‘Digging in the Dirt? I Can Do That!’ Archaeology in Middle Level Education

Author(s): Andrew R Beaupre

Year: 2015

Summary

With the increasing concentration in American archaeology on public education and outreach, archeologists are being asked to adapt educational programs to a number of different audiences. Perhaps the most critical of these is the middle schooler. Trapped between the basic skill development of primary school and the content heavy standards of high school, the contentious liminality of middle level education is combined with the turbulent years of adolescence to create an audience starved for information about ‘real world’ applications of education yet with limited depth of experience as a frame of reference for complex theoretical ideas.  This paper discusses the instruction of middle school students in the field of historical archaeology.  The author shares experiences and information gathered through guest lectures in the school system, and hand-on summer camp programs.  

Cite this Record

‘Digging in the Dirt? I Can Do That!’ Archaeology in Middle Level Education. Andrew R Beaupre. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Seattle, Washington. 2015 ( tDAR id: 434057)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 468