History 100

ALL HISTORY CLASSES

Indigenous North Shore

The objective of this lesson is to have students understand and grapple with the complexities of making definitive determinations as to which native groups lived on the North Shore, and thus the complexities of understanding borders. This will be done through the crafting of a land acknowledgment, as a central part of such a statement is naming the tribes of located on the North Shore. It will also highlight for students that the issues and ambiguity of borders is not a problem of “others” but one found in their own local community.

HISTORY 100

Un-BELIZE-able Achievements

The ancient Maya were a complex society who had advanced knowledge of mathematics, calendrics, astronomy, and engineering. Their understanding of the world rivaled that of contemporary civilizations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe. In this lesson, students engage in a variety of activities to better understand the complexity of the Maya by learning how to write their name, calculate their birthday, solve math problems, and so much more! This class also has extension activities for double periods. This program is also available as an online lesson.

HISTORY 100

Blubber: It’s What’s for Dinner!

Similarly to the Bedouin and Mongol people, effective use of natural resources has allowed the Inuit to thrive in the hostile environments of the Arctic and Subarctic. Working in groups, students examine Inuit artifacts to determine what the objects are, how they were used, and from what material they were made.

Maps and Dreams

European and Native American concepts of geography and land tenure are highly disparate, setting the stage for misunderstandings during the Contact Period in the 17th century. Students learn to read two very different maps—one European and one Native American––looking for similarities and differences that are manifest in material culture, and the consequences of these differences when these two very different cultures meet.

Trash Talks!

The unusable or unwanted remnants of everyday life end up in the garbage. By studying what people have thrown away, archaeologists can learn a great deal about a culture. This is true not only of prehistoric individuals and societies who left no written record about their lives, but people living today.

HISTORY 100

String Theory: When Worlds Collide Trebuchet Students learn how the exchange of plants, The trebuchet, a catapult-like machine used animals, and diseases impacted both the Old to hurl massive projectiles, was one of the and New worlds. Through the use of numerous most commonly used siege weapons during color-coded strings and labels, which are strung the Middle Ages. Students are introduced to across the room, students also begin to visually understand how a majority of the exchanges occurred disproportionally and how the history of the trebuchet and how it was employed, and they use the museum’s two they affect us today. replica trebuchets to launch projectiles at a target. Working in teams, students change variables on the trebuchet to optimize its range and accuracy.

You’ve Got Mail!

Modern fiction often omits the complex nature of combat in the Middle Ages and how difficult it was to wage. Students explore the evolution of different styles of medieval armor by handling reproduction chain mail, gauntlets, a helmet, a crossbow, mace, a halberd, and a broadsword. The lesson concludes with a “Siege Shootout” in which students use miniature replica crossbows to shoot foam projectiles at cardboard knights.

HISTORY 100

Trade Connections

For three days students come to the Peabody Institute to investigate how trade connected a variety of cultures from all over the Americas. Through this week long “dip” students engage in activities that foster their critical thinking, communication, and collaboration competency in a creative and interactive manner. Can be condensed into two days.

Day One

Using a mock excavation of a local archaeological site, one that highlights Andover’s historical status as a Native American trading center, students will rotate throughout the various excavation units examining the material culture to determine what activity was taking place as well as what type of a settlement it was.

Day Two

Continuing to work in groups, students will rotate between stations examining objects from the Hopewell, Pueblo, Maya, and Moche cultures. They will be asked to think about materials/functions/ ideas/etc. related to the objects. The class will conclude with a sorting activity of the objects they had examined in class.

Day Three

The week concludes with investigating a map showing the trade and exchange connections between the four cultural groups. There will be a discussion about how looking at various groupings can help further archaeological investigations.