Name: Amanda Berdine

Grade & Subject:

EDUC 5314

Fifth Grade Science

Lesson Cycle (5E Model)

Lesson Title/Topic: 5th Grade Exploring Careers: Get to Digging! Archaeologist
Standards: TEKS (112.16) 2C: collect information by detailed observations and accurate
measuring
Lesson Objectives: The student will learn
what archaeologist do by excavating,
measuring, and recording puzzle pieces
placed at different levels in a dig box in a
journal with 90% accuracy.

Assessment (Evaluation): Completed

journal and incomplete puzzle

Materials: plastic boxes, potting soil, sand, rock, decomposed granite, puzzle pieces, beads,
spoons, table cloth, sifters, mini dust pan & broom, brushes, journals, paper & pencil

The teacher will:

Focus (Engagement): Ask students what
their impression of the word
Archaeologist does.
Create a graphic organizer on chart paper
of suggestions from students with their
impression of what an archaeologist may
do.
Teacher Input (Explanation &
Elaboration): Have a poster board with
the following information:
An archaeologist doesnt just dig!
Archaeologists in government agencies are
responsible for protecting, managing and
interpreting archaeological sites on public
land. They may manage collections of
artifacts, work in education or public
programming, work in museums, or
manage research programs, collections, and
exhibitions. Archaeologists are often
employed by universities as faculty

The student will:

Share their ideas of what an
archaeologist does.

Share their understanding of an

archaeologists job duties.

Name: Amanda Berdine

EDUC 5314

Grade & Subject:

Fifth Grade Science

members that teach undergraduate and

graduate students. Academic archaeologists
also work as researchers in their field. They
raise money to fund their fieldwork by
writing grants. Archaeologists direct
excavations and publish the results of their
work for the public through different
publications (books & journals).
If you want to become an archaeologist the
minimum amount of education needed is a
4-year college degree (BA or BS) with a
major in anthropology or archaeology.
An average salary for an archaeologist with
an advanced degree and several years of
experience managing projects and staff is
approximately $45,000. A professor or a
museum curator who has a PhD, years of
experience, and produced publications,
may earn $80,000 -$100,000 a year.
Explain that archaeological goals are as
follows:
Introduce principles of stratigraphy
and excavation. Explain why it is
important to dig horizontally and
excavate one layer at a time (to
preserve context).
Express how our knowledge of the
past is incomplete and show how
some of its gaps came to exist.
Reveal how careless work can
affect interpretation, destroy the
site, and cover cultural change.
Stress that excavation and
archaeological investigation are not
treasure hunting, but rather moral
events to restore a past cultures
heritage.
Teach students how to measure,
map, and draw the archaeological
site.
Ask students the following questions:

Answer questions.

Name: Amanda Berdine

EDUC 5314

Grade & Subject:

Fifth Grade Science

Which layer is the earlier layer? (In

stratigraphy, each layer builds upon
the last, and lower layers are earlier
than the ones above.)
What would happen if an
archaeologist dug deeply and
excavated dirt and sand together,
instead of first removing the dirt
separately, and then the sand?
Why would it be better to dig each
layer carefully and

Guided Practice (Exploration): Divide

students into 5 groups of 3 and 1 group of
two.
Distribute dig boxes to each group. Each
box contains 11 pieces of a 12 piece
puzzle. Puzzle pieces are placed at different
levels within the strata (layers). Members
of the group will take turns being the
digger, the measurer, the recorder, and the
sifter. Explain that excavation is like
putting a puzzle together. Sometimes the
archaeologist has all the pieces and other
times they do not. When pieces are missing
the archeologist has to fill them in by
making inferences.

Get into groups.

Use dig materials (trowel [spoon],

brushes, etc.)
Measure using string of beads,
record how many beads deep, wide,
and long. Take notes on the stratum
layer the material was found in
(color, feel, which layer, etc.) and
record measurement.
Look for material in screen and
move dirt to shaker area.

Once the material is removed from the soil

the group will work together to construct
the puzzle.
Independent Practice (Evaluation): Have
students come to a conclusion about what
the completed puzzle would look like.

Put puzzle together.

Students will write their conclusion in their

journals and create their story.

Name: Amanda Berdine

EDUC 5314

Grade & Subject:

Fifth Grade Science

Students will draw from the information

that is provided from the other 11 puzzle
pieces. Students will write their conclusion
in their journals and then create a story
around the image on the puzzle.
Closure: Have students turn to their
shoulder buddy and share if they would
like to be an archaeologist.
Options:
Enrichment: Students will be able to
choose one of two options. 1. Students may
use the classroom computers to research
what would happen to the stratigraphy if
there were an earthquake? Once they are
finished students will compare the
stratigraphy before/after the earthquake
using a Venn diagram. 2. Students will use
the classroom computer to research current
or past archaeological finds and rank the
top two. Have students justify their opinion
on why they chose the way they did.
Students will write this in their journals.

Share if they want to be an archaeologist or

not.

Reteach: Put students in pairs and have

them excavate chocolate chips from a
chocolate chip cookie by using a toothpick
without destroying the chips or the cookie.
Explain how the goal of an archaeologist is
to remove artifacts (which would be the
chips) while preserving the other layers
(cookie) around it.

Modifications:
Follow students specific 504 and IEP
plans.
References: Brown, S. (2006). Transparent Shoebox Dig. Retrieved from
https://www.archaeological.org/pdfs/education/digs/Digs_T-shoebox.pdf