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Archaeology and the Common Core

Using Objects and Methodology to Teach Twenty-First-Century Skills in Middle School

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2017

Geralyn Ducady ,
Mariani Lefas-Tetenes ,
Sarah Sharpe  and
Miriam A. W. Rothenberg
Geralyn Ducady
Affiliation:
Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University, 300 Tower Street, Bristol, RI 02809, (Geralyn_Ducady@brown.edu)
Mariani Lefas-Tetenes
Affiliation:
RISD Museum, Rhode Island School of Design, 224 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02903
Sarah Sharpe
Affiliation:
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University, Box 1837, 60 George St., Providence, RI 02912
Miriam A. W. Rothenberg
Affiliation:
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University, Box 1837, 60 George St., Providence, RI 02912
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Abstract

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Museum educators and graduate students at Brown University’s Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology and the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, along with the RISD Museum at the Rhode Island School of Design, are entering their eighth year of partnering with sixth-grade social studies teachers in Providence Public Schools in a five-session classroom and museumbased archaeology program called Think Like an Archaeologist. This experiential program uses the study of archaeological methods to address state and national social studies standards and bridges social studies content with the literacy standards of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that aim at moving students toward twenty-first-century skill building. Students not only understand the science behind the content in their textbooks but also learn how to use museum objects and archaeological artifacts as primary resources. Students also learn to “read” artifacts, express their ideas in spoken and written language as historians, and use academic vocabulary as required by CCSS while thinking like archaeologists. Through teacher feedback and student evaluations, we know this program to be a successful example of the benefits of teaching archaeological skills in middle school curricula—so much so that it has now been re-created at additional schools in other regions.

Resumen

Resumen

Los educadores y estudiantes graduados del Museo Haffenreffer de Antropología y del Instituto Joukowsky de Arqueología y Mundo Antiguo de la Universidad de Brown y del Museo de la Escuela de Diseño de Rhode Island llevan ocho años creando vínculos con los maestros de sexto año básico en ciencias sociales de las escuelas públicas de Providence, con el programa llamado Think Like an Archeologist (Piensa como un Arqueólogo). Este programa, basado en la experiencia, utiliza el estudio de los métodos arqueológicos para abordar estándares de estudios sociales estatales y nacionales, posibilitando a los estudiantes no solo a entender la ciencia que hay detrás del contenido de sus textos escolares, sino que también a aprender cómo usar los objetos expuestos en los museos y los artefactos arqueológicos como fuentes primarias. Además, el programa usa el estudio de la arqueología como puente entre los contenidos de los estudios sociales con los nuevos Common Core State Standards CCSS nacionales (Estándares Estatales Centrales Comunes), con el objetivo de crear estándares de alfabetización que promuevan en los estudiantes el desarrollo de habilidades propias del siglo 21. Los estudiantes aprenden cómo “leer” los artefactos, expresar sus ideas en lenguaje oral y escrito como historiadores y usar vocabulario académico requerido por el CCSS mientras piensan como arqueólogos. A partir de las respuestas de los profesores y las evaluaciones de los estudiantes, hemos sido capaces de saber que este programa ha sido un ejemplo exitoso de los beneficios que implica enseñar habilidades arqueológicas en el currículum educacional durante sexto año básico. Este programa ha sido tan exitoso que incluso ha sido recreado en otras escuelas de otras regiones.

Type
Research Article
Information
Advances in Archaeological Practice , Volume 4 , Issue 4: Special Issue: Designing and Assessing Public Education Programs in Archaeology , November 2016 , pp. 517 - 536
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2016

References

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