Summer SAVY 2018: Session 4, Day 1 – Traveling Through Time (Rising 2nd)
Dear SAVY parents,
Our budding archaeologists had a wonderful first day in Mesoamerica! We had so much fun, we almost ran out of time! We began this morning talking about what it is we think archaeologists do versus what archaeologists actually do! Like most adults, many of the students were surprised to learn that archaeologists do NOT study dinosaurs! Instead, archaeologists study the history of humankind through the materials left behind by ancient people. Once we had that squared away, we discussed the location of Mesoamerica and the civilizations that lived there before Europeans arrived in the Americas. We looked at photos of archaeological sites from the Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Mixtec, and Aztec civilizations, covering approximately 3,500 years of history! Keeping in line with our Big Picture concept this week, we began discussing systems, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of the students already knew what a system is and how it works! Throughout the rest of the week, we will be exploring how social, economic, and politic systems worked together in Mesoamerica to sustain these civilizations for centuries! To better understand how social systems work at the household level, students painted pottery with decorations that reflect the connections between members of each household. Later in the week, students will have the chance to see how these materials end up in the archaeological record and are interpreted by archaeologists! It is going to be a great week!
Phyllis Johnson
Today’s Photos
