Investigating Artifacts

Two new, standards-aligned investigations use select artifacts from the Natural History Museum of Utah’s (NHMU) archaeology collections to support students in their work to develop an evidenced-based understanding of people who lived more than 1,000 years ago. Each investigation is organized in sections to make it easy for students to complete over several class periods. And the investigations are flexible, so you can use them as designed or implement a pacing and focus that works best for your students.

Target Audience: 6th-8th Grades

Standards Alignment:

Utah U.S. I Standard 1.1, Utah SEED standard 8.1.4, NGSS PS1.A, as well as, DOK levels 1-4 and ELA Common Core Standards.
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Artifact Investigations:

How do synthetic materials impact society?

Total Estimated Time: 2-3 class periods, 170 minutes

Museum archaeologists and educators lead students through this phenomenon-based investigation to identify and explain the difference between natural materials and synthetic materials. Students use early ceramics as a case study to evaluate how this early synthetic material impacted the lives of people who used them.

SECTION 1: WARM-UP
What is a synthetic material?

(20 minutes)

SECTION 2: GATHER & ANALYZE
What was the form and function of the object this sherd came from?

(60 minutes)

SECTION 3: INTERPRET
How do ceramics compare to other tools that are not synthetic?

(50 minutes)

SECTION 4: COMMUNICATE
How did ceramics impact the lives of people who first invented them and how has that impacted society today?

(40 minutes)

What do the artifacts from Range Creek tell us about the people who lived there?

Estimated Time: 2-3 class periods, 165 minutes

Students engage in the science of archaeology as they examine the NHMU’s field site, Range Creek, to analyze artifacts and other primary sources to make evidence-based inferences about the people who lived there prior to European expansion of the Americas.

SECTION 1: WARM-UP
How do we know humans lived here?

(20 minutes)

SECTION 2: SITE SURVEY
What kinds of sites are found at Range Creek?

(30 minutes)

SECTION 3: GATHER
What kinds of artifacts were found in Range Creek?

(45 minutes)

SECTION 4: ANALYZE
What can these artifacts tell us about the people who used them?

(30 minutes)

SECTION 5: INTERPRET
How do artifacts tell us about the lives of indigenous people?

(20 minutes)

SECTION 6: COMMUNICATE
Compare their daily lives to your own. What was daily life like for the people of Range Creek?

(20 minutes)

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