Table of Contents
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What's this lesson all about?
Pottery is an essential element of archaeology. It is a very common artifact that is left behind in the archaeological record. This has led to much anthropological research being done about pottery and ceramics. Pottery is part of the material culture of a population.
In the activity for this week, we want to let the kids get a hands on experience, because archaeology is all about material remains. We taught them about artifacts and then let them craft their own clay pots. Fast drying clay can be found in any craft store and at Target and Walmart. I got a 5 lb. box and it was way too much for 9 kids, so use this information wisely!
What is the difference between Archaeology and Paleontology?
Another important part of our lesson is the difference between archaeology and paleontology, because the two are very often confused. Both fields deal with ancient materials, but that's where the similarities end. Archaeology is about studying material remains left by humans. Paleontology is the study of fossils and ancient animals. While archaeologists may study bones, these bones will be only those important to humans. A bone can be an artifact but only if it is modified by humans, like a deer bone awl or deer antler chisel.
How Do Archaeologists Interpret Artifacts?
Whenever an archaeologist comes across material remains, they try to interpret their discovery. For any given artifact there are many potential explanations. A clay pot could have been a vessel for carrying goods, cooking, decoration, ceremonies, or for a purpose we haven’t even thought of! Sometimes we ask questions: What is this made of? Has it been well preserved? Does it show signs of wear? After answering these questions, archaeologists look for clues to further interpret their findings. Sometimes these clues come in the form of symbols that are found on the object. If we already have a lot of information on a culture, we can sometimes make an educated guess about what a symbol represents.
In the activity for this week, we want to let the kids get a hands on experience, because archaeology is all about material remains. We taught them about artifacts and then let them craft their own clay pots. Fast drying clay can be found in any craft store and at Target and Walmart. I got a 5 lb. box and it was way too much for 9 kids, so use this information wisely!
What is the difference between Archaeology and Paleontology?
Another important part of our lesson is the difference between archaeology and paleontology, because the two are very often confused. Both fields deal with ancient materials, but that's where the similarities end. Archaeology is about studying material remains left by humans. Paleontology is the study of fossils and ancient animals. While archaeologists may study bones, these bones will be only those important to humans. A bone can be an artifact but only if it is modified by humans, like a deer bone awl or deer antler chisel.
How Do Archaeologists Interpret Artifacts?
Whenever an archaeologist comes across material remains, they try to interpret their discovery. For any given artifact there are many potential explanations. A clay pot could have been a vessel for carrying goods, cooking, decoration, ceremonies, or for a purpose we haven’t even thought of! Sometimes we ask questions: What is this made of? Has it been well preserved? Does it show signs of wear? After answering these questions, archaeologists look for clues to further interpret their findings. Sometimes these clues come in the form of symbols that are found on the object. If we already have a lot of information on a culture, we can sometimes make an educated guess about what a symbol represents.
Videos
The video (above) lists our three main objectives when teaching anthropology:
- defining artifacts
- understanding cultural variation in technique and style
- interpreting symbols found on artifacts
Sometimes it is necessary to ask an expert or a member of the culture to help us understand what our artifact represents. This is what we call ethnoarchaeology. In the video example (above), the symbols on a clay pot represent the origin story of The Pink Mockingbird Flamingos clan. With the help of a clan member we discovered a tale of magic, totems, and a sacred tree! Isn’t culture fascinating?
This video (above) is a compilation of interviews done by the students of Arcadia, who are interviewing their classmates.
Documenting the Past: Creating Pottery Lesson Plan
by Kelsey Kennedy
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Graders
Seven Sessions
Lesson: Documenting the Past
Materials Needed:
Note: the shark teeth that we use in our lesson were provided to us by Dr. Dana Ehret from the Paleontology Collection at the University of Alabama. We understand that not everyone will have access to these things. The best thing to supplement these would be pictures from online.
Review:
Focus:
Objectives:
Guided Practice:
Independent Practice (Activity):
Note: this activity can be a little difficult for the younger students who may have a hard time shaping the clay. When this has happened in the class, we spend a little one on one time demonstrating how to shape the clay.
Review:
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Graders
Seven Sessions
Lesson: Documenting the Past
Materials Needed:
- Fast Dry Clay
- Design Objects – Popsicle sticks, plastic forks, toothpicks
- Examples of artifacts or pictures of artifacts
Note: the shark teeth that we use in our lesson were provided to us by Dr. Dana Ehret from the Paleontology Collection at the University of Alabama. We understand that not everyone will have access to these things. The best thing to supplement these would be pictures from online.
Review:
- What is ethnography?
- What is ethnocentrism?
- CLAP
Focus:
- What is archaeology, what is paleontology, and how are they different?
- What is an artifact?
Objectives:
- Students this week will understand how archaeology and anthropology relate.
- Archaeology: studying past cultures through their materials remains
- They will understand why archaeology is important.
- They will understand the difference between archaeology and paleontology
- Paleontology: studying fossilized bone to understand ancient animals
- Students will learn what an artifact is
- Artifact: material remains left behind by a culture
- The artifact class that we focus on is ceramics
- ceramics are common artifacts, so they are easy to study.
Guided Practice:
- Students will pass around artifacts and fossils to have a hands on understanding of what each is.
- This is when the terracotta warrior and shark-tooth got passed around.
- You can also pass around pictures or display them on the board.
Independent Practice (Activity):
- Students get to make their own clay pottery.
- This is where the air dry clay comes into play.
- They get to learn a couple pottery techniques and then teachers will help them make their own.
- After the clay dries, we’ll bring them back and hand them out to take home.
Note: this activity can be a little difficult for the younger students who may have a hard time shaping the clay. When this has happened in the class, we spend a little one on one time demonstrating how to shape the clay.
Review:
- Archaeology is important to understand our own history and cultures that are no longer around.
- It helps us understand settlement patterns of past cultures, and also how we shaped the landscapes.
- What is an artifact?
Downloadable Content
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Gallery
Below is a gallery of pictures that are examples of some of the ceramic objects students made. One clan was named the "Awesome Sharks of Blue," so you'll see some sharks in there! We also sent the kids home with a shark tooth from millions of years ago with a worksheet about why the tooth would be studied by paleontologists and not archaeologists.
