Integrating Archaeology into American History and Culture Studies

FAIN: EZ-50004-04

Montgomery College (Rockville, MD 20850-1728)
Tara Tetrault (Project Director: April 2004 to February 2006)

Two seven-day workshops for forty K-12 teachers on archaeological methods and theory.

This project introduces K-12 educators to archaeology in order to enhance their knowledge of early American history and culture. By having them participate in archaeological digs at Native American, Euro American, and African American sites, teachers learn about the multiple levels of meaning arising from the close study of recovered artifacts. Teachers are then introduced to recent archeological scholarship which describes in detail the everyday lives of early peoples from this region. Educators are encouraged to think deeply about what archaeology adds to the study of history, and how this changes the common understanding of Indians, colonists,and African Americans.