Anthropology Activities and Lesson Plans

Web interactive activities: Anthropology

Freshwater Mussel Identification Activity

This is an interactive version of the lesson plan in the Mussel Collection Web exhibit. Learn how zoologists use keys to identify mussels by shell texture, color, and shape. Choose among five shells to identify.

This activity requires a flash plugin on your computer, which may be downloaded for free on the Macromedia site.

Projectile Point Identification Activity

Learn how archaeologists identify and date spear and arrow points with a key based on the point's shape and notches. Use the key to identiify and sort points in the online group of points.

This activity requires a flash plugin on your computer, which may be downloaded for free on the Macromedia site.

Web-available Lesson Plans: Anthropology

Comparison of Political Life: Native American Lesson pdf: Complete a Venn diagram after studying the characteristics of political life of the Illini tribe, Eruo-settlers, and modern Americans.
European and Native American Mappping Activity: European and Native American Mapping Activity from Lewis and Clark in Illinois helps students understand how different peoples have different cultural traditions about subjects even as seemingly "scientific" as measuring the land. Lewis and Clark consulted several sources for maps and brought with them scientific tools for measuring land and making maps.
Forms for Exhibit Creation Lessons: In the Classroom Exhibit lesson for the Behind the Scenes module, students can print out and use forms to keep records of the objects or specimens they are planning to exhibit.
Frost Trade Bead Collection Lesson Plan on Loom Weaving: Lesson plan for grades 5 and up on loom weaving of beads based on the beading designs of Native Americans as seen in Native AMerican beaded objects in the Museum's collection online.
Frost Trade Bead Collection lesson plan on millefiori bead making: Lesson plan for grades 5 and up on making millefiori beads of polymer clay
Frost Trade Bead Collection lesson plan on sewn beading: Lesson plan on Ojibwa sewn bead designs for grades 5 and up
Interview with a Native American Teen pdf
Introductory Teacher Orientation to MuseumLink Lesson Plans
Make a Model Wigwam Lesson Plan: Illustrated instructions for making a model of an Eastern Woodlands Native American wigwam. Learn about how Illinois Indians made wigwams in the Native AMerican Web modules.
Mississippian Regalia Lesson Plan pdf: Mississippian natives in Illinois wore special clothing for ceremonies. We know about theses costumes through artefacts found that depict dancers.
Native American Dye Plants Lesson: Learn how to create fabric dyes from natural substances in onion skins, walnuts, and flowers the way Native Americans and early settlers did. Dyed cloth can be used to make a prairie quilt (see lesson plan) or garment, or dye samples notebook.
Native American Pictionary pdf: Play pictionary to learn Native AMerican vocabulary.
Native American Plum-stone Dice Game pdf: Native Americans played many games, including games of wager. This one uses painted plum stones to use as dice.
Native American Recipes Lesson: Learn about Native American foods and find Web sites with recipes.
Ojibwa Sewn Bead Designs Lesson Plan pdf: Native Americans sewed glass beads onto leather and cloth to decorate clothing and objects. Learn how to sew seed beeds on felt, and go on to decorate your own clothes!
People at Work Lesson Plan pdf: Work was one of the five themes that WPA artists were asked to use in their work. View artworks by the WPA artists on this theme, and create your own painting using the types of jobs we see today.
Polymer Clay Trade Bead Lesson pdf: View the Museum's Frost Trade Bead Collection Online and the Morton Barker Paperweight Collection online to find out how millefiori beads were made from glass, and hos they were traded in America. Create your own beads from polymer clay.
Polymer Clay Trade Beads Lesson: Using the Frost Trade Bead Collection Online and the Barker Paperweight Colleciton online, students will learn how millefiori beads are made from glass and will learn to do a similar technique in ploymer clay.
Predicting the Past: Historic Journals and Archaeology Lesson Plan: This lesson has students be historians by using journal entries and archaeological finds to understand the nature of anthropological study.
Prehistoric Pottery Methods Lesson Plan pdf: Learn to build a pot of clay by molding, coiling, and pinching.
Someone's in the Kitchen: Learn about Native AMerican foods and find recipes you can make.
Spider Collection and Native American Collections Lesson Plan: Lesson plan for grades 3-6 on making a spider-motif gorget based on an artifact from Dickson Mounds Museum
Spider Gorget Lesson Plan pdf: Early Native Americans in Illinois used shell to create gorgets, or neck pendants.
Weaving Beads on a Loom Lesson Plan pdf: This lesson from the Museum's Native American module focuses on bead weaving techniques. You can buy or construct a bead loom and, using a needle and thread and seed beads, weave a bracelet, ring, or even a necklace.