Lesson title: Personal Archeology

Age range: 3rd grade

Medium: Mixed Media

A. Description: Students will share what they know about Archaeology. They will then be told
to imagine that 1000 years from today someone is going to begin an Archaeological dig in
their backyard. What will they find? They will brainstorm ideas of things that they could
bury in their backyard to tell future civilizations about themselves. They will then draw the
items they would bury using oil pastels. After the drawing is complete they will then paint
over their drawings with watercolor paint (tan or brown). The watercolor paint will give the
image the look and feel of being underground.

B. Essential questions/enduring ideas:

How does collaboration expand the creative process?

What responsibilities come with freedom to create?
What factors prevent or encourage people to take creative risks?

C. Instructor objectives (the participant will…):

The students will plan a personal archeology

The students will construct their own artifacts
The students will evaluate each other’s art work
The students will examine each other’s art work to find similarities and differences

D. Arizona Visual Arts Standards:

VA.CR.1.3: Investigate personal ideas through the art-making process.

VA.CR.3.3: Elaborate visual information by adding details in an artwork.

VA.RE.9.3 Distinguish one's preference for an artwork from one's evaluation of that art-
work. ("I like it," is a preference while "It is good because...." is an evaluation).

E. Instructional frameworks:

Creative self-expression: Students will create a personal archeology by expressing things

that are most important to them.

F. Vocabulary to address with participants:

Archeology
Mixed media
G. Materials/resources:
White paper
Oil pastels
Watercolor paint

H. Activities/sequence:
1. Give each student a piece of paper and lay out the oil pastels and watercolor in
the middle of the table
2. Ask students what they know about Archaeology
3. Tell them to imagine an archeologist digging in their backyard 1000 years from
today
4. Ask them to brainstorm ideas of things they could bury in their backyard that
would tell the archeologist about themselves
5. Have them draw the things they would bury and then paint over it with water-
color
6. After art work is done ask students to share their personal artifacts and the other
peers will evaluate their artwork “It is good because…”
7. All students will examine all the artwork to find similarities and differences

I. Accommodations:
-Model expectations for using art materials
-Junior artist student quality oil pastels
-For those who finish early ask them to write a paragraph about the artifacts they chose
and why
-For those struggling guide, them by asking what they like to do for fun and if they have
any objects they can’t live without

J. Enrichment activities:
The point of this activity is to allow students to draw what is meaningful to them and bring their
own intent into their work. It focuses on being relevant to the student lives. They will investi-
gate their own personal ideas, visually elaborate on their ideas, and evaluate each other’s art
work at the end.

K. Closure:
Discussion questions:
Was there a pattern you used when creating your personal archeology? If you didn’t use a
pattern, can you find any patterns in your artwork?
What did you like/dislike about your or a peer’s art work?
Does your art piece look the same as your peers?

L. Assessment procedure:
 Personal Archeology Strengths Suggestions

Name:

Investigated and planned ideas

Constructed personal artifacts with

detail

Evaluated peer’s art work

Examined similarities and differences

between peer’s artwork

M. (Please attach pictures of instructor samples, set-up, production process, and participant
work)

N. Notes/additional reflections during or after teaching the lesson:

O. Other comments: e.g. art integration, art history, multicultural, visual culture, ele-
ments/principles, etc.