by Rachel Williams
Local students are digging into archeology at the University of West Georgia. The Antonio J. Waring, Jr. Archaeological Lab’s on-site mock excavation site teaches youngsters from the community about archaeology through a fun, hands-on experience. The excavation site is the one of several teaching activities offered by the Waring Laboratory’s Educational Outreach Program.
Local teachers can also access UWG’s “Traveling Teaching Trunks,” pre-packaged lesson plans that teachers can use to make learning exciting for their classes. The Waring Laboratory’s Teaching Trunks can be checked out for classes studying archaeology or Georgia history. The trunks, which feature real and replica artifacts for students to examine, also teach students about the tedious-but-necessary aspects of excavating, such as record-keeping and grid layout. Each trunk aligns with the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards. After the class finishes the What is Archaeology? lesson plan, they can schedule a free 30-minute guided tour of the Waring Laboratory. The program concludes with the optional mock excavation, which immerses students in the role of archaeologists for an hour and a half.
The Educational Outreach Program was funded by a grant from the Student Assisted Research Program. Undergraduate anthropology students at the University of West Georgia helped to create the learning activities for the outreach program. The undergraduates are also developing a trunk for older students, titled “A Journey Through Georgia’s Archaeological Timeline.”
“These students worked days, months, and, in cases such as my own, years to develop the Teaching Trunks and Mock Excavation Pit into what they are today,” explains Andrew Post, one of the Education Outreach assistants. “The Mock Excavation Pit was a project that was developed by both students and professors at the University of West Georgia. To develop the Teaching Trunks, students with skills in art, writing and research all contributed to the development of the activities and readings provided in the trunks.”
Although the programs are targeted toward students in third to eighth grades, the trunks can be checked out by public, private and home school educators at any level, provided they are within traveling distance. UWG students are also invited to participate. Civic education programs, such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, can also rent the trunks. The trunks cost $15 for each 2-week rental period. The mock excavation site costs $5 per digger, excluding educators and bus drivers, and has a 15-digger limit. Each activity must be reserved two weeks in advance.
“The Education Outreach Program has been an opportunity that I will remember for the rest of my life,” Andrew continues. “I have been able to make great contacts for the future, and I have also been able to take away skills that I never imagined I could have. The project has had a lot of work put into it, without the help of volunteers like Paige Lancaster, Janaka Greene and Jolee Sanders, the Education Outreach Program would not be what it is today.”
