Archaeology: STEM at Fort Washita

My Students

We sat in our classroom meeting and all eyes were on Whispering. She rehearsed one of our favorite quotes: "You cannot discover new oceans until you have courage to lose sight of the shore." We all talked about what that means. We reviewed some of the many things we have had the courage to do, such as attending Space Camp, Sea Camp, building a tree house, etc. And now? Now we want to explore archaeology. We need this grant to make it a reality. This is a typical day in Room #8. We dream big because we believe in achieving the impossible. We inquire. We explore. We problem solve. We work as a team to make things happen.

Who are my students?

Well, in my opinion they are some of the most wonderful human beings on the planet. Most of my students are Native American, with the majority of them being from the Cherokee tribe. Our school has 87% poverty rate, thus we strive to attain grants such as this one to help meet our needs. My students are extremely appreciative. They love it when others take their time to come visit us or supply us with items in order to do our labs. Every single time we do a lab, they thank me for letting them experience such cool things in which they can have fun while learning! We are classified as a rural school. In fact, we transport most of our students in from the countryside on buses.

My Project

When you enter Room #8, you will find that learning is active. We learn about STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) by a hands-on approach. So for me to give one objective of what they will learn with this equipment for the classroom would be difficult. In short: It will help them be problem solving and contributing citizens in our world as they use scientific inquiry. We are actively involved with NASA and NOAA. Thus we have contributed to and learned about space and the ocean. This year we have had the opportunity to be involved with Project Archaeology. It is our goal to study archaeology both inside and outside the classroom. Our culminating lesson will be participating in an archaeology dig at a fort that was used by our Native American ancestors. With the Google Cardboard, we will be able to take virtual tours of archaeological sites. We will do so within the four walls of our classroom. After we have done hands-on lessons involving archaeology, we will then experiment with the drones and GoPro camera. We will learn how to map points from the air, take video and download and design a presentation, and study about topography. On the day of the dig, we will record our findings, both from the ground and the air.

I love this quote by Dr. B.J.

Palmer, "You never know how far reaching something you may think or say or do today will affect the lives of millions tomorrow." Every time an individual pours into the lives of my students, it creates this ripple effect. As Ruby Payne so aptly named her book "Bridges Out of Poverty," we as educators have to help our students in low economic conditions cross that bridge. By providing them with the tools necessary to do so (motivation, technology, etc), you are giving them a ticket to freedom. You are helping them so they can, in turn, help others, both inside and outside their tribe. Thank you for making a difference in our lives!