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Index - Teacher's Choice - Museum Events Team Page - Bibliography - Thanks |
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TEACHER'S CHOICE: |
This is the full version of the activity lesson plan from Window to the Past: The Roedde House Curriculum by Kathryn Reeder and Vickie Jensen.
(Go to on-line activity) - (Go to lesson plan index)
Materials Needed:
Objectives:
To stimulate interest in earlier times by exploring artifacts
To be able to figure out what objects were used for and/or how they functioned
To understand progress in terms of the continuity of artifacts - e.g., we want to reproduce our own image but techniques, materials and equipment change and progress. Thus painted portraits were superseded by the tintypes of the late 1800s, which are the Polaroids and snapshots of today, and the digital recordings of the future.
To see that artifact design may be influenced by use, availability of materials, and fashion
To develop a working vocabulary for terms and concepts such as: artifact, heritage, collection, preservation, conservation, original, fake, copy, fashion, style, function, design, taste and value
Activity description:
As a teacher, it is important to set the stage for arousing curiosity and generating enthusiasm about history based on a study of artifacts. You may want to tell of discoveries made about ancient civilizations based on artifacts found at archaeological sites. Similar discoveries can be made about not-so-ancient civilizations, too, because we have a box of our own artifacts to explore!
Explain that all of the artifacts in the box have been chosen to coincide with the turn-of-the-century time period of Roedde House. If students have not previously worked with the artifact box, discuss care in handling. Then take out the items and encourage pairs of students or small groups to carefully observe the objects and then fill out the "Learning from Objects" investigation sheets. These information sheets help students analyze the object by answering questions about an artifact's physical features, construction, function, design and value. Many questions can be answered by carefully observing the object.
Some questions may require research in the library, asking questions of the teacher, or discussing with others in order to reach a conclusion. Ultimately, students should begin to formulate and answer their own questions about an artifact's physical features, construction, function, design and value.
Before students undertake this work, you may want to discuss the general questions on the "Learning from Objects" sheets. For example, when students ask "What is it worth?" most often the question is answered in terms of money. Ask the class if there are other ways something may be of value (i.e., to the people who made it, to the people who use it, to the people who keep it, to them, to a museum). Students should be able to think of various kinds of value in their own possessions, such as a favourite ragged shirt, a letter from someone special, or an old stuffed animal. They should also be able to understand that value may change (when something breaks or no longer works, with scarcity or mass production, with age).
After analysis of their artifact, student pairs or groups may wish to present their findings to the class, either orally or visually. Alternatively, the groups may trade artifacts and do a second or third one. Student groups might also try to come up with the contemporary version of the artifact (if there is one).
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