Post-Visit Lesson:
Abbe Archaeology for Kids School Program: Based on the exhibition “Layers of Time”

Now that you have visited the Abbe Museum and learned a little about Maine’s Native American cultures and archaeology, you might want to learn a little more about archaeology and cultures in other parts of the world. Archaeology is an exciting way to learn history and how people once lived.

Objective: Students will investigate a variety of archaeological sites around the world through websites and printed informational texts. By sharing their research with the class, students will understand the diversity of archaeological research, human experience, and historical analysis and interpretation.

Maine Learning Results: Depending on the specific Performance Indicators educators select to emphasize, this lesson can be used in the followingSubject and Content areas:

Materials: List of websites and archaeology books on this page; poster board; colored pencils or markers; paper and pencil; model clay or other materials with which to make a diorama.

Preparation: Teacher should gather archaeology books for students’ use in classroom and schedule computer lab time for student research.

Activity:

• 1. Have your students research an archaeological site from North America and one from somewhere else in the world.
• 2. Students can research their sites using the Internet or by using printed sources, such as books or magazines about Archaeology. Some suggested websites and print resources are listed below.
• 3. Students should be able to answer the following questions:
  Questions:
  -How old is the site?
  -Where is it located? Have them photocopy or create a map showing the geographic location of the site.
  -What kind of site is it? (Settlement, battlefield, burial, etc.)
  -What were some of the archaeologists’ research questions? In other words, what did archaeologists want to know before they started excavating?
  -What kinds of artifacts were found? What kinds of features?
  -Which artifact or feature did you find the most fascinating and why?
  -What did archaeologists think they learned about people from studying the artifacts and features they found?
  - Could they have made another interpretation of the evidence? What?
  -Why is the site important?
  -What questions do you have that were not answered in the archaeological research you read?
  -If you were an archaeologist, how would you find the answers to your questions?
• 4. Have your students present their findings to the class. Each student can prepare an oral report, design a poster about their particular site or create a model or miniature diorama that show the most important information about their research.
  Suggested websites for archaeological sites:
  North American
  -Castle Rock Pueblo, Arizona
  http://www.crowcanyon.org/EducationProducts/ElecFieldTrip_CRP/Index.html
  -Jamestown, Virginia
  http://www.apva.org/jr.html
  -New Castle, Delaware
  http://americanhistory.si.edu/kids/springer/
  -Hunley – Civil War Submarine
  http://www.hunley.org/
  -African American Burial Ground, New York
  http://www.africanburialground.com/ABG_Main.htm
  World Sites
  -Lascaux, France
  http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en/
  -Chauvet Cave, France
  http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/chauvet/en/index.html
  -Arabia, Middle East
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ubar/index.html
  -Megalithic Temples, Malta
  http://web.genie.it/utenti/m/malta_mega_temples/
  -Inca Trail/Machu Picchu, Peru
  http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Photos/SouthAmerica/Peru/IncaTrail.html
  -Nubia, Sudan
  http://www.spicey.demon.co.uk/Nubianpage/SUDANARC.htm
  -Corinth, Greece
  http://corinth.sas.upenn.edu/corinth.html
  General Archaeology Websites
  -Archaeology Magazine online
  http://www.archaeology.org
  -Dig the Archaeology Magazine for Kids
  http://www.digonsite.com
  -The Community Archaeology Program, Public Archaeology Facility, SUNY Binghampton
  http://www.binghamton.edu/cap/dirtsurf.html
  

  Suggested books on archaeological sites:
  Archaeology for Kids: Uncovering the Mysteries of Our Past, Richard Panchyk.
  In Search of Pompeii: A Buried Roman City, Giovanni Caselli.
  Painters of the Caves, Patricia Lauber.
  Finding the Lost Cities, Rebecca Stefoff.
  Tutankhamun: The Life and Death of a Pharaoh (DK Discovery), David Murdoch.
  Buttons, Bones and the Organ Grinder’s Monkey- Tales of Historical Archaeology, Meg Greene.
  Macchu Picchu: The Story of the Amazing Inkas and Their City in the Clouds (Wonders of the World Book), Elizabeth Mann.