Documentation for the week of January 30-February 3, 2017
FINALLY...the children have been digging ALL YEAR, and now we could engage them in activities that make their digging work even more meaningful!
The children's main focuses this week were on our dig site and the lab in our classroom.
Setting Up Our Dig Site
We began our work by creating a grid at our dig site. There were 4 pegs showing us the outer edges of our site, and we used a measuring tape to first add stakes, then add rope to create a grid. We used a measuring stick to help us plot out our points. The children worked together to find the numbers 24, 48, and 72, then put stakes in the ground. The reason that we did this was so that we could easily mark where we found our artifacts. This part of the work went over the children's heads, but it was still great for them to learn about what a true dig site might look like. The rope and stakes also created a challenge for them to be aware of where their bodies were. If they were not paying attention, they would move the ropes or the stakes, and we would need to put them back where we found them.
Anthropologists Needed. No Experience Necessary.
We had three specific jobs planned for the dig site: Excavation, Extraction, and Cartography. Each child had a turn to do all three jobs this week.
The excavation crew did the digging. They used their shovels and rakes to dig through the dirt at the dig site. They spent the most time at work. Excavating took a long time, because they needed to be gentle with their tools.
The extraction crew was called upon when the excavators found an artifact in the soil. They used their tweezers to carefully extract the artifacts from the ground. They worked with the excavators when the artifact was still deeper in the soil to take it out without damaging it. Once they extracted the artifact, they placed it on a mat that we used to safely transport our artifacts to the lab at the end of our digging time.
The cartographers were in charge of drawing a map of the dig site and tracking where the artifacts were found. The children used rectangles, squares, and circles to draw their maps. All the maps turned out a little differently, and showed how the children found meaning in their digging work.
Since the excavation crew took up most of the time outside, the children also chose to use our tools in other ways. They used the extra stakes and ropes to dig in other areas and create small worlds. They also explored the measuring tape and measuring stick in different ways. We also had sifters and trays available to sort through the soil. The children used the sifters to try and find smaller artifacts.
Our Lab Work
Once we came inside, there was lots of work to do in the lab. First the children put on gloves and "lab coats". Then they used the wash basin and paint brushes to clean the artifacts. Then they used magnifying glasses, rulers, and a scale to measure and explore the artifacts that they found. The children were very interested in the lab all week long. It was truly amazing to see them so engaged in their work.
Future Work
We had many pictures of dig sites from 3 time periods and locations in ancient Israel. We had a cataloging center, an illustration center, and a recreation area where the children could build models of the ancient places we were exploring. Their interests did not reach this far yet. We will watch next week to see if they are ready to start piecing artifacts together, drawing or modeling what they think the artifacts looked like when they were in use, and categorizing the artifacts to match the site that they think they are from. We will also have a real archaeologist visit with our class next Friday, and we are working on taking the children on a field trip to a real anthropology or archaeology lab soon.
Morning Meeting Videos to Enhance our Learning
Each day during morning meeting this week, we watched a video on YouTube that highlighted different aspects of anthropology work. Please click the links if you would like to watch the videos your child saw this week.
On Monday, we watched a video on the excavation process. On Tuesday, we watched a video about what happens in a paleogenetics lab. On Wednesday, we watched a video that showed what one anthropologist learned about everyday life in ancient Israel based on the artifacts he found. On Thursday, we watched a video about ancient Hebrew texts found by archaeologists. On Friday, we watched a video about several different ancient artifacts found at a site in Israel.
It was obvious to the morahs that the children were truly engaged in the videos, because we saw their work shift based on the videos that they watched. They began talking about how careful they needed to be as they were digging. They talked about taking photos of their artifacts and cleaning the lab very well after watching what happens in a real anthropology lab.
Other Work This Week
This was our last week with Mr. Sam. The children had a great time learning new songs and enjoying rhythm experiences with him. They were even given the opportunity to play a similar drum as his! We will move on to a sports special next week.
Our rocks and gems work continued this week. Each morning the children chose a goal for the day and tried to meet it. They received far less gems than last week, but they also received far less rocks. We spoke about the accuracy of collecting data on Wednesday. We spoke about how sometimes the data we collect (gems and rocks) and the charts that we use to represent the data is inaccurate. We were all so busy with our anthropology work, that we weren't stopping as often to recognize when our friends could put a gem in the jar. We spoke about how they had all made many, many helpful choices, but we didn't always collect data in real time.
We also spoke about setting reasonable goals. Some friends wanted to set our gems goal at 120. Other friends said that that would be too hard to accomplish. In the end, Monday through Wednesday most friends voted for 120, and we never reached our goal. On Thursday, we set our goal to 101 gems. We spoke about setting our rocks goal at 0 might be too hard. They began the week setting the goal at 4 rocks or less, and then decided it was worth trying to reach a 0 rock goal.
Regardless of what the charts show or whether or not they win the special surprise, everyone in the rainbow class is benefiting from this work. They are learning the importance of being kind and helpful, they are learning about how to set a goal, they are expanding their impulse control to stop themselves from making hurtful choices, they are learning about how charts and graphs work, they are learning the days of the week, and they are learning how to count by tens.
Looking forward to another wonderful week, learning and exploring with your children.
Morah Tara and Morah Mirele
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