iPad app for Mesa Verde

I wanted to share a new National Parks iPad app that has images and information for Mesa Verde that can give students another way to access the park virtually.  Fotopedia National Parks app is free and has pictures and information on National Parks.

Day in the Lab

We spent a day indoors working in the lab with Kathy.  Each table had a task with items recovered from a site and using science skills to discover both the purpose of the items and the era to try to understand the past.  My group started with the tools center and tried to place each tool with its proper group and see how it was used by the people at the time of its use.  We were surprised by the innovation and the inventiveness to use tools.

Teachers working to organize tools

Reading about how tools were made and used

Getting it organized! 

At this center we were observing shards of pattern recovered from sites and organizing them by era as well.  The design, structure and use evolved over time and was evident in the pieces.  The art work as well as craftsmanship of the pottery was beautiful.  

Classifying shards

At this center we looked at essential tools for the Pueblo people.  We viewed manos which were essential to the corn grinding down throughout the eras of Pueblo people.  This classification was of the tools and their uses.

Tools used to grind corn

At this center we looked at animal bones which maybe found on or near sites.  We were able to learn about how the people hunted as well as the domestication of the turkey.  

Animal bone classification

After our experiences in the lab, Kathy took us into the archive room and shared with us some reconstructed pieces that were at Crow Canyon.  She shared about they were reconstructed and the uses of each item and how they determined which era to place each piece based on art and design.

reconstructed pottery

Kathy explaining the archives

beautiful pottery

Pueblo Life with Jeannette

We had the pleasure of spending the day with Jeannette who is a Pueblo woman living a modern Pueblo life with her family a few hours away from Crow Canyon.  She came to spend the day with us and give us insights into how her culture is deeply rooted in its history and tradition, yet living in a modern age.  Her stories were so rich and colorful and out of respect for her I won't share the details here.  Crow Canyon has a beautiful teaching site just east of the main buildings.  We walked up the road to reach the constructed pueblo home and tower.

We were able to climb the tower and enjoy the views from the top.  You can see how the tower would be useful to see approaching visitors, both welcome and unwelcome as you can see quite far from the top.

The view back at the main buildings at Crow Canyon

Inside the pueblo, which is a teaching tool for the instructors, you get a real experience of what it was like for the ancient Pueblo people.  Although we were there on a very hot day the pueblo was quite cool inside.  Jeannette explained to us the building technique of having the windows allow for a breeze and the awnings built to allow sunlight in during the winter months, but the angle allows it to be shaded in the hot summer months.  The building also had recreations of tasks that members of the home would engage in while living there.  What a great way to learn!

Resources at the Chicago Public Library

Hi folks,

I'm at the Logan Square Library branch and I found a few books that might be nice to use as a resource. 

-Kimberly 

(Note: These were just the ones that I saw here in the children's section. As I searched for the link online, there were more available at different branches)

1. The Anasazi Culture of Mesa Verde - by Dale Anderson. If you look at no other books on this list, make sure to add this one to your library. It includes great background knowledge about a lot of the information we learned at Crow Canyon. (Ex. spearheads and tree rings) 
2. The Hopi by Andrew Santella *
3. The Pueblos by Alice K. Flanagan * 
4. Native Americans of the Southwest by Stuart A. Kalle** - text heavy 
5. Hopi by  Mary Stout **
6. The Hopi by Nancy Bonvillain
7. If you lived with the Hopi by Anne Kamma *
8. The Hopi Indians by Bryan P. Sears**

* primary text
** upper elementary/middle school 

Hands-on inquiry-based learning gallery walk.

Anasazi Heritage Center

Dillard Site

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian

Hi folks,

I came across a resource on Living Social today called the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston. It seems like an interesting resource that offers field trips for students and teachers for $3 with lesson plans. It also has a library that students will be able to conduct research at too.

Just thought I'd bookmark the resource before I forgot about it. The blog seemed like the ideal spot. :)

- Kimberly

Anasazi Heritage Center

Our trip to the Anasazi Heritage Center started with a hike to the top of the campus to view the Dominguez and Escalante Pueblo sites and the to view the McPhee Reservoir from the highest point of the campus.  We had Jeannette join us at the museum.  Jeannette is a Pueblo woman who is friends of Crow Canyon and came to give us some insight into her culture and her lifestyle as a modern Pueblo Indian.  We had great views of the McPhee Reservoir and the Sleeping Ute Mountain. The museum had great exhibits with artifacts from each era of the Pueblo people as well as a history of archeology in this part of the country.  The photographs within the museum of the American Indians were stunning.  

Museum

Sleeping Ute Mountain

Starting the hike

Views of the reservoir

Kendra and the reservior

The Escalante Pueblo

Group shot at the top

Inside the museum

Jeannette spoke to us earlier in the day about traditions and the calendar

Visit to Mesa Verde National Park

On Thursday we visited the Mesa Verde National Park.  The Mesa Verde Park is home to some of the most famous sites used by the Pueblo people like Cliff Palace and Spruce Tree House.  This visit took place after we have learned some of the time periods of the Pueblo people and how their lives evolved with the introduction of corn farming and how different eras are marked by homes, pottery and lifestyle.

 On our visit we first went to two pit houses and were able to see the advancements made over time to the homes of the Pueblo people.  Seeing the advancements to the housing over time showed improvements on structure by building pit houses deeper into the ground, larger rooms and advances in ventilation.  

Pit Houses

Kiva

Taking in the views

Cliff dwelling

After visiting the pit houses we travelled to the Cliff Palace area.  Here we walked down narrow pathways and steep stairs to reach the Cliff Palace site.  Build under a cliff the community had many multistory homes and kivas with tunnels and even more structural advances.   The craftsmanship of the buildings included balconies and artwork designed in plaster on the walls.  After Cliff Palace we visited the Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling in another area of the park.  

Cliff Palace

Our Park Ranger guide to Cliff Palace

Stairs built by the CCC

Climbing up a ladder

Getting ready to hear some info about Cliff Palace from the ranger

Structure at Cliff Palace

Very different building structures

looking into a kiva

dwellings even in the upper portion of the cliff

Kim in Cliff Palace

art work in a tower

getting ready to descend to Spruce Tree House

Spruce Tree House with the roof still in place on two kivas

Buildings go deep into the cave

many people enjoying the views