Students will participate in a simulated archaeological dig as a culminating project. They will be split into teams to dig at assigned sites, decode artifacts, perform radiometric dating to determine artifact ages, restore artifacts, and reflect on the process. The objectives are for students to integrate content areas like using GPS for site location, radiometric dating to date tablets, analyzing tablets, and documenting findings. Relevant standards cover social sciences like history analysis and economics, English skills like research and writing, math like geometry and trigonometry, and science concepts like radioactive decay and half-life calculation.

1. Archeology
Dig at Durham
Ferry
Josh Brigham, Molly
Johnson, Lauren Dinubilo &
Tim Welsh

2. CTE Pathway: Environmental &
natural science engineering
 E2.4: Understand how to read, interpret
and evaluate topographical maps and
images.
 E2.2 Analyze the importance and use of
soil, and evaluate geological hazards.
 E2.5: Use of GPS equipment and related
technology to locate and evaluate soil or
geological conditions or features

3. Context
 The
archaeological
dig will be a
culminating
project presented
at the end of the
unit prior to the
students’ defense
of mastery
presentation.

4. What the day will look like
 Students will separate into 4 cohorts and 4
teams within each cohort.
 Each team will determine dig site and dig up
their artifact.
 Then students will take artifact to decoding
station where they will decipher message.
 Then students will go to the radiometric dating
site to determine the approximate age of
their artifact.

5. What the Day will look like
continued…
 Students will then
go to the artifact
restoration and
reflection site.
 Finally students will
debrief by
reflecting on the
project as a
whole, eat lunch,
and play!

6. Objectives
 Students will be able to integrate content to complete a simulated
archaeological dig. Within each content area:
 Students will be able to locate a dig site using geometry and GPS.
 Students will be able to use simulated radiometric dating to
determine the approximate age of ancient tablets.
 Students will be able to historically evaluate and analyze ancient
tablets to determine proper classification.
 Students will document their findings in note format and reflect on
their experience in an autobiographical narrative.

7. Knowledge
 Knowledge: Academic foundations;
communications; critical thinking and
problem solving; health, safety and
environmental; information technology
applications; leadership and teamwork;
ethics and legal responsibilities; and
technical skills.

8. Content Standards
Curriculum 341 TCSJ
Social Sciences
English
Math
Science

9. Social Sciences
History:
 Analysis Skills 4.0 Students construct and test
hypotheses; collect, evaluate, and employ
information from multiple primary and
secondary sources; and apply it in oral and
written presentations.
Economics:
 12.6.3 Understanding the change role of
international political borders and territorial
sovereignty in a global economy.

10. English
 Reading 2.1: Analyze the structure and format of
functional workplace documents,
including the graphics and headers, and explain
how authors use the features to achieve
their purposes
 Reading 2.6: Demonstrate the use of sophisticated
learning tools by following technical directions
(e.g.: GPS)
 Writing strategies 1.3: Use clear research questions
and suitable research methods
 Writing 2.1: Write an autobiographical narrative
(reflection)
 Writing 2.5: Write business letters

11. Math
 Algebra 1:
 2.0: Students understand and use such operations as taking the
opposite, finding the reciprocal, taking a root, …”
 5.0: Students solve multi-step problems, …”
 Geometry:
 5.0: Students prove that triangles are similar, and they are able to
use the concept of corresponding parts of congruent triangles.
 15.0: Students use the Pythagorean theorem to determine distance
and find missing lengths of sides of right triangles.
 19.0: Students use trigonometric functions to solve for an unknown
length of a side of right triangle, given an angle and a length of a
side.
 20.0: Students know and are able to use angle and side
relationships in in problems with special right triangles, such as 30-
60-90 triangles and 45-45-90 triangles.

12. Science
Nuclear Processes:
 a. Students know some naturally occurring isotopes of
elements are radioactive, as are isotopes formed in
nuclear reactions.
 b. Students know the three most common forms of
radioactive decay (alpha, beta, and gamma) and know
how the nucleus changes in each type of decay.
 c* Students know how to calculate the amount of a
radioactive substance remaining after an integral number
of half-lives have passed.

13. Curriculum 341 TCSJ

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