Fun Friday! (on a Tues.)

Field Trip to WSU Anthropology Department

  

During our visit to Wichita State University we - 

• visited the Bio Lab, where we learned how to tell if a skeleton was male or female, looked at other evidence that bones can tell us, and heard about Forensic Archaeologists helping to solve murders. We also compared skulls of Neanderthals with those of modern humans
• went to the Archaeology Lab where our presenter helped us understand the work they do with arrow heads, pot shards, and the careful inspection, preservation, and storage of artifacts.  We also got to see (and touch!) a 200,000 year old mammoth tusk found at Cunningham, Ks.
• explored the Holmes Museum of Anthropology, where we learned so much about the Asmat culture, and gained an appreciation for their unique carvings. We also learned about Native American jewelry, pottery, and textiles, and saw items from the new Pizza Hut exhibit being developed.
• did a hands-on activity with actual artifacts in the WSU collection, trying to analyze and interpret what each artifact was made from, and how it was used.  Some were really hard to get right!
• discovered that there was much hidden information in the hall displays which we uncovered with our scavenger hunt. 

We appreciate all the time and expertise that the WSU Anthropology Department staff and students shared with our Eighth Grade scholars. 

Wichita City Archaeologist

Sheila Hauser, the Wichita City Archaeologist, visited our class and shared her work with our students.

VISIT THE WSU ANTHROPOLOGY DEPARTMENT WEB SITE FOR MORE INFORMATION: WSU ANTHROPOLOGY DEPT. WEB SITE

Archaeology Unit Phase II

Eighth Grade Ancient History Scholars 

Make Inferences about "Rescued" Artifacts!

After creating their own unique civilization and

creating artifacts representing their culture's

universals, the students received a box of "found"

artifacts and after measuring, drawing,

and cataloging each artifact, they gave their best

interpretations of the culture which produced the

artifacts.  There were many discussions about the

evidence left behind, and some of the languages

were very difficult to decipher.

You can visit the "Museum of Unique Treasures" in

the Middle School Library later this week to see the

inferences they made about the civilizations they

analyzed.

Archaeology Unit - Phase I Create a Culture

 

Creating a Civilization: 

(Group activities with individual components)

• Teams of students have studied cultural universals which represent a society, such as government, economics, attitude toward the unknown, ethics and values. 
• They then did "backward" archaeology by creating a civilization in the past, present, or future, and deciding which cultural universals were the most important to that society. Each team member will make two artifacts which would best represent those aspects of their society. 
•  They will also create a written language, leaving behind a "Rosetta Stone" with their culture's language, English, and Latin or another language (for extra credit!) on it, and artifacts with only their language on them.

• Soon another team will try to interpret their artifacts, decode their language, and make inferences about what was important to their culture.

Archaeology Unit - Kansas Like You've Never Seen It!

Mr. Elmore's Kansas Presentation

Prehistory Rocks!

Are you related to Otzi? 

Check out this link to find out!

PREHISTORY UNIT TEST

Thurs. 10/5 In-class Essay

Fri. 10/6 Objective Section

- Highlight items on Criteria List that you need to review. Find the info in your book, notes, and worksheets. 

- Use the List of Study Materials to be sure you use all of your resources. 

- Use the Time Chart 

- Use 5 Characteristics of a Civilization chart

- Other good sources: Prehistory Notes and Large Print Prehistory, Vocabulary Definitions 

- Ask questions in class and come to tutorial for extra review or with anything you don't feel confident that you know well.