Artifacts

For those of you who do not already know, an artifact bag is a fun and creative activity that motivates students to learn. As teachers, we will have to teach a variety of topics and we all know that some of them can be, well….BORING. And what better way to teach a boring topic than with an exciting activity! Typically in an artifact bag there are two or three items (from primary documents to tangibles) related in some way. Students will have to brainstorm and make predictions as to what each item is and/or how they relate to one another. A picture book is also part of the artifact bag; however the picture book is put to the side as students examine their artifacts. After the students make predictions about each artifact they use the picture book to find out if their prediction was correct and to learn more about their artifact. Each artifact as well as the picture book are wrapped up is some way…tissue paper, wrapping paper, or newspaper can all be used. This is so students have to explore one item in the bag at a time. The artifact bag is a highly motivating activity because it is presented in such a fun way. Many subjects and topics can be taught with an artifact bag.

For Dr. Smirnova’s social studies class, she encouraged us to create an artifact bag that we can use to teach or classmates. I decided to create my artifact bag on colonial times. 

Artifacts (colonial times)

The artifacts that I selected for the artifact bag are a toy doll made of corn husk, homemade soap, and a bonnet. I chose these items because they all relate to colonial girls. By using these particular items, I’m able to show students, leisure activities, responsibilities, and fashion of young girls and women during colonial times. These items would peak students’ interest because they would begin to speculate how different life was in the past, particularly for children. Additionally, after exploring these items, students would be curious to know about other differences and they would be excited to learn more about the topic. 

Picture Book

The picture book …if you lived in Colonial Times by Ann Mc Govern was selected for multiple reasons. Most importantly, detailed descriptions of the artifacts were provided. The pictures are simple yet convey a wealth of information by providing students with vivid images of what life used to be like during colonial times.