Year 5s at Calow C of E Primary School, Chesterfield had their first taste of archaeology on Friday. During the workshop – the first of a series of five – we concentrated on the question “What?”: What is archaeology?; what is the point of doing archaeology?; and what do archaeologists do with the evidence they find?
Through a number of activities we got our ‘archaeological imaginations’ going as we attempted to interpret objects, both modern and ancient, and pretended we were archaeologists living 4500 years in the future.
The idea behind the series of workshops, one delivered each half term, is to build up the knowledge and skills base of the pupils. In June they will then join us for a day on the Arbor Low Environs Project and put their new-found skills to use.
The next workshop will focus on “When?” – chronology, stratigraphy and dating; followed by two workshops focussing on “How?” – excavation techniques, planning, recording and artefact analysis. The last of the five will look at “Where?” – the site of Arbor Low itself – preparing the ground (so to speak!) for a visit to the excavations the following half term.
If you and your school are interested in a similar series of workshops or long term project to get your teeth into, please contact me at info@enrichmentthrougharchaeology.co.uk to discuss your requirements!