Grade 6 World Cultures Heads Underground

In World Cultures with Mrs. Yash, students have been discussing how archaeologists and historians interpret the past. They have had two lessons that simulated the work of archaeologists and historians. Read Mrs. Yash's story below to learn more!

First, they participated in the “History of Me” lesson. Students brought in 3 artifacts that were important to them and represented their life. They placed the items in a bag that you could not see through, and there was no name on the bag. They were given a bag during the activity but did not know who it belonged to. Then, they had to write a history about that student based on the items in the bag. After students had written the history, we discussed primary and secondary sources. 

They also watched a video that shared what archaeologists and historians do. Later, we connected this to the activity. Historians and archeologists interact with primary sources, artifacts, etc. They are tasked with creating a “story” about what happened or what the artifacts might show about the daily life of the person who left it behind. Historians and archaeologists publish their ideas, and this research is used to create our textbooks or materials that we learn in class. These publications represent secondary sources.

In our next class, we journeyed underground. Students assumed the role of detectives of the past to discover and interpret clues about how prehistoric humans lived. In small teams, they worked together to interpret a cave painting using social scientists' methodology. Five “caves” in the room had placards hung with paintings and artifacts from actual cave sites around the world. Students carefully examined the images with flashlights, recording details of what they saw. Then, they connected the paintings and artifacts to what they already knew to hypothesize why they were created. Afterward, students read about the paintings and artifacts and updated their notes with what archaeologists believed.

Below are some photos from one class investigating the “caves.”