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Free Teacher Resources about Archaeology
We are in the process of compiling our list of free resources for Oklahoma K-12 teachers, as well as writing our own lesson plans for you. To stay up to date on our latest resources, email us at okarchaeology@gmail.com to be added to our email list!
Do you know of an amazing resource that we missed? Let us know, and we will add it to our growing list of the best in the nation!
| Resource Name | Resource Type | Keywords | Ages Targeted | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Career in Archaeology | Several paragraphs of Q & A | Careers, excavation, daily life, training | Grades 7-12 | A Career in Archaeology | |
| Penn Museum's Daily Digital Digs | Website with short videos | Curation, history, global, artifacts | Ages 10 and up | The Daily Dig-Penn Museum | |
| What Will Survive? | Mini-Lesson | Material types, organic/inorganic, preservation, analyzing artifacts | Grades 5-12 | What Will Survive? on the AIA Website | |
| Archaeology Jeopardy | Powerpoint for Jeopardy Game | Careers, tools, artifacts, Florida prehistory | Grades 6-12 | FPAN's Educational Resources | |
| Beyond Artifacts | 130-page PDF with multiple lessons | Archaeology in the movies, geoarchaeology, site grids, mapping, interpreting artifacts, pseudoscience, atlatl, historic graveyards, local historic sites, underwater archaeology, crossword puzzle, timeline, suggested magazines | All ages | FPAN's Resource Book | |
| North Carolina's Intrigue of the Past | Project Archaeology's Intrigue of the Past lessons, and a digital site report | Project Archaeology, Intrigue of the Past, North Carolina, field notes, excavation, Occaneechi site | All ages | UNC's Intrigue of the Past | |
| The Robotic Archaeologist | Lesson plan, background information, and evaluation tools | Underwater archaeology, STEM, robotics, geography, navigation, rates | Grades 9-12 | NOAA Lesson Plan | |
| K-12 Archaeology Activities and Resources | Lesson plans, background information, and methods | Putting it in Perspective, Introducing Archaeology, Historical Research Methods, In the Field, How Old Is It?, Analyzing and Interpreting, and Activity Packets | All ages | SAA Education Resources |
Books Featuring Archaeology
We have also been compiling a list of wonderful books that K-12 teachers might consider using as a supplement to their textbook. Below are suggestions from other archaeologists, authors, and educators - click each book title for more information. If you would like to share other titles that teachers should know about, email us at okarchaeology@gmail.com!
1. Samantha Sutton and the Labyrinth of Lies, by Jordan Jacobs (2012)
Novel about the eventful excavation of a Peruvian temple at the Chavin de Huantar site, featuring a 12-year old. Uses realistic archaeological methods and ethics. Grades 6-8.
2. Samantha Sutton and the Winter of the Warrior Queen, by Jordan Jacobs (2014)
Novel about the eventful excavation of a Roman Britain site, featuring legends of the ancient fortress of Queen Boudica. Uses realistic archaeological methods and ethics. Grades 6-8.
3. Carbon Comics (currently two issues in print), by the University of Georgia Center for Applied Isotope Studies (2019)
Available in both Spanish and English, these comic books incorporate scientific methods like radiocarbon dating and archaeometallurgy. Appropriate for Grades 5-12, but written at a 5th-grade reading level.
4. Mystery of the Lascaux Cave (Frozen in Time series), by Dorothy H. Patent (1999)
Discusses the walls on the cave, the discovery of the cave, and efforts to preserve it. Grades 4-8.
5. Secrets of the Ice Man (Frozen in Time series), by Dorothy H. Patent (1999)
Describes Oetzi the Ice Man and the data from the forensic technologies used to examine him. Grades 4-8.
6. Treasures of the Spanish Main (Frozen in Time series), by Dorothy H. Patent (2000)
Describes Mel Fisher’s discovery of the Atocha shipwreck.
7. The Incredible Story of China’s Buried Warriors (Frozen in Time series), by Dorothy H. Patent (2000)
Discusses the discovery of and the mystery behind the thousands of buried terra cotta warriors belonging to Qin Shihuangdi, First Emperor of China. Grades 4-8.
8. Lost City of Pompeii (Frozen in Time series), by Dorothy H. Patent (2000)
A clear format and beautiful illustrations show the discovery of the Roman city of Pompeii and how the volcanic eruption of 79 AD preserved the city. Grades 4-8.
9. The Horse and the Plains Indians: A Powerful Partnership, by Dorothy H. Patent (2012)
Describes the historical significance of the introduction of the horse to Native Americans living on the Plains.
10. I Can Be an Archaeologist, by Robert B. Pickering (1987)
Describes what an archaeologist is and what kind of work they do. Grades 1-3.
11. The People, by Robert B. Pickering (1996)
Discusses the early history of North American people, prior to contact with Europeans.
12. The Buffalo Jump, by Peter Roop (1996)
This prehistoric method of hunting, the buffalo jump, is described here from the point of view of a young Native American boy. Grades 1-4.
13. Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland, by Sally Walker (2009)
Shows how the scientists investigated graves at Jamestown and other colonial sites to learn the stories of those that died there. Grades 6-12.
