Reflections of Manatee, Inc. School Program
The visiting archaeologist-educator will introduce the activity with a discussion of how archaeologists use artifacts to learn things that might not be apparent from documents. Students will be introduced to the concept of stratigraphy and discuss the importance of context for learning about people in the past.
Students will then undertake detailed observation and accurate recording of an artifact. Students will think critically about material culture (artifacts and other stuff people have made) and practice different systems of classification. They will record their observations and hypothesis on a worksheet.
The activity will wrap up with students offering opinions about how and why artifacts are important clues to understanding people in the past.
