The Puzzle of the Past - FREE

Length

45 Minutes

Target Audience

Education: Grade(s) 3, 4, 5, 6

Minimum participants:

5

Maximum participants:

35

Primary Disciplines

Social Studies/History

Program Delivery Mode

Google Hang Out
Zoom
Skype
WebEx
Microsoft Teams

Booking Information

We are now scheduling programs for the spring of 2024. Programs run February 13th through April 11th, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Book it!

For more information contact CILC at (507) 388-3672

Provider's Cancellation Policy

Please notify us a week prior to connecting if you won't be able to make your scheduled program time.

About This Provider

 

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde , CO
United States

The deep canyons and sprawling mesas that define Mesa Verde National Park are home to over a thousand species of plants and animals, including several that live nowhere else on earth. For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs. Today, the park protects the rich cultural heritage of 26 tribes and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past.

Program Details

Format

For a complete program overview and detailed lesson plan, please visit our website.
https://www.nps.gov/meve/learn/education/the-puzzle-of-the-past.htm

Teacher-led Pre-Program - 15 Minutes

1. Activity 1: An Introduction to Mesa Verde
Teachers are encouraged to provide their students with a brief overview of Mesa Verde National Park prior to their scheduled ranger-led program. More information will be provided in the confirmation packet.


Ranger-led Program - 45 Minutes
(The following activities will be led by a ranger during the live program.)

1. Introduction: Ranger will introduce students to Mesa Verde National Park and will provide a brief program overview.

2. Activity: What if your home became a national park site?
In this activity, students will learn about the difficulties we face when learning about the past. Together, we will brainstorm different techniques and lines of evidence historians and archaeologists use to help piece together a more accurate image.

3. Activity: Think Like an Archaeologist
Students will have the opportunity to look at several objects archaeologists have removed from cliff dwelling sites. Working in small groups, students will try to figure out what the objects are and how they might have been used.

4. Activity: Knowledge Through the Generations
Through a series of pre-recorded videos, students will learn about the cliff dwelling objects directly from a descendent of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made them.

5. Conclusion: Ranger will provide a program summary and will review the main concepts covered in the program.

Objectives

1. Explore the difficulties and challenges presented when learning about the past.

2. Learn the value of multiple lines of evidence and multiple ways of knowing.

3. Develop an appreciation for Native American history and heritage.

4. Understand the direct connections between the Ancestral Pueblo people and modern Pueblo communities.

Standards Alignment

National Standards

3rd Grade: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.3, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.7, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1

4th Grade: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.6, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.9