teaching stratigraphy
I teach a unit in senior ancient history about archaeology. It is the first unit of the 2 year course and it lays the foundations for students' understanding about archaeological evidence. There are not many examples of stratigraphy in my local area, so it can be difficult to engage my students in real life examples in their own backyards. I make extensive use of videos, and photographs to show how layers can build up over time and how intrusions can make the layers difficult to interpret.
Recently, I was in Sydney and came across a really fabulous example of stratigraphy in Manly. It shows the layers of development of a wall and many attempts at repair. I used it in class to show how archaeology is not something that is so remote from our every day lives.
I thought I might also share with you some video resources that I use when teaching stratigraphy to my year 11 class. I find ArchaeoDucks' material great as my class is all girls and I like to reinforce that girls are also archaeologists!
ArchaeoDuck resources
fossils and stratigraphy - Yukon Palaeontology
practical demonstration of stratigraphy - University North Carolina
I have done lots of practical exercises in class using the fish tank and the students have enjoyed creating them and also creating the various intrusions that could happen over time. I also link the practical and theoretical stuff to real life examples. In the 1990s, when Athens began excavating the new Metro tunnels and stations, there were some serious archaeological issues they needed to address. While nothing could stop the progress of the tunnel, the Athenian Government did a great job of preserving what they could and integrating the ancient remains into the modern tunnels:
There are lots of other great resources out there, share any that you think are great!
