Artifact Bags

What time is it? Summertime.. 

Just kidding it's time to write about my favorite activity I did and learned in class.

What's in my bag?

This week in class, we focused on artifact bags.This type of activity works best in an inquiry lesson because you have to follow through the inquiry process. In fact, during my fieldwork experience my group did an artifact bag for our inquiry lesson.

We weren't allowed to pick any topic. Instead we focused on the lessons we taught in fieldwork. My group taught about the thirteen colonies and how they gained their independence. So for my artifact bag, I decided to do Paul Revere. He was very important during this time period because he was a patriot leader and symbol of the American Revolution. For my artifacts inside my bag I included the following:

1. A man riding a horse. 

2. English tea bag.

3. A sign that said "The British are coming!"

I chose these artifacts because Paul Revere was known for his midnight ride. This means he was riding a horse through the village screaming "the British are coming, the British are coming!". I also chose the English tea bag because he was in Boston where the Boston tea party occurred. With all three artifact bags inside the bag and a picture of a patriot uniform on the bag, I would hope that my group would come to the conclusion that my person is Paul Revere. Here is the best part, they guessed it correct!

When creating this presentation, I also included a link to a website and book I would use to elaborate more on Paul Revere. The website I used was a virtual museum on him. I think this is a cool and different approach to a website because it isn't boring with all information. Instead, it is taking you around and talking about Paul and the American Revolutionary War. The book I would use would be Who Was Paul Revere by Roberta Edwards. This is a great book because it brings Paul Revere's ride back as it is explained through text and illustrations.

I think this activity works best for any grade level. I would not make any adaptions expect have the inquiry process sheet half filled out for either first or second grade. Other then that I would leave this activity alone. I think students would really enjoy this activity because they would learn a lot through a fun and engaging activity. Beside using this activity for social studies, you can also use it for different topics/subjects.  

Overall, I think artifact bags are a great way to learn about a certain topic, time period, and/or person. When I become a teacher I will most definitely use this to help expand and challenge my students knowledge. 

Here is the link to my presentation on artifact bag.