CECsst.188


TITLE:  A R C H A E O L O G I C A L    I N Q U I R Y

AUTHOR:  Kirby Giles, Fillmore Middle School;
         Fillmore, UT

GRADE LEVEL:  Appropriate for grades 6-8

OVERVIEW:  In this age of information, having to ask
the right questions to discover or understand something
seems to be a challenge for some students.  This
activity is designed to stimulate the discovery process
through a problem-solving approach.

OBJECTIVE(s):  Students will be able to:
1.   Describe what they see as they observe the
     "artifact".
2.   Ask appropriate questions to learn what they need
     to know.
3.   Consult other sources of information besides the
     teacher.
4.   Draw conclusions based on the information gathered
     as to:
     (a)  what the artifact might have been used
          for;
     (b)  how old it might be.

MATERIALS:
Teacher:  An ancient-looking "artifact" of some kind
Student:  Worksheet, pencil and curiosity

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1.   Teacher should first select a particular
     "artifact" to be observed.  The more nondescript,
     the better, so that students will not be able to
     guess what it is.  (A piece of something that
     looks "old" from the junk pile might work great!)
2.   Bring it into the classroom in a box or sack (this
     seems to heighten their curiosity) and begin
     introducing the lesson.  Use any "Indiana Jones"
     or "Sherlock Holmes" come-ons you can think of.
3.   Uncover the "artifact" (Don't be surprised by how
     many "What is it?" questions pop out immediately!
     Simply reply, "I don't know," or "I can't tell
     you,  but you can ask to find out!")
4.   Divide into groups of 4-6 and invite each group to
     take a turn observing it up closely.
5.   Go through the worksheet item by item, encouraging
     them to ask more questions as they need
     information.
6.   Conclude by discussing what "it" might be and how
     they drew their conclusions.  Accept any
     reasonable answer and remind them that when
     archaeologists (tourists, students, or anyone)
     find something they don't recognize, they have to
     put clues together in much the same way.


TYING IT TOGETHER:  Jumping to conclusions without
adequate information is easy for students to do.  Often
they are unwilling to observe something long enough to
"figure it out," especially if any effort is involved.
They want to know right now if their answer is right or
wrong without taking time to process information.
Students who get involved in this process will discover
new ways to problem-solve an unknown situation.  They
must also deal with a certain amount of frustration
when some questions remain unanswered.


SAMPLE INQUIRY QUESTIONS:
1.   What does it look like?
     (a)  Describe its color
     (b)  Describe its size
     (c)  Describe its shape
     (d)  Describe its material (rock, bone, wood,
          metal, fabric, etc.)
2.   Where was it found?
     (a)  Type of climate or environment
     (b)  Surrounding soil or rock
     (c)  How shallow or deep
3.   What could it have been used for?
4.   How old could it be?
     (a)  Describe its condition (effects of
          erosion, rust, decay, how fragile)
     (b)  Material (consider how fast it might age
          in a given environment)
     (c)  Your best estimation  (circle one)
           1-10 yrs         1-20 yrs       21-50 yrs
          51-75 yrs       76-100 yrs     101-200 yrs
         201-500 yrs    501-1000 yrs   over 1000 yrs
       over 2000 yrs   over 3000 yrs
5.   What do you think this artifact is?