Group Names:
Historical Artifact Analysis Worksheet*
1. Handle the object. Is it heavy or light? Does it have an odor? Is it smooth or
rough? Is it man-made? What material(s) were used to make this object?
2. Look carefully at the object. Are there any markings on it? Any printed words? A
date? Are any parts more worn than other parts?
3. Do any of the parts move? Are there any gears? Why do you think it was made
this way?
4. What do you think this object was used for?
5. How might it have been used?
6. What might this object say about the people who used it?
STOP HERE FOR GROUP ACTIVITY ---------7. Is there anything that has replaced this object today? How and why is it different?
8. After hearing about these objects, how do you think looking at objects helps us
understand life in another time?
* Questions derived from similar worksheet produced by the Maryland Historical Society
for activity entitled “Tools of the Historian.”