Goals:

The students will be able to use the information from the speaker's presentation and demonstration for future activities.

The students will be able to work effectively with other students to make decisions.

The students will be able to actively participate in the speaker's activities.

Speaker
 
Navy personnel with archeological knowledge
museum personnel with archeological knowledge
archeologist with marine knowledge
 
Adopt-A-Ship program (Internet access)
 
information on procedures used when salvaging treasures
sonar information
information on the variety of treasures found on shipwrecks
 
Handouts from the speaker's presentation
 
local activities and events in reference to this lesson

Materials:

Any materials that are necessary will either be provided by the speaker or will be supplied by the teacher.

Time:

This lesson will take 2 hours of classroom time.

Procedure:

1.  Introduction of the speaker and his/her position.

2.  The speaker will give his/her presentation on salvaging treasures, sonar technology, and the wide variety of treasures that are found on shipwrecks.

3.  There will be a brief question and answer session following the presentation.

4.  The speaker will give a demonstration on reconstructing artifacts.

5.  The students will be divided up into teams of 4 - 6.

6.  Each team will choose an artifact that the speaker provides from a collection.

7.  Each team will choose a particular step from the entire reconstructing process to focus on for this project.

8.  Each team will work diligently on that particular step with their artifact.

9.  Each team will briefly explain how they decided to work on their step and any difficulties that they had with it to the class.

10.  Each student will have to write in their journals about the presentation, demonstration, activity, and/or theme provided by the teacher according to this lesson.

11.  NOTE: This activity will be conducted after the initial introduction of the previous artifact lesson which will be in the process of concluding after this lesson has taken place. The purpose of this particular lesson is to allow the students to understand and appreciate the real life aspect of artifacts.

Each team must complete a specific step from the reconstruction process on their artifact. Criteria for success: Each team will be given a particular step to focus on, and it must be followed with 90% accuracy.

Each student must write an entry in their journals. Criteria for success: Each student must focus on the presentation, demonstration, activity, and/or one of the themes given by the teacher.

Each team must submit a peer evaluation form for the contribution of every group member. Criteria for success: Each team member must have made a substantial contribution to the team based on the rubric.

The students will receive feedback in the following ways:

They will be given back their artifacts with a +, +/-, or - depending on the accuracy of its reconstruction.

The speaker will determine the accuracy of the reconstruction process.
 

+   =  The reconstruction process was done with 90% accuracy.
+/- =  The reconstruction process was done with 75% accuracy.
-   =  The reconstruction process was done with less than 75% accuracy.

They will receive the scores based on their peer evaluation forms according to the rubric.

Curricular Strands and Major Concepts:

Language Arts - actively participating in the speaker's presentation and demonstration with questions, comments, and concerns; communicating effectively with others in their group to make wise decisions about the reconstruction process; writing journal entries based on the presentation, demonstration, activity, and/or one of the themes presented by the teacher

Science - speaker's expertise on sonar technology information and salvaging procedures

Social Studies - speaker's knowledge of the geographical region of the treasures

Possible Extensions:

Have the students create a story with their groups about an adventure they took while in the ocean salvaging for treasures.

Have the students research previous expeditions of salvaging for treasures. Then, have them give an oral presentation on one of them.

Have the students incorporate sonar maps or charts into the lesson to help them locate a specific treasure on a shipwreck.

Have the students experiment with the process of decay that artifacts go through in the freezing waters around the Titanic.

Have the students calculate the time that it takes an artifact to decay or decompose.

Have the students create and solve story problems with a variety of calculation involved in the process.

Have the students research the time period the artifacts were found in the sea.

Have the students research the people that owned the artifacts.

Have the students do a map activity with the sonar charts.

The Titanic - developed by Kelly Coleman, Nikki Cosgrove, Megan Mills, & Dorothy Weber

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This page submitted by St. Norbert College Ocean Voyagers Program.