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Common artifacts: Chipped-stone projectile points

Photograph of chipped-stone projectile points found at Occaneechi Town. The Occaneechi and their predecessors used the bow-and-arrow as a weapon. Their arrows were tipped with small triangular points that were chipped from stone. Much earlier inhabitants of...

Format: image/photograph

Name that point!

In Intrigue of the Past, page 4.4

In their study of projectile points (i.e., spear points or “arrowheads”) dating to the Archaic period in North Carolina, students use activity sheets to compare projectile point attributes and to identify and classify points based on clearly defined variables. They will also match projectile points to a chronology and determine when the points were made and why the information is important to archaeologists.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

"Native Carolinians" additional activities

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 2.10

These lessons from the UNC Research Laboratories of Archaeology's Intrigue of the Past can be used as additional activities for the digital history textbook module "Two Worlds: Prehistory, Contact, and the Lost Colony."

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Excavating Occaneechi Town: An archaeology primer

Republished with permission from the Research Laboratories of Archaeology, the Archaeology Primer uses photographs of the excavations at Occaneechi Town to introduce fundamental concepts of archaeology. The primer provides an introduction to the methods of archaeology and to some common types of artifacts, and prepares students to participate in an electronic archaeological dig.

Format: slideshow (multiple pages)

Aurora Fossil Museum

Some of the world's finest marine fossil displays of the Pleistocene, Pliocene, and Miocene periods can be found at this Beaufort County museum.

Format: article/field trip opportunity

Site robbers

In Intrigue of the Past, page 5.6

Students will use an interview with a Native American to write a newspaper article or letter that expresses concern about robbing archaeological sites.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Gridding a site

In Intrigue of the Past, page 2.2

In their study of how to grid a site, students will use a map and the Cartesian coordinate system to establish a grid system over an archaeological site, labeling each grid unit; determine the location of artifacts within each grid unit; and construct a scientific inquiry concerning the location of artifacts on the site.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Mathematics and Social Studies)

Intrigue of the Past

Lesson plans and essays for teachers and students explore North Carolina's past before European contact. Designed for grades four through eight, the web edition of this book covers fundamental concepts, processes, and issues of archaeology, and describes the peoples and cultures of the Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian periods.

Format: book (multiple pages)

Piedmont cultures graphic organizer

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 2.3

This activity will assist students in understanding Piedmont cultures as they read the article "Peoples of the Piedmont."

Format: /lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Pettigrew State Park

Named for the Pettigrew family and their farm, this land was made a state park in 1939. The park has more than 1,200 acres of land and 16,600 acres of water. Students will discover the natural history of this area as well as the history of the people who have lived on this land.

Format: article/field trip opportunity

Museum of Coastal Carolina and Ingram Planetarium

The museum's exhibits include extensive collections of seashells, saltwater fish, birds, wetland animals, sea animals, live snakes, animal skins, Native American artifacts, and Civil War relics.

Format: article/field trip opportunity

Theories of migration

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 2.1

In this lesson, students will read about and evaluate differing theories about the migration of the first people to the Americas.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Quick study: Woodland Period

A “cheat sheet” covering basic information about the Woodland Period and its key characteristics.

Resources on the web

Timeline of Art History

A chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration of the history of art featuring works from around the world remarkable for both form and function: mosaic and tapestry, cloth and wood, architectural and decorative. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: Metropolitan Museum of Art