I considered not doing this activity because it took a lot of effort on my part to organize and physically set up and archaeology is not mentioned in yr 4/5/6 History Curriculum. But luckily I decided that there was too much potential and went ahead anyway. (At 6 am this morning, when I was digging holes in the sandpit, I questioned my decision :)
And so our day began and needless to say the kids loved it. They loved the opportunity to be responsible for various roles such as excavating, sifting, photographing and documenting. It was great to see their energy and excitement, frustration and despair, and elation when then finally discovered an artifact.
They created a grid over the sand to allow them to identify where objects were found. They measured the depth and described the conditions in which artifacts were uncovered. They documented and bagged their findings for further analysis back in the classroom. They constantly asked questions and as each new item was uncovered they made and verbalized connections between what they objects were and how they might be connected etc. Many chose to continue excavating during their playtime.
Overall it was a great opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of Maths, science, history and all of the 3C's & 3R's. After many requests to keep going the students were finally finished after 3hrs+ and had truly developed empathy.