This term, that's exactly what our Year 7 students have been doing. In the words of Indiana Jones: “If you want to be a good archaeologist, you need to get out of the library”.

Week one found us learning how to examine an artifact, how to probe it for evidence, then propose a hypothesis from the collected data. 

I then decided that I would draw on my own archaeological experience, and recreate a 'dig' for the students. Students were required to use the techniques that they had learnt in class to excavate an area, record their finds, and recover any artifacts. I love being able to share hands on learning with the students, their discoveries are exciting, and they enjoy the learning process, solving their own mysteries. Some students found ancient tools, others broken crockery, some found musket balls and others the Venus of Willendorf. These artefacts will be taken back to class to be analysed and recorded. The students may only be in their first year of high school, but they are enthusiastic learners who are learning real life history, uncovering artifacts and engaging with our past. History is far from dead for this enthusiastic class.

Patrick McCabe - Year 7 History teacher