Grade 6 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 3, Lesson 2

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
A Message of Ancient Days

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 3, Lesson 2: Examining Sources (pp. 64-70)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Interconnectedness Archaeologists recover and study artifacts, ruins, bones, and fossils to learn about the past.

Discuss with students how and especially why archaeologists carefully record the location of every artifact they find. Link this to the task of interpretation that archaeologists must do.

Review some of the different methods archaeologists use to date and to understand the objects they find. Be sure students understand that these different methods can sometimes lead to different interpretations.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Group students in pairs and give each pair two random objects, such as a pencil and an apple, or a notebook and a glove. Have the groups imagine they are archaeologists in the future who have discovered these objects (that they have never seen before) together at a site. Encourage students to come up with creative explanations for the use of the objects. Have volunteers present their explanations to the class.
Have students work in groups to create a time capsule for future archaeologists to study. Students should include items or drawings of items that reflect the activities they like to do, such as play sports, read books, eat certain foods, and listen to certain music. When the capsule is finished, hide it from students. Later in the year, open it and discuss with the class what conclusions archaeologists might draw from each item inside.

Social Studies Center | Houghton Mifflin Social Studies | Grade 6 Home
Education Place | Site Index

You may download, print, and make copies of Lesson at a Glance pages for use in your classroom, provided that you include the copyright notice shown below on all such copies.