WHAT WE ARE DOING

WHY WE ARE DOING IT

؜To learn about how archeologists study and represent the historical layers of the earth’s surface

Imagining what archaeologists in the year 3000 would find in layers beneath the ground and learning how to draw a stratigraphic cross-section showing these layers.

ACTIVITY MATERIALS

Stratigraphy is the study of the layers of the Earth — like pages in a history book. Each layer of soil, sand, or rock formed at a different time and can contain things people or nature left behind. By looking at these layers, scientists and archaeologists can tell what happened long ago and in what order.

Cross-dating is a method archaeologists use to figure out how old something is by comparing it with other things they already know the age of.

1st

Look at a real stratigraphic section from an archaeological dig (photo or diagram). Check layers, dates, and artifacts.

؜As a class, talk about what objects will be found in the year 3000 and what objects they might have at that time

Draw the cross section of the grounds, lay out 6 layers and a legend box and start filling it up.

2nd

3rd

5min

؜5min

؜10min