Winter e-A&PE:

NEWS
NEW PUBLICATIONS
WEB SITES OF INTEREST

Lessons Learned in Developing Archaeological Programs
for Middle School Students: A Cautionary Tale
During March-April 1994, the Kellogg Middle School Archaeological Society, an Idaho school district-sponsored club, traveled to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah to study the archaeological remains of the Anasazi culture around Lake Powell. During their stay, the group damaged an archaeological site. As a result of National Park Service and professional educator participation in deliberations to resolve the legal case, the parties and consultants agreed to an educational remedy. An article, by the founder of the society, represents part of that legal agreement. Its purpose is to educate teachers on how to develop archaeological programs for students that serve to educate them about the past and, at the same time, protect our shared cultural heritage. (Click here to read the complete 4-page article.)

Archaeology Magazine Seeks Educators' Input
Archaeology Magazine and the Archaeological Institute of America are interested in measuring academic interest in the classroom use of articles that have appeared in the magazine over the years. Bound according to subject—for example, Ethics and Politics, Methodology, or Material Culture—such reprints would complement existing textbooks and related instructional materials. Archaeology and the AIA would appreciate some feedback from teachers to determine if there is sufficient academic support to warrant the publication of reprints. Teachers are asked to address the following questions: 1) Do you think such reprints would be useful for your courses? 2) Would you have your students purchase bound collections of articles? 3) Or would you prefer to have access—on a subscription basis—to electronic files (such as PDF files) that could be downloaded individually and incorporated into your own course readers? 4) Do you have any suggestions or know of any good models for such a publication, either in print or electronic version? Please respond to Kevin Glowacki, email: kglowack@indiana.edu..

Smithsonian's Teacher Symposium a Success
The Smithsonian Institution, Department of Anthropology, and the Society for American Archaeology, Public Education Committee, cosponsored the Teaching the Past Through Archaeology teacher symposium, held September 22-23 at the Smithsonian. Fifty-two teachers registered for the program, and some came from as far away as California, Iowa, Arizona, Oklahoma, Michigan, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Delaware. The participants included elementary teachers, secondary teachers, school administrators, environmental educators, and archaeology and museum educators.

The program consisted of a combination of lectures and workshops. The teachers' reasons for attending varied, but the most frequent comments were for professional growth, to hear directly from the experts, to learn how to integrate archaeology into their teaching, and to become knowledgeable about excellent teaching resources. From the evaluations and from the comments the teachers made over the two days, the symposium was a great success, with the teachers praising the speakers and the hands-on workshops. One person wrote: "I love your subjects. I gave up a special event to come because you offered so much. It's so stimulating to be with professional archaeologists/anthropologists."

SAA Announces Public Education Award
The Society for American Archaeology is seeking nominations for its Award for Excellence in Public Education. This award is presented for outstanding contributions by individuals or institutions in the sharing of archaeological knowledge with the public. In 2001 eligible candidates will be educators who are not professional archaeologists. Nominees should have contributed substantially to public education through writing, speaking, presenting information about archaeology to the public, or though facilitating institutions and other individuals in their public education efforts. Candidates are evaluated on the basis of their public impact, creativity in programming, leadership role, and promotion of archaeological ethics. Nominations should include a letter identifying the nominee and explaining the contribution made to public education by that individual. Vitae and other supporting data are encouraged. Deadline for nominations is January 5, 2001. For more information, contact: Elaine Davis, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, 970-565-8957; email: edavis@crowcanyon.org.

Lesson Plans for Teachers on Georgia Web Site
Teachers can download a special issue of the Society for Georgia Archaeology's journal Early Georgia, which contains hands-on classroom activities using archaeological concepts. Entitled "Used Archaeology: Practical Classroom Ideas for Teachers by Teachers," the issue can be downloaded at www.georgia-archaeology.org/SGA/Educational_Resources.html.

National Register Bulletin Offers Tips for Interpretive Programs
A new National Register Bulletin, "Telling the Stories: Planning Effective Interpretive Programs for Properties Listed in the National Register of Historic Places," provides planning strategies for those who want to get involved teaching and interpreting our nation's historic places. The bulletin is intended to help individuals and organizations develop effective programs to convey the meaning of historic places to the public using the information in National Register documentation and other sources. Telling the stories of historic places to the public can expand understanding of the mission of federal, state, local, and tribal governments striving to protect historic properties, create support for historic preservation efforts, make private preservation projects more profitable, encourage individual initiative in protecting aspects of a community's heritage, and in the process, improve the quality of life in communities nationwide. To order the bulletin free of charge, please call the reference desk at the National Register of Historic Places: 202-343-9559 or e-mail: nr_reference@nps.gov.

Resource Protection Book Available Through Web Site
Protecting the Past, edited by George S. Smith and John E. Ehrenhard and published in 1991 by CRC Press, is a collection of 37 contributions from 48 authors that presents some of the current thinking and ongoing work in the field of archaeological resource protection. It is written for a diverse audience—archaeologists, attorneys, educators, and others—who can most effectively help decrease the amount of archaeological resource crime taking place in America. The book has been out of print for some time, but is now available as downloadable articles at www.cr.nps.gov/seac/protectg.htm.

Brochures Available from Society for American Archaeology
Archaeology & You is now available on the Society for American Archaeology's web site (www.saa.org/Whatis/arch&you/cover.html). This popular booklet is a great introduction to the field of archaeology. It provides basic information about the science of archaeology, along with advice on how you can learn more. The Internet version of the booklet contains links and lists of other great sources of archaeological information. There are also suggestions for those who would like to volunteer on projects or are thinking about a career in archaeology.

Two new brochures are also available from the Society for American Archaeology. The Path to Becoming an Archaeologist focuses on making archaeology a career, and Experience Archaeology explains how individuals can become responsibly involved in archaeology. Quantities of up to 100 brochures can be ordered from the SAA office. Call 202-789-8200 for rates and information.

Florida Heritage Education Offerings Posted
The Florida Division of Historical Resources has an extensive statewide heritage education program, which is administered through the Museum of Florida History. The program includes a number of activities for teaching Florida history in the public schools, including a series of lesson plans (currently 28) and teacher in-services. For detailed information on the Florida Heritage Education Program, see their website at www.flheritage.com and double-click on the section titled Florida Heritage Education.

University of Oklahoma Press Publishes Prehistory Book
The University of Oklahoma Press has published a field guide to Oklahoma prehistory, called From Mounds to Mammoths. Authored by Claudette Gilbert and Robert Brooks, this 100+-page monograph is written for a lay audience and has been specifically targeted as a companion for Oklahoma history texts. Further information on Mounds to Mammoths can be obtained from the University of Oklahoma Press web page at www.ou.edu/oupress, or by calling 800-627-7377 or 405-325-2000.

Urban Legends Web Sites Reveal the Absurd
If it sounds too good to be true, it's probably an urban legend! You've all heard those horror stories that seem to be real, but always happen to the ever-present FOAF (friend of a friend), such as spiders in hairdos, microwaved pets, and vanishing hitchhikers. To check out the latest story that triggers your skepticism, try the Folklore Society's Urban Legends Reference Pages at www.snopes.com/ or the Urban Legends and Folklore site at http://urbanlegends.about.com/science/urbanlegends/.

Archaeology Channel Now Showing Six Videos
The Archaeology Channel now has six videos available for viewing. The first five are all on North American topics and were produced by Camera One of Seattle. They include Ocmulgee: Mysteries of the Mounds (Georgia), Mesa Verde: Legacy of Stone and Spirit (Colorado), Gila Cliff Dwellings (New Mexico), Legacy of the Mound Builders (Ohio), and Besh-Ba-Gowah (Arizona). The most recent that has been added is Echo of Water Against Rocks: Remembering Celilo Falls, which is set in the Pacific Northwest. The videos can be viewed at www.archaeologychannel.org.

New Web Site Offers Tips for Protecting Archaeological Sites
Strategies for Protecting Archeological Sites on Private Lands is a new web site that serves as a guide to the wide variety of tools available for protecting archeological sites on private lands. The site contains information on strategies that are currently being used throughout the U.S., contact information, and other sources of useful information. Key strategies include Land Ownership, Financial Strategies, Development Regulation, Laws Specific to Archeology, Voluntary Strategies, and Site Management. The site can be accessed at www2.cr.nps.gov/pad/strategies.

African-American Farmstead Lessons Available On-Line.
Piecing Together History: A Turn-of-the Century African-American Farmstead is a newly developed curricula about an African-American farmstead located near Austin, Tx. Now available on the Internet, the site provides free downloadable, printable lesson plans for 7th grade, which introduce the methods of historical archeology as well as presenting content about life at the turn of the century. The 37-page curricula includes seven lessons based on primary sources, grading rubrics, vocabulary, and related web sites. The web site can be viewed at www.dot.state.tx.us/Kidsonly/TeacherPg/totebag.html.

Web Site Provides Documents on Kennewick Man
In March 1998, the Department of the Interior and National Park Service agreed to assist the Corps of Engineers in resolving some of the issues related to the Kennewick Man Federal case. Documents on Kennewick Man, which provide background information and detailed reports of aspects of the work being done by DOI, can be viewed at www.cr.nps.gov/aad/kennewick/index.htm.

Northwest Coast Indian Art Activity Books Featured on Web Site
The Hands On Books web site (http://handsonbks.com/) provides information on workshops, festivals, activity books, and other things archaeological in the Seattle area. The activity books deal with Northwest Coast Indian Art, and titles include: The Bentwood Box, The Button Blanket, The Cedar Plank Mask, and the Spindle Whorl.