Lesson Plan 1: Analyzing and Interpreting Artifacts WORKSHEET 1 by: Laurie Miroff and Mary F. Price - Public Archaeology Facility, Binghamton University

Overview

Students will practice artifact analysis and interpretation by studying prehistoric and historic artifacts.

Objectives/Skills

Students will:

• 1. Make observations of artifacts.
• 2. Use scientific reasoning and archaeological methods to interpret artifacts.
• 3. Make accurate measurements using the metric system.
• 4. Make accurate scale drawings.
• 5. Record data.

Grade level Grades 5 - 8.


Background

Discuss artifacts with students–define them (refers to anything that has been altered by humans. This includes objects like projectile points, ceramics, metal, etc.); discuss the fact that artifacts are not the end product, but are important for what they can tell us about the people who made and used them; review the principles of context and association. Context refers to the materials surrounding an artifact or feature (i.e., gravel, clay, sand) and the artifact's/feature's provenience (the horizontal and vertical position of an artifact or feature); association is the co-occurrence of an artifact with other archaeological remains. Context and association are the basis for how archaeologists begin to reconstruct past lifeways. A practical example of context and association in use is the following: finding a sink inside of a house indicates use within the structure (context); finding a sink in a house together with plates, utensils, plastic containers, an oven, etc., indicates that the room functioned as a kitchen (association). Students will also need to understand the terms prehistoric and historic. Prehistoric refers to people who did not leave a written record (e.g., Native Americans), whereas historic refers to people who left written records (e.g., Euro-Americans). Prehistoric peoples did, however, have a history, it was just not written. Remind students that the historic period did not begin everywhere in the world, or in the Americas, at the same time.

Preparation

You will need the following materials:

• Copies of the worksheet (see below; 2 pages). Graph paper can be used for scale drawings of the artifacts.
• Artifacts or pictures of artifacts–prehistoric and historic. You can use reproductions of prehistoric artifacts. Using real, provenienced artifacts from archaeological sites is not recommended. Historic artifacts may be obtained from antique stores or flea markets. Try to get objects whose use may not be directly obvious.
• Pencils and rulers.

Procedure

Begin by discussing artifacts with the students and the difference between the terms prehistoric and historic. Divide students into groups of 3 or 4. Assign a recorder and a reporter (other tasks can be assigned to the remaining students in the group, for example, measure, draw). Worksheet 1 is designed to get students to describe the artifacts. Worksheet 2 is designed to have students interpret their artifacts. Hand out the worksheets and give each group a prehistoric and historic artifact, a pencil and a ruler. Have students work through their worksheet, one artifact at a time. Remind students to look at all sides of their artifact, including the bottom.

When students have completed their worksheets, have each group report on their artifacts. Discuss their interpretations–what observations led them to their conclusions about artifact use and user? Discuss how they could learn if their interpretation is correct–context, association, similar finds at other sites, historical artifacts may be identified in written records, etc.

In the end, tell students what each artifact is, what it was/is used for, where it came from. If no provenience is given for the artifacts, discuss with the students the amount of information that can be learned from a single artifact--mostly descriptive information. Artifacts lacking information about their context and association are limited clues for archaeologists. While we can learn a lot about an artifact by itself, archaeologists are more interested in what the patterning between the location and the kinds of artifacts found can tell us about how different people lived in the past. This information is unrecoverable without the necessary recordkeeping to record information about context and association.
You may want to further discuss what the students can tell about the people who used the artifacts (e.g. information about leaders, values, technological accomplishments, language, political structure, numerical system, material(s) used, time of use, etc.).