AUSL Chicago Public Schools at Crow Canyon: 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.