To better equip students with a working knowledge of the American Colonial Period, students will be given the roles of both historian and archeologist.  They will be faced with the challenge of negotiating these two similar, yet distinct roles, while they actively participate in investigative research.  Posed with unfamiliar historical artifacts, the students must provide a detailed description of the object and use logic to speculate about its use within its historical context.

Objectives
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The student will be able to

• describe the difference between the roles of historian and archeologist.

• apply investigative techniques and analysis to describe historic objects.

• work cooperatively to respond to investigative challenge.

• gain insights into topics through investigations.

Prerequisite Knowledge
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Students will have begun a unit on the American Colonial Period.  Students will have a basic understanding of life in the colonies, government (i.e. British/American).  Students will also be familiar with the differences between the roles of archeologist and historian.  They will have knowledge of their tools and methods (i.e. Artifact Analysis Worksheet).

Materials
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Artifact Analysis Worksheet

List of pre-assigned groups

Prior to Videoconference:

Teacher will have assigned groups of three and presented group lists to students.  Groups will be composed of a “speaker”, “recorder”, and “timer”.  Students will come to videoconference with notes on archeologist vs. historian

Go To Videoconference