Lesson Twelve - Create an Artifact

Description
Student groups create an artifact to meet an identified need for the civilization they are studying. The relationship between necessity, available resources, and invention is examined.

Expectations
– make connections between some elements of modern life and similar elements from early civilizations (e.g., the Olympic ideal, democracy, money as a medium of exchange, citizenship, philosophy, mythology, trade, social structures, legal systems, theatre, architecture); 
- use a variety of resources and tools to investigate characteristics of a number of early civilizations, including their significant innovations and technological advances;
- show how innovations made by various early civilizations have influenced the modern world.

Teaching / Learning
DAY ONE - Concept Clarification:
1. Write a need on a piece of chart paper, a resource on a different piece of chart paper, and a resulting categories they might belong to.
2. Add two more examples to each list, pausing between each to let students ponder the categories.
3. Challenge students to help you to add to each list, but remind them not to tell the rest of the class what the categories are.
4. When you are fairly sure that the majority of the class knows what the categories are, ask a volunteer to share the answer.

Problem Solving:
5. Place a number of modern objects before student groups.
6. Tell students that every invention has been created out of the needs of a group of people. For example, the fishing net was likely created when someone decided that they needed a way to catch fish that would keep them dry and also catch a number of fish at one time.
7. Inventions are also created based on the technology and materials available to the people at the time. Ask: "What kinds of materials might have been available when the fishing net was invented?" "What technologies (abilities) might the people who invented fishing nets have had in order to help them construct their invention?"
8. Ask students to examine the object given to their group and to discuss what the object is used for. Encourage them to hypothesize about what needs it meets in modern society. What materials had to be available for it to be created? What technologies must there have been in order for it to be created?
9. Ask students to consider: "What invention might have come before this one?"

DAY TWO - Advance Organizer:
10. Distribute the worksheet titled "Invention Flow Chart". Tell students to create a flow chart with their group members that connects need and resources to the invention and to the modern version.
11. Have groups place their completed flow charts on the tables at their groups next to the invention.
12. Instruct groups to rotate around the room to other groups' tables to view flow charts and inventions.
13. Collect the modern objects.
14. Draw a three-column chart on the chalkboard with the following headings: Need, Available Resources, Technology, Invention.
15. Hold up a picture of an ancient artifact and ask the class to hypothesize about the need(s) and available resources that might have led to its creation. As students respond, complete the chart. (This is a good time to briefly discuss with the class the idea that even trained archaeologists are only creating hypotheses about artifacts they find, although their hypotheses are based on a great deal of examination and study.)
16. Have students create and complete a chart like the one on the board for each object.

DAYS THREE and FOUR - Model Making:
17. Tell the class that they are working with their group members today to create models of ancient artifacts for their museum civilization. As they work to create the models, they should keep detailed process notes describing the steps that they follow, because these will be helpful to them later in writing a procedure outlining what they did.
18. Hand out another copy of "Invention Flow Chart" for groups to complete today once they have selected the artifact they will be re-creating.
19. Give students the rest of the period to work on researching an artifact, completing the flow chart, and deciding what materials they will need to collect to create a model of their artifact. Students should choose an artifact that is significant to the civilization.
20. Remind them to keep process notes as they go.

Adaptations
Suggested adaptations specific to this lesson for students for whom English is a second language are:
* check often for comprehension by asking questions to make sure that directions and instruction are understood;
* have students retell in their own words to be sure that directions/instruction have been understood;
* speak naturally and pause between phrases;
* modify reading and writing expectations in academic assignments (e.g., shorter passages, focused questions, accept word, phrase, or sentence answers, depending upon level of language proficiency);
* allow extra time to complete tasks/tests.

Assessment
- Have students assess themselves on the completion of their procedures using the Procedural Writing Rubric.  They should also write one strength, one weakness, and a next step for themselves on the back of the rubric.  Collect the procedure and the rubric that each student has completed.  Assess the procedure using the same rubric and add your comments to the back.

You may wish to take anecdotal notes for your Learning Skills record regarding how accurately the student has used the rubric to assess his/her work as well as the appropriateness of the comments the student has written for him/herself.

Assessment Strategies
- Self Assessment
- Essay

Assessment Recording Devices
- Rubric


Resources
Procedural Rubric
Invention Flow Chart chart paperlined paper modern objects (see notes to teacher for ideas) ancient artifact picture cardsvarious art suppliesoverhead model of a simple procedureoverhead projector

Notes to Teacher
The artifact and flow chart created by students during the model making portion of this subtask is used as part of the museum display during the culminating task presentation.

A finished flow chart for a pair of sneakers might contain the following information:
Need: something to protect feet from sharp stones and hot sand when running and hunting
Resources: leather
Resulting Invention: sandals
Invention Now: running shoes

It would be beneficial to have student desks arranged into groups of four for this subtask.

Suggested modern articles for examination might include:
- sneaker
- hair brush
- note paper
- recorder
- calculator
- pencil

The Royal Ontario Museum has ancient civilizations artifact kits available for loan through their education department. The kits contain real artifacts with supporting background information. These kits are worth borrowing for the fee and would be a fantastic complement to this subtask.

The steps below could be added to this subtask as a connection to Grade Five Language Arts. It would increase the time required a further 80 minutes minimum:

21. Place an example of a simple piece of procedural writing on the overhead projector for students to look at.
22. Ask students to tell you what they notice about this form of writing. (e.g.: subheadings, numbered steps, a title, labelled diagrams are used, directions are given.) Clearly write their observations as labels on the overhead.
23. Tell students that they are expected to write a procedure like the one on the overhead describing the steps they took to create the replica of their artifact. Each student is responsible for writing their own procedure.
24. Remind students that they took process notes as they were creating their artifact which should be helpful to them now. Emphasize the importance of being detailed and precise in descriptive language when writing instructions like this.
25. Review the writing process briefly and ensure that students create a rough draft and a revised draft. In addition they need to edit their work and produce a final copy that they proofread one more time before handing their procedure in at the end of this process.