Archaeological Reasoning - How Archaeologists Work From Artifacts

Calendar Circle + recite Cultural Care Promise + 'sketch share' - children show home material sketches from homework

• Lead routine standing
• Affirm continuity with prior lessons

Define archaeology as 'the careful study of past human activity through material remains.' Show 4 archaeological context photographs (excavation sites). Walk through the archaeological reasoning routine: WHERE was it found (stratigraphy)? WHAT was it found WITH (context)? HOW OLD is it (dating methods - mention carbon dating at G3-light)? WHO made it (cultural attribution from associated objects and oral/written records)?

• Notice that archaeology is reasoning from material PLUS context PLUS time PLUS own-voice consultation - not just looking at objects.

  model The pot is probably Andean. The llama bone suggests the maker was part of an Andean herding culture. If carbon dating shows the bone is from 1400 CE, the pot is likely Inca-era. The archaeologist should check with Quechua scholars on contemporary use of similar pots.

  prompt If an archaeologist found a clay pot with a llama bone alongside in Cusco, what might they reason?

• What does an archaeologist need BESIDES the artifact itself?

Children examine archaeological context photographs as primary sources. The photographs themselves are made by working archaeologists - children identify the photographer and dig name. Apply the 6-question Artifact-Reading Card to the artifact PLUS its context.

M-3-S-HIS-06-A Photograph

4 high-resolution photographs (8x10) showing: Inca terrace excavation at Machu Picchu with archaeologist sketching; Djenne-Djenno mound excavation in Mali with Mande archaeologist measuring; Banpo Neolithic site excavation outside Xi'an with Chinese archaeologist examining clay pot; Lapita pottery site excavation in Fiji with Pacific archaeologist photographing sherds. Each photo has 3-line caption: site name, year, archaeologist credit. Sourced from National Geographic, Smithsonian, or peer-reviewed archaeology journals with permission.

• In pairs, look at ONE archaeological context photograph. Identify: what artifact is shown? what is its context? what would the archaeologist need to know next?

  scaffold Sentence frame: 'The photo shows ___. The artifact is ___. The archaeologist would next ask ___'
• Sign up for the Toolmaker's Workshop tool choice for lesson 18.

  scaffold Teacher signup sheet caps each station at 5 children

M-3-S-HIS-06-B Chart

Laminated 18x24-inch signup sheet with 5 tool-station columns (fiber cordage; clay coiled pinch pot; bone-needle replica; woven basket coil; clay tablet with stamped mark) and 5 child-name slots per column. Children sign up in lesson 6; caps prevent over-allocation.

• Define archaeology in one sentence.
• Name one thing an archaeologist needs to know BESIDES the artifact itself.

• Restate: 'Material culture is historical evidence - even when no written records survive'
• Preview lesson 7's Andean/Inca deep-dive

• Discuss today's lesson with a caregiver and record 2 sentences.