AMY’S HOUSE: Observation and Inference in Archaeology
By Amy Margaris and Sara Chavarria
Objectives:
Students will learn about observation and inference by studying modern-day “artifacts” as an
archaeologist would. They will learn new vocabulary words which can be used to describe objects
they may encounter daily. Finally, they will practice measuring skills.
STandards:
2SC-F1: Identify occupations that require the application of science and technology
2SC-F3: Understand that science involves asking and answering questions and comparing the results
to what is already known.
Background Information:
Archaeology is a social science, which means archaeologists use scientific techniques to learn about
social phenomena of the past. Most archaeologists do some digging (excavation), but more of their
time is usually spent making observations about artifacts that are found during excavation, carefully
recording this data, and using the data to learn how groups of people lived in the past. Much of this
work is interpretive. Often there are no right or wrong answers. The more artifacts we have to
study, though, and the more carefully we study them, the more we are likely to learn. Making good
inferences based on our observations is a key part of archaeology, and of all science.
Prep Time:
Two days before: Download handouts and awl overhead; Find ceramic vessel at home and sketch
onto Handout 1.
One day before: Compile artifacts to use in “Amy’s House”; Photocopy class copies of handouts.
Time Line:
Day 1: Procedures 1 & 2 (Creating reference poster for description categories)
Day 2: Procedures 3-5 (Ceramic vessel observation and inference)
Day 3: “Amy’s House” activity and brief closure activity
Total Time: 3+ hours
Materials Needed:
Print Handouts/Overheads.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Handout 1: Describe an Artifact (Pottery Vessel)
Handout 2: Map of Amy’s House
Handout 3: Household Artifacts
Overhead 1: Awl Overhead
5. Poster board marked into 4 section
Optional: collect samples of objects that illustrate different materials, feels (textures) shapes, etc.
for students to use as a reference
6. Picture book or other classroom object
7. Ceramic (or other material) vessel from your home
8. Rulers
9. Everyday “artifacts” to use in Amy’s House
10. List of suggested household “artifacts”
Vocabulary:
Artifact
Material
Shape Feel
Archaeology Archaeologist Observation
Describe
Inference
Scientist
Activity:
Setting the Stage
1. Introduce the following information:
Archaeologists are scientists who study the past by looking at ancient objects. These objects are
called artifacts. Artifacts are things people in the past used for various activities, such as cooking,
cleaning, building houses, and decorating. Archaeologists learn to describe each artifact carefully in
order to learn what it is and how it was used.
Procedure: Learning with Modern “Artifacts”
We are going to learn how to describe artifacts too! Five simple observations are made to start with:
SHAPE (round, square, long, flat, thin, etc.)
MATERIAL (paper, wood, clay, metal, plastic, etc.)
COLOR (lots to choose from!)
FEEL (bumpy, smooth, hard, soft, etc.)
SIZE (measured in inches).
2. Pick up a classroom object. (A picture book will work well.) Ask the students as a class to
describe it using the five observation categories. Write each suggestion on a large piece of poster
board already divided into quadrants – one each for shape, material, color, and feel. Ask the students
to suggest additional shapes, materials, colors, and feels as you go along, and add these to the poster
board as well. In the end, you will have a reference poster to use for the following activity. Here is
a picture of our finished poster.
3. Now you are ready to describe an artifact. Two days before the activity, prepare by taking a
ceramic vessel from home (such as a vase, pot, or even a mug or bowl) and drawing it in the center
of Handout 1. Choose something with a simple shape and decorative pattern. Here is the pot we
used and our handout.
The day of the activity, bring the vessel to class, and give each student Handout 1. Now the students
must perform a very important task. Friendly aliens from another planet have landed on Earth, and
need our help understanding what they have found here. They have discovered a curious and
unfamiliar object. (Reveal the ceramic vessel!) Because they are not from Earth, they do not know
what this strange object is. In order to figure out its use, they need your help describing the artifact.
As a group, have students fill in the handout, describing the artifact using the four categories of
shape, material, color, and feel. You can pass the object around for the students to examine if you
feel comfortable doing so, but the observations can also be made while you hold the mystery artifact
and circulate around the room, and by looking at the drawing on the handout. Students can consult
the poster board for examples of words to use. Remind them that each category might have more
than one word to describe it. Finally, have them measure in inches the width of the vessel drawing
on the handout (not the real vessel), to fill in the “size” space.
4. Students who finish early can spend time coloring their vessel on the handout.
5. The aliens have never used this object, but thanks to the help of the student descriptions, they can
now make an inference about what it is used for. Have the students make inferences, too.
(For example, a vessel with a narrow opening may be used to hold liquids so they do not easily spill
out.)
More than one answer could be plausible!
Present what the aliens inferred: (Write the answer in “alien language” by scrambling the letters for
the students to decode. For example, amircec selevs = ceramic vessel.)
Application: Amy’s House
1. Students have practiced describing artifacts and making inferences about their use. Now they
have an even more challenging task. They have become real archaeologists from the future who
discover an old abandoned house. The mailbox shows that it belonged to someone named Amy! The
house has several rooms, each containing many artifacts. Each person’s job is to study and describe
a single artifact. Then, they can infer
what the artifact was used for, and
how the room it came from was used
2. The artifacts in Amy’s House come from 3 different rooms. Arrange students into groups of 4.
Each group’s artifacts will come from the same room, so in a class larger than 12 students, more than
one group will be assigned the same room.
3. Give students Handout 3 to fill out for their artifact, and Handout 2 showing Amy’s house and the
room where their group’s artifacts were found. Finally, give each student their own unique artifact.
Let them fill out Handout 3, using more than one word for each category if they wish. They can
consult the poster board of words, and their fellow group members for help. Remember, they are
archaeologists from the future, and do not already know what the artifacts are used for. Imaginative
answers are encouraged, as long as they fit with the artifact description. Finally, when the entire
group is finished, they must come to a consensus on the function of their room. Some artifacts could
be found in more than one type of room, but remember: the group must look at ALL of their artifacts
together in order to decide what room they think is the best choice.
4. Go around the room and have each student describe what they think their artifact was used for so
long ago. The last person to speak in each group can reveal what their group believes their room
was used for, and how they came to their decision. Does the rest of the class agree? Could there be
more than one plausible answer?
Closure
1. Students may express that the exercises were easy because they are already familiar with the
objects they observed. For real archaeologists, the job is sometimes much harder. Archaeologists
must describe and make inferences about artifacts that are often dirty, broken, and missing some of
their parts. This can make it very difficult to figure out what they were used for. Artifacts also
could have been used for activities we don’t do in our society, or they could have been used for more
than one activity. Learning what they were used for can be tricky!
2. Here is an example:
(Overhead of bone awl, used for punching holes in animal hide, or for basket making.)
What shape is it? What color is it? How do you think it would feel? What material could it be? How
long is it in inches?
Based on these observations, what could it have been used for?
Because it is long and sharp, some students may infer it was used as a weapon. Now tell them the
artifact was found in a room along with some animal hides stitched into clothing. What can the
students infer about the awl’s use based on the artifacts that were found with it?
DESCRIBE AN ARTIFACT
What is it? A POTTERY VESSEL
SHAPE
COLOR
SIZE
_______________inches
MATERIAL
FEEL
HOW WAS IT USED? _________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
STEP 1 –OBSERVATION: DESCRIBE THE ARTIFACT.
SHAPE
COLOR
SIZE
FEEL
MATERIAL
STEP 2 – INFERENCE: HOW IS IT USED?
Circle  the action that describes how the artifact was used.
To sleep
To drink
To hang things
To eat
To clean
To play
To decorate
To wear
To write
To protect
STEP 3 – EXPLAIN: WHERE IN AMY’S HOUSE IS THIS ARTIFACT
FOUND IN?
Circle  where the artifact belongs.
The BEDROOM
The KITCHEN
The FRONT YARD
The BATHROOM
List of Possible Household Items for “Amy’s House” Activity
BATHROOM:
Cotton ball or Q-tip
Clean, empty shampoo bottle
Toothpaste lid
Band-Aid
Cardboard toilet paper roll
Paper soap wrapper
Comb
Shower curtain ring
Toilet paper dispenser cylinder
Broken nail file (not the metal kind)
Drain stopper
BEDROOM:
Small travel alarm clock
Sock
Stuffed animal
Bedtime book
Picture frame
Earring back
Building block, puzzle piece, or other component of common children’s toy
Nightlight (minus bulb)
KITCHEN:
Drinking straw, with or without plastic lid from take-out drink cup
Broken dish
Cardboard paper towel roll
Clean, empty bottle of hot sauce, ketchup, etc.
Lid of pot
Tea kettle stopper
Small cutting board
Plastic lemon reamer
Garlic press
Potato masher
Screw-on lid from tomato sauce jar
and you can probably think of many more…