Penny Artifact 2013

Title: How to read an artifact Subject: Artifacts as a way to study history Standard Addressed: Date: April 2, 2013 Grade Level: 7th Grade

Unit: Ancient Civilizations Unit

6.2 Identify examples of social, political, cultural, and economic development in key areas. 6-8.WH.10 Write routinely over extended time frames I can identify that artifacts can give us information about people, places, and societies. (Knowledge) I can use observation and reasoning to make inferences and draw conclusions from artifacts. (Analysis) What is an artifact? What information can we learn from the artifacts of ancient cultures? 1 penny for each student, rulers, paper and pencils (preferably students will add this assignment to their History Reflection Journals) Clues from the Past: Archaeology Lesson Plan taken from The Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago, Illinois. Excavation dig the exposure, processing, and recording of archaeological remains. Site the place where the artifacts are being excavated Speculate guess based on known facts Inference an educated guess Archaeologist those who study the human past through its material remains. Artifact objects made and used by people The civilization web (writing, food, social structures, technology, culture, religion, and government) all parts that make up a society. The goal for this lesson will be to get the students to apply what they already know to think like an archaeologist.

Objectives:

Essential Question:

Materials Needed:

Resources Utilized:

New Vocabulary:

Old Vocabulary to refresh: What background Knowledge I want to draw from:

Penny Artifact 2013

Lesson Plan Time Instruction/Act ivity Review New Vocabulary 5 min What should the student be doing? Notes on vocabulary in their History Journals: - Word - Definition - Picture (if applicable) Excavation, site, speculate, archaeologist, artifact What should the teacher be doing? Introduce our theme for the six-weeks (essential questions). Ask students to raise their hands if they know what ________ means? (Take a picture of which students have their hands raised with ipad to review later) then, providing vocabulary terms, giving age appropriate definitions and images to associate with the vocabulary. Introduce activity choose 2 students to read the objectives for the class, so all students know the goals for the day. Ask students to imagine they are archaeologists living many years in the future. In an excavating site, they have found a coin from an unknown society. Hand out the coins. Have the students examine the penny and write down al they notice on both sides of the coin. Prompts can include: - What pictures, words, and numbers do you notice? - What is the coin made of? Once the majority of them finish, pull them back and have them sketch the coin and measure it (like a professional archaeologist) Model how to measure (thickness and diameter) Ask students to consider what this coin could tell future archaeologists about the unknown society. - Time the society existed (date) - The people had a religion (god) - The people knew how to work with metal (material) - The people knew how to construct buildings - Some men had beards - Knowledge of geometry (round) You know, this coin can tell us other things . . . . - The man in the penny is a god

Introduce/ Set the Scene 4 min

Reading the objectives with the class. Imagining they are years in the future.

Coins

Examining and writing what they notice on the coins. Sketching both sides and taking measurements (use centimeters to measure).

10 min

Future archaeologists?

All group discussion about what this coin could tell us about this unknown society.

10 min

10 min

What does the coin tell us?

Participating in the group discussion, then writing down their individual speculations

Penny Artifact 2013

(guesses based on known facts) in their History Reflection Journal. The building is a temple for worshipping the god - A statue of the god is inside the temple - The people of this society had two languages (English & Latin) Discuss with the students these ideas, ask them to speculate what else people might guess about this culture based on this coin. Ask the students to write one other item that archaeologists could find in the same area as the coin that would help them learn more about the coin and its function for the unknown society. Ideas might include: - Books about religious beliefs - Pictures that identify Lincoln - No/few other Latin writing Remind students that ideas about the past change as archaeologists continue to gain more information. Giving instructions both verbally and written. Modeled in my copy of the History Reflection Journal. -

Other items

5 min

Thinking about other items the archaeologists could find and writing them down. Minimum is one item but if they finish quickly challenge them to think of others.

Write the instructions: Rest of I can find 10 items in my the house that can give clues to an period archaeologist. Then, have them write the numbers 1- 10. Pre-Assessment: Verbal Raise your hand if you know what (vocabulary word) means?

Homework

Post Assessment: Writing in their History Reflection Journals. To be scored with a checklist Name: Notes on examination of coin Sketches and measurements of coin Speculation about what this coin could tell us about the unknown society Other items the archaeologists could find to help and the function of those objects 10 items Expand: Infer about 1 object on your list X = yes, blank = no Points 5 5 5 5 5 10

Expand for Next Lesson: The next day as a warm-up activity have the students write a paragraph about what the archaeologist might infer about the students based on the artifacts on their list. Make sure they write about why the archaeologist might come to the conclusions that they do with the artifact you choose.

Penny Artifact 2013

Adaptations Adaptions N/A TAG Plan Modifications Assessment Modifications The next day students will be encouraged to write about more than one artifact from their home. Modification printed directions (see below) Write 5 items in your house that an archaeologist might find. Write 5 items in your house that an archaeologist might find.

IEP

Preferred seating with a written copy of directions.

Written copy of directions. ESOL

Modification Directions: Excavation dig the exposure, processing, and recording of archaeological remains. Site the place where the artifacts are being excavated Speculate guess based on known facts Archaeologist those who study the human past through its material remains. Artifact objects made and used by people 1st Look at the penny: What do you notice? Write down everything that you see. Draw the penny (front and back) nd 2 What can this coin tell us (future archaeologists) about the society? 3rd Think of other things that would help the archaeologist learn what the job of the coin was? 4th I can find 5 items in my house that can give clues to an archaeologist