The University of Arizona
 

The Pottery Detectives: Resources for Educators
Ideas

Ideas for Pre-visit Activities

  • Introduce the three major prehistoric cultures of Arizona (Hohokam, Ancestral Pueblo [Anasazi], and Mogollon)
  • Identify the Southwest region of the US and have students make their own maps
  • Learn about timelines and the meaning of BC and AD (also BP, BCE, CE)
  • Have students develop personal timelines of their lives and compare them to the timelines of elders and a timeline of local, state, or national history
  • Discuss ceramics and ceramic items students might have at home
  • Practice making symmetrical VS asymmetrical designs on graph paper
  • Use pattern blocks to make symmetric patterns
  • Discuss the meaning of culture and students’ own culture. (See the “What is Culture” lesson coming to the ASM website this winter)


Ideas for Post-visit Activities

  • View Arizona State Museum’s 3-D pottery online exhibit: http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/exhibits/pproj/
  • Make and/or decorate your own clay pots
  • Determine the circumference/diameter of a pot (see take-home materials)
  • Place events on a timeline; compare SW history to US history and World history
  • Select one prehistoric culture to research and report on housing, food, decorative arts, etc.
  • Research pottery from one culture and construct a timeline showing changes in pottery styles
  • Research the science of ceramics: where does clay come from, what is it made of, why does it change during firing, and how do glazes and slips work?

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