Teaching Archaeology

Introduction

Since 1990, the Public Education Committee of the Society for American Archaeology has worked diligently to promote archaeology education at the precollegiate level. Our efforts have taken many forms: from teacher workshops and outreach programs in schools to lectures, exhibits, and publications all aimed at building a network of people and an array of materials to enhance the educational process. We also have worked with the archaeological community to broaden its participation in local and national programs for integrating archaeological education into the classroom.

We often receive requests for teaching resources, background information, and lessons to help educators share archaeology with their students. In response, the Committee has assembled this booklet, which describes the benefits of using archaeology in instruction and offers a sample of broad-based, teacher-tested lesson plans.

We hope that you will find this workbook to be useful. The narratives were written by educators who are familiar with the challenge and excitement of using archaeology as a teaching strategy. The lesson plans were taken from publications that are regarded as being in the forefront of precollegiate archaeology education. It is important to note that most of the lesson ideas have a regional focus; however, educators should not dismiss their usability since the basic concepts can be adapted to local sites or circumstances.

Members of the Public Education Committee are eager to help teachers teach the meaning and the methods of archaeology. We invite you to explore this workbook and to venture further into the educational possibilities which the discipline has to offer.