sonoma.edu/asc/projects/sanjose/SanJose.htm
http://heinlenville-nihonmachi.blogspot.com/

Below: The artifact storage facility at Sonoma State Anthropological Studies Center.  Archeological Lab Collections Manager, Erica Gibson. is in right lower image.  I was fortunate to lean a bit more on archeological processes from her when I picked up the artifacts. The Center's blog on the Heinleville site  is a great resource for information on archeological process as well.
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Lesson plan

Bonus Questions:


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1. What do the archeologist use to label the objects with?
a. Fine tip B lead pencil
b. Fine tip Sharpie markers
c. India ink and quill

2. What is applied to bone artifacts before they are labeled?

Find answer at Sonoma State Anthropological Studies Center's blog posting on labeling.
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3. What is this object and why was it banned?

4. What do archeologist do with soil samples and what is wet screening?

Find answers on Sonoma State Anthropological Studies Center'sblog posting on soil samples.