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By Rebecca Simon, Colorado Assistant State Archaeologist. March 2021

Is Archaeology Essential?

Rebeccasimon
In 2013, I was an education intern for History Colorado. Little did I know that 5.5 years later I would be the Assistant State Archaeologist starting on the 142nd anniversary of Colorado becoming a state, August 1, 2018 (History Colorado Center; Denver, CO) (Photo credit: Becca Simon)

When asked to reflect on my career, I decided to read the cover letter I wrote to get my current job as Colorado’s Assistant State Archaeologist. Going back to that cover letter, I am actually a little embarrassed by some of the weird phrasing and odd statements. Oh well.

In 2018 I wrote, “My ideal job includes conducting research in tandem with public outreach, and educational programming. I completed my Masters of Arts degree at Colorado State University with a project that focused on integrating archaeology into K-12 education. In addition to my master’s, I have Bachelor of Arts degrees from Pennsylvania State University in Anthropology and English. My archaeological experience geographically includes the American Southwest, western High Plains, and the Rocky Mountains. I also have international survey experience in southern Jordan. My research interests include public outreach, archaeology education, contact period studies, early mining sites, and Southwestern ceramics. Since 2008, I have been professionally involved in over 20 archaeological projects in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Kansas, for multiple cultural resource management firms. My duties on these projects included archaeological survey, excavation, remote sensing, artifact analysis, archival research, curation, database entry, report writing, site form production, quality control, teaching, and supervising.”

Dr. Dean R. Snow at Penn State told us as freshmen that if we wanted a job in archaeology, we needed to go into cultural resource management (CRM). About ten years ago, archaeologists estimated that as much as 90% of archaeological studies occurred because of CRM, an industry dictated by federal, state, and local laws in an effort to protect and manage archaeological sites, historic places, and artifacts. In 2008, I got my first CRM job with the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML) working on Fort Carson, an US Army base in Colorado Springs, CO, after the training grounds experienced a large fire and impacted many sites.

A lot happened in ten years, but my cover letter still reflected the needs and focus of CRM – geographical regions of where I worked, how many projects I was a part of, and skills I gained. However, my passions did change and I tried to express that. “My career goals and passions revolve around public outreach and archaeology education. I am active on several committees and task force groups focused on furthering the dissemination of archaeological research…”

A few years ago, I heard the term, “anthropological archaeology”. Since I trained in the United States and in the 21st century, I learned that archaeology (study of the past) was a subfield of anthropology (the study of people) and thus, struggled with this term. I found identifying as  an “anthropological

Challenges, Strategies, and Solutions for Archaeology and Heritage Outreach Today: A Forum Summary

Challenges, Strategies, and Solutions for Archaeology and Heritage Outreach Today: A Forum Summary

By A. Gwynn Henderson, Education Director at the Kentucky Archaeological Survey at Western Kentucky University

From April 2021

Months ago, Project Archaeology’s Public Education Coordinator Kate Hodge asked me to prepare a blog post for the Modern Issues in Archaeology series. At the time, I wasn’t sure what I would write about, but I was confident I could come up with something.  Closer to the due date, I started musing on my blog’s focus. Kate had already covered many important issues: Museum Changes, Repatriation, Terrorism, Looting, and Illicit Trade of Cultural Property. What in the world would I blog about that held relevance for Project Archaeology readers?  I worried. I wondered. I tossed and turned. The deadline of April 23rd drew closer and closer.

The Survey’s education series – booklets written for a general audience like this one on the Adena people of central Kentucky – also have been used in college courses.

A Last-minute Inspiration
Almost exactly a week before the blog was due, inspiration struck! What about the Society for American Archaeology forum I was going to participate in? Maybe a blog about that would interest readers…I explained to Kate that I was one of seven public archaeology/heritage education archaeologists who had been asked to participate in a 2-hour, virtual, live forum – Triumphs, Challenges, And Possibilities In Heritage Education – sponsored by The Heritage Education Network (THEN) at the Society for American Archaeology’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 15.  Would she be willing to wait until after that event, so I could determine if what I learned during my experience would hold any inspiration for Project Archaeology readers? If not, I’d have to punt. Or worse yet, Kate would have to step in and post a blog on short notice.  Kate said yes! The forum was fun and interesting and stimulating. And so, too, Dear Reader, I hope is the following blog.

What This Blog Is About
I will begin by telling you about the forum and its purpose, about the participants, and about how the live event played out. Then I’ll summarize the responses to two of the questions. And, in a bit of shameless advertising, this blog is illustrated with images linked to the  educational programs that the Kentucky Archaeological Survey has developed over the years. You can learn more about them through our new website    https://www.kentuckyarchaeologicalsurvey.org/.


Archaeologists with several organizations and teachers from many school districts worked with Survey staff to pilot Investigating a Shotgun House. Here workshop teachers discuss stewardship issues lead by a workshop leader.

Forum Purpose and Members
The forum considered the successes, challenges, and strategies of heritage education. Forum organizers acknowledged that despite "major accomplishments in heritage education, including the successful implementation of new and established public outreach programs and additions to the scholarly and popular literature on programming and its assessment," many challenges remain. "Heritage educators are still not reaching all the audiences they need to

Want to Get a Jump on the Common Core? Project Archaeology Is the Answer

Want to Get a Jump on the Common Core? Project Archaeology Is the Answer

By Jeanne M. Moe, BLM Project Archaeology Lead, March 15, 2014

Archaeology is Interdisciplinary

Archaeology.  The word alone is fascinating and immediately brings images of far-off lands, fabulous artifacts, and ancient lifeways to our minds.  Fascinating, but you must be an archaeologist to study the ways of the ancients, right?  Wrong.    Archaeology is a perfect addition to upper elementary classrooms and provides a ready-made vehicle to implement the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

By its very nature, archaeology is interdisciplinary; it studies cultures, and past human lifeways, but it uses sciences such as geology, botany, zoology, and chemistry to analyze and interpret historical data.  At Project Archaeology, we have aligned our existing curricular materials to Common Core Standards and are developing all new materials based on the CCSS and Next Generation Science Standards.   Project Archaeology instruction helps build college and career-ready students in the following ways (NGA 2010):

  • Students learn to comprehend and evaluate complex texts across a range of types and disciplines (oral histories, scientific explanations, and biographical texts). They are expected to construct effective arguments and convey intricate and multifaceted information to others.  They are required to build on the ideas of others and articulate their own ideas in a range of formats including speaking, writing, and graphic design.
  • Students establish an in-depth base of knowledge about the processes of archaeology and content that is built through archaeological inquiry. They become proficient in archaeological inquiry and can conduct their own simple investigations with Project Archaeology materials. They refine and share their content knowledge through writing and speaking.
  • Students cite specific evidence when offering an oral or written interpretation of a text, a bar graph, or a primary source such as historic photographs, artifacts, and archaeological site maps. They are expected to use relevant evidence when supporting their own points in writing and speaking, making their reasoning clear to the reader or listener, and they constructively evaluate others’ use of evidence.
  • Students actively seek to understand other perspectives and cultures through reading, listening, and examining the archaeological record of their own or another culture. They examine similarities and differences between themselves and members of other cultures.
  • Students adapt their communication to their audience, task, and purpose (for example, writing explanatory or informational texts; creating persuasive speeches; engaging in civic dialogue; developing media for specific purposes such as brochures or web pages; and creating graphics such as bar graphs, pie charts, and drawings to express information).

Pa InvestigatingshelterProject Archaeology is now celebrating 25 years of providing high-quality archaeology education materials and professional development to educators nationwide.  What are some of our Project Archaeology teachers saying about archaeology and the Common Core?  Evaluations from teachers at our professional development workshops indicate that Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter, our main curriculum unit, aligns well to Common Core State Standards. Here is a sample of their evaluations:

    • “Project Archaeology is the Common Core” – Stella Estrada, California Council for

The Tragedy and Triumph of America’s First Born

The Tragedy and Triumph of America's First Born

By Dr. Shane Doyle

Ancient Graves in Alaska Tell the Story of Twin Brothers

Dr Shane Doyle
Dr. Shane Doyle has served as a researcher for the Centre for Geogenetics and adjunct instructor at Montana State University-Bozeman.  Doyle helped lead the  the reburial of the Anzick Clovis Boy on June 28, 2014.

According to reports from the National Science Foundation, the recent archaeological discovery of the graves of two infants in Alaska has prompted researchers to conclude that this could lead to a new understanding of ancient people’s perception of death and burial. The 11,000 year old graves of two infants, possibly twin brothers, were disturbed during an excavation in Alaska, and the teeth and a few other remnants of the infants represent the youngest people ever discovered in the ancient Arctic. At least one of the infants had been cremated, and both were laid to rest with stone tools as their burial belongings. The chiseled stone points that accompanied the remains of the infants were strikingly reminiscent of another collection of ancient tools found at a similar gravesite in south-central Montana. The 1968 disturbance of the 10,600 year-old remains of a toddler boy, who was buried with over 118 stone and bone Clovis tools, indicated that ancient Americans believed strongly in ceremonial interment, and this more recent unearthing further demonstrates that point.

As a member of the Apsaalooke Tribe, and as a professional educator and historian, these ancient and richly endowed graves that were dedicated to very young children are not surprising or puzzling to me. In most traditional tribal cultures, the extended family, and in particular children and elders, are cherished. Despite the fact that all tribal communities in the Americas suffered catastrophic loss during the age of colonization, the remnants of that cultural heritage is still alive today, and is manifested throughout Indian Country in many ways; most of which are on display at every community event, including ceremonies, family reunions, and traditional dances, aka pow-wows. Elders are always given special care at tribal gatherings, and children are never excluded from participation. Celebrating the beauty of tribal culture and the strength of tribal families is still common in the 21st century, surviving in the face of the many social problems that continue to plague Indian communities. I believe that the roots of these earliest values are reflected in these ancient burials.

Theoretical speculation abounds about what the Indians were thinking when they placed important objects in the ground with deceased babies and covered them permanently. A growing strand of conventional wisdom says that the valuable tools included within the graves demonstrated that ancient Americans believed in an afterlife, in which these young lives would continue to grow and survive. Ostensibly, the afterlife required stone weapons, and the boys’ families wanted them to have those tools at his disposal, thus they respected the circles of life and death by behaving with good faith and true intention. This conjecture about the meaning behind the

SUMMER EDUCATOR WORKSHOPS

Summer 2023 was a great one for K-12 educator workshops across the country!

National program staff, network members, and state coordinators held workshops in Kansas, Nevada, Colorado, and Minnesota this year, where 41 educators and heritage education professionals left equipped to successfully lead Project Archaeology investigations and activities in their classrooms and informal learning environments. Read on to learn more about each of these workshops and get inspired to lead or attend a workshop of your own in 2024! 

Little House on the Prairie in Minnesota, July 2023

In July, eight educators from Minnesota, Texas, California, Michigan, and Florida traveled to the prairies of Minnesota for a two-day summer workshop led by Courtney Agenten and Samantha Kirkley. Teachers connected literature to the past through a Project Archaeology shelter investigation of the Tinsley Farmhouse in the historical setting of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book series: Mankato and Walnut Grove, MN.

Educators visited the Blue Earth County History Center, where they learned about shelter and how archaeologists study the past, traveled to the Ingalls Dugout home site near Walnut Grove, and explored the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum – all while engaging in hands-on learning experiences that opened their eyes to the power of archaeological inquiry in engaging with the past. And, no workshop would be complete without a delicious cast iron meal of BBQ chicken, potatoes, and peach cobbler cooked over an open fire!

A hot topic of discussion at the workshop was the censorship of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books in some of the school districts. The workshop’s guest speaker, Dean Jean Boreen, PhD from Southern Utah University, shared some insight into how to approach the literary themes and challenges of Wilder’s books, noting that student’s feeling tension in a book is a good teachable moment. Boreen noted that “We don’t need to give up reading these wonderful books, but we do need to contextualize these stories within the events occurring during the time period; the charm of the books and Laura’s view of her world are important for our students to experience today.”

Thank you to the Institute for Heritage Education for helping fund the workshop.

Archaeology of Shelter and Migration in Kansas, June 2023

The Archaeology of Shelter and Migration in Kansas, hosted by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Kansas Anthropological Association, took place on June 12-13, 2023 at the Historic Lake Scott State Park west of Scott City, Kansas. The workshop, led by Jann Rudkin, Virginia Wulfkuhle, and Gail Lundeen, introduced six informal educators to the Project Archaeology: Investigating a Pawnee Earthlodge curriculum, as well as the Investigating A Midwestern Wickiup, Great Basin Wickiup, and supplemental resources. Participants also had the opportunity to interact with the Kansas-specific migration unit, Migration of Pueblo People to El Cuartelejo.

Educators also had the unique opportunity to hear from guest speaker Mike Wallen, who shared a different perspective from that featured in the Migration of Pueblo People to El Cuartelejo, and tour both the archaeological site of El Cuartelejo

STUDENT ACTIVITIES – QUIZ 1

DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE AN ARCHAEOLOGIST? TAKE OUR QUIZ NOW

1.

Archaeologists dig up dinosaurs.

 
 

2.

Archaeological sites are found only in Egypt.

 
 

3.

Archaeologists spend all of their time digging.

 
 

4.

Artifacts found in archaeological sites should be left where they are.

 
 

Question 1 of 4

EVENT: Archaeology of a Little House on the Prairie

RECENT EVENT

Archaeology of Little House on the Prairie

This workshop connected to the past through a shelter investigation of an historic farmhouse in the prairie setting of Mankato and Walnut Grove, MN. Thank you Institute for Heritage Education Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum for a great workshop!

Teachers enjoyed learning about a historic farmhouse in Mankato and Walnut Grove, Minnesota!

“Thank you for another amazing project archeology class!…Being in the class for a third time has really solidified my understanding in how to better facilitate the information to the students, and I create new ideas each time I have been able to collaborate with other educators. The outing to Walnut Grove and learning about the archeology that is involved in a more modern time in history fascinated me just as much as the Native American curriculum.” - Texas Teacher

We analyzed artifacts and historic photos at the Blue Earth County History Society. We ate food cooked over a campfire on a river ravine. We explored the banks of Plum Creek to discover the Ingalls dugout house. Thank you Institute for Heritage Education Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum for a great workshop!


This two-day workshop for teachers of grades 3-8 connected you to the past through a Project Archaeology shelter investigation of an historic farmhouse in the prairie setting of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book series: Mankato and Walnut Grove, MN.

The first day of the workshop took place at the Blue Earth County History Center in Mankato, MN with lessons and exhibits to enhance our learning of archaeology, historic photographs, and culture. On the second day we “uncovered” a farmhouse archaeological site exploring the geography, history, and artifacts of a real house on the prairie. Our investigation concluded with a field trip to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and Ingalls Dugout archaeological site. Teachers also had the option to stay that evening in Walnut Grove to watch the famous Wilder Pageant.

Discover the Past

by Jeanne Moe, Curriculum Director

Project Archaeology: 33 Years and Going Strong

In 1990, a team of archaeologists and educators distributed the first version of the educational materials that would eventually become the national Project Archaeology program. The first draft included a series of lessons on rock art; what it might mean, why it is important to protect it, and the fact that it is often damaged by modern graffiti, chalk tracing, bullet holes, and attempts to remove it from the stone walls.

Intrigue of the Past curriculum guide

"Intrigue of the Past" curriculum guide.

About a year later we received some brief assessments from elementary students who had experienced some of these lessons. One of the questions we asked students was, “What will you remember about archaeology a year from now”? Many of the students answered, “Vandalism of rock art hurts the living descendants of the people who made it.” When I saw those answers, I thought, “We have something here.” The kids made the connection between the past and present and between thoughtless vandalism and the feelings of living descendants. They achieved cultural understanding at a deep conceptual level. I knew then that cultural heritage education would be my life’s work and I have never looked back.

Project Archaeology is a national archaeology education program founded by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1992 for educators and their students. It was developed in the early 1990s for three purposes: to develop awareness of our nation’s diverse and fragile archaeological sites, to instill a sense of personal responsibility for stewardship of these sites, and to enhance scientific and historical literacy and cultural understanding through the study of archaeology. Educational materials and professional development are distributed through a network of state and regional programs. Since 1992, programs have been established in 40 states; 30 programs remain active and new programs are currently under development across the nation.

Jeanne Moe conducting Hula Hoop Mapping lesson with 5th graders at Fort Parker in Montana.

Jeanne Moe conducting Hula Hoop Mapping lesson with 5th graders at Fort Parker in Montana.

Network of State Project Archaeology Programs from 2019 Annual Report. Since 1990 we have trained 18,700 educators through 1,052 professional development workshops. These educators have used Project Archaeology materials to instruct an estimated 375,000 students and learners of all ages annually.

The National Project Archaeology Program resided at Montana State University from 2001 to 2022. Headquarters and operations were transferred to Southern Utah University (SUU) in Cedar City in November 2022. The program now operates under a four-way partnership between SUU (College of Humanities and Social Sciences), the Institute for Heritage Education (IHE), the Project Archaeology Leadership Team, and the BLM.

Despite a challenging transition in leadership and institutional support, our Network Coordinators and Master Teachers have continued to provide professional development events and to distribute materials over the last few years. With a solid base of support and new leadership, we are confident that Project Archaeology will continue to expand in breadth and depth in the coming years.


Teachers from across the nation visiting Parowan Gap in Utah during the Voices of the Ancients: Archaeology and Oral Tradition in the American West, a Landmarks of American History & Culture Teacher Workshop funded by the National Endowment of the Humanities in 2021.

Teachers from across the nation visiting Parowan Gap in Utah during the Voices

Our History, Our New Journey

ABOUT PA TODAY

OUR HISTORY, OUR JOURNEY

Project Archaeology is a national archaeology education program founded by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for educators and their students. It was developed in the early 1990s for three purposes: to develop awareness of our nation’s diverse and fragile archaeological sites, to instill a sense of personal responsibility for stewardship of these sites, and to enhance science literacy and cultural understanding through the study of archaeology.  The program began in Utah in 1990 as a statewide project to combat the vandalism and looting of archaeological sites. 

by Courtney Agenten, Leadership Team Chair

“Seeds are a phenomenon to me. Tiny forms of life that, when watered and exposed to rays of light, reach up, break through the soil, and grasp onto life. In steady persistence, their roots spread and anchor as they grow into towering trees, strong enough to climb.” – Sarah Dubbeldam, Darling Founder

SAMANTHA KIRKLEY, Operations/Professional Development Director | JEANNE MOE, Curriculum Director | COURTNEY AGENTEN, Network Director

Project Archaeology can be compared to a towering oak tree—once a tiny seed planted in rich soil, watered, and lit by a network of visionary archaeology educators. The soil was prepared in the late 1980s by an interagency group of archaeologists who recognized that education was the best way to protect cultural heritage over the long-term; law enforcement simply wasn’t enough. Project Archaeology was born; nourished by the knowledge, experience, and drive of thousands of archaeologists, indigenous community members, formal and informal educators, historic preservationists, museum educators, and many others who worked together to deliver high-quality, award-winning educational materials and professional development to teachers. It has sustained the passion to pursue a world in which all people understand and appreciate their own culture and history, and that of others for more than 30 years.

It was hard to watch as Project Archaeology was uprooted from its 20+ year home at Montana State University (MSU) last year. Similarly, while the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the lead federal agency since 1992, is stepping away from managing and administering the program, the agency remains committed to supporting the program. Even though our MSU branch has broken off and BLMs role has changed, other partners have and will be grafted to continue transforming classrooms into communities of student archaeologists who connect culture to their own lives and desire to protect our past.

Rather than seeing years of successful work withered and abandoned, the Project Archaeology Leadership Team advised that the National Program be transplanted to two outstanding, new partners, Southern Utah University (SUU) and the Institute for Heritage Education (IHE), who can revitalize, rebuild, manage, and support the program and its distribution network. The Leadership Team, an advisory board comprised of archeologists, teachers, and indigenous members of our state programs, has expanded its role to direct the program in a proactive effort to maintain the vision, identity, and reputation of Project Archaeology.

Utah Project Archaeology Coordinator and previous Leadership Team member, Samantha Kirkley, enthusiastically

VIDEO: Investigating Shelter: Lesson Two

Investigating Shelter

LESSON TWO

Watch this short video and learn how to teach Lesson Two: By Our Houses You Will Know Us in your classroom.

How can Project Archaeology Investigating Shelter professional development and classroom learning look?

Watch this short video and learn how to teach Lesson Two: By Our Houses You Will Know Us in your classroom. You will be prepared to lead your students through the first phases of archaeological investigation; students begin the process by researching their own homes and the objects (artifacts) that provide clues to human activities within spaces.