Investigating a Shotgun House: Piloting a new Project Archaeology Shelter Investigation

Summary

"Investigating a Shotgun House" draws on diverse data sources to examine the lives of poor, mid-20th century working-class people in Davis Bottom, an historically integrated neighborhood near downtown Lexington, Kentucky. Piloting drafts of the investigation were integral elements in its development. A week-long teachers’ academy provided revisions to the draft, which was then piloted by four 5-7th grade teachers who had attended the academy. Feedback from interviews with both teachers and students shows that the investigation provides a rich, inquiry-based learning experience. Teachers could make clear links to their mandated curriculum, and students enthusiastically embraced the unit. Unanticipated outcomes included the lack of time which prevented most teachers from teaching the preservation thread of the unit, the way the students identified with the Davis Bottom residents and aspired to live in a racially diverse neighborhood, and the unit’s relevance for challenging students to consider broader themes such as civil rights, economic inequalities, and the uses and abuses of power.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Assessment in Archaeology Education: Project Archaeology Research

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17332