Archaeologist Justin Bracken visits Fifth Grade Classes

To get the students ready to investigate the classical Mayan culture, we invited an archaeologist to visit.  We set the stage, by telling students that they worked in the way archaeologists do when they studied the garbage in the cans at BNS.

Then we introduced Justin Bracken, archaeologist and Queens College graduate student.   He shared how his love of fiction writing and science led him to his career. (Archaeology combines both careful methodical, meticulous record keeping and creative analysis.) 

Kids thought it was cool that he traveled by boat to his site, 

Link to Site:

Muralla de Leon, Peten, Guatemala

                                           Justin's slides helped us envision the walled site.

Kids recognized some of the artifacts and intrigued by others that Justin shared.

But students were most excited by the animals Justin ran into...including a snake. 

The take-away:  Archaeologists don't really dig, they carefully uncover.  An open question expressed by one student:  "What does this have to do with studying garbage?"  As we carry  out simulated Mayan site "digs"  in the classrooms, we hope that they will be able to answer this and other questions.  

Thanks to Lizzie Martin, teacher, and PANYC Secretary, and Peter Levin, teacher,Peck Slip School, PS 343, who helped fifth grade teachers develop this unit.  And thanks to Timothy Pugh, Queens College Archaeology Professor, for introducing us to Justin.