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� Anthropologists studypeople�where they live,what they eat, their customsand social relationships,and much, much more.

� To learn about prehistoricpeople, anthropologistscalled archaeologists rely onpreserved evidence such ashuman bones, old tools,buried trash, and even fos-silized feces.

Dig It Up!Dig It Up!Dig It Up!Dig It Up!Dig It Up!HOW DO YOU KNOW?HOW DO YOU KNOW?HOW DO YOU KNOW?HOW DO YOU KNOW?HOW DO YOU KNOW?

As anthropologists study peoplein contemporary as well as pastcultures, they, like detectives, usemany clues to help them.Archaeologists�anthropologists whostudy past civililizations�oftenexcavate old dwellings or burial siteswhere bones of inhabitants arepreserved. Preserved tools, pottery,and other artifacts are also analyzedto better understand how people lived. When it comes to finding outwhat ancient people ate,archaeologists become even moreclever detectives. In excavated trashheaps, they frequently find evidenceof food. Animal bones, shells, andplant pollen give more clues aboutwhat people ate. But for more directevidence, scientists analyze fossilizedfecal matter. There, seeds and plantpollen trapped in the dung revealsome of what was eaten. Fossil fecesaren�t always well preserved, butwhen they are, they provide excellentinsights into the diets of prehistoricpeople.

PROGRPROGRPROGRPROGRPROGRAMAMAMAMAMSYNOPSISSYNOPSISSYNOPSISSYNOPSISSYNOPSISSCENE 1 People-Watchers 1:00What are archaeologists�and whyare they always looking at people?Cast members Stephanie and Z givekids the lowdown on these specialanthropologists, who they are andwhat they do.

SCENE 2 Dig It! 10:00Cast members Todd and Marytravel to the southwestern U.S. toassist an archaeologist who�sexcavating an ancient desert site.

There, the kids discover thatarchaeologists analyze fossilized feces todetermine what ancient inhabitantsate.

SCENE 3 Who Were We? :50Stephanie and Z know archaeologistsstudy artifacts to find out about howpeople lived, so what will futureexcavators think about us? And what willthey make of our artifacts�like a Frisbee?

vocabulary: anthropologist, archaeologist, fossil, feces, excavate, culture, prehistoric, diet, artifact

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MATERIALS:� a collection of items kids

might not find around theirhomes�old tools or kitchenutensils, 78 rpm records, an8 track tape cartridge, etc.

1. Gather materials by asking friendsto lend you things for a day. If pos-sible, borrow an old-fashioned but-ter churn, an ice cream maker, abootscraper, buttonhook, or somekind of old toy.

2. Display the items and ask kids to ex-amine, them. If items are not break-able or dangerous, let kids pass themaround.

3. Allow time for students to look at eachitem then ask what it is and what itwas used for. If nobody guesses cor-rectly, guide kids through the reason-ing process necessary for them to workit out for themselves.

TUNING INTUNING INTUNING INTUNING INTUNING INExplain to students that it�s not always easy to find out about prehistoric people. After all,prehistoric means �before written records,� so no one kept a diary of how people lived, whatthey did for fun, or what they ate. How do kids think scientists find out things about thesepeople, such as what kind of dishes they used? (find pieces of pottery) what they wore? (clothingin graves) what they ate? (animal bones, plant parts) Discuss the fact that scientists rely on allkinds of preserved evidence of past lives. In this video, the preserved evidence under study isfossilized fecal matter�not a common experience for your students. As kids view the video,help them understand that the study of human excrement is serious, scientific investigation.

Tools Then

ArtifactsNow

AFTER-VIEWINGAFTER-VIEWINGAFTER-VIEWINGAFTER-VIEWINGAFTER-VIEWINGDISDISDISDISDISCUSCUSCUSCUSCUSSIONSIONSIONSIONSION Discuss the term feces so thatstudents understand that archaeologistsstudy fossilized pieces of humanexcrement. Ask what other cluesarchaeologists might use to find out whatpeople ate. For example, how would kidsknow if a family member had a snack latelast night? (dirty dishes; half-fullcontainers; cans, bottles, or boxes in thegarbage; crumbs; etc.) Explain that archaeologists purposelydig up buried trash to look for dietaryclues. Animal bones, shells, and evenleftover seeds found in the trash can beuseful in determining what went into aprehistoric diet.

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For kids to determine fromtrash the makeup of thefamily unit that mighthave left it.

PPPPPURPOSEURPOSEURPOSEURPOSEURPOSE� large plastic bag filled with assorted clean food containers

for people and pets (milk/juice cartons, cereal boxes, pet foodbaby food jars, vegetable cans, etc.); old newspapers and maga-zines, bread wrappers, gum wrappers, several clean bottles/jars with labels removed but with distinctive odor (pickle orolive jar, bottle of garlic powder, bottle of cinnamon, spaghettisauce jar, etc.)

MATERIALS:(per 6 students)

WHAWHAWHAWHAWHAT TO DOT TO DOT TO DOT TO DOT TO DO:::::1. Ask friends to each save a bag of 10-15 items of �clean trash�

representative of what their families�or they as single people�use during a week or two. Ask them to be sure that cans haveno sharp edges and that containers are washed and rinsed�distinctive-odor containers should be �lightly� washed. (Re-member which friend gives you which bag so you can checkhow close kids come to describing each family unit.) Whenyou have enough trash-filled bags, bring them to school.

2. Divide kids into groups of 6, distribute the activity sheet,�Dump Detective,� then give each group a bag of �family�trash to analyze.

3. Have kids record each item on their activity sheets with a shortdescription, such as milk carton, sell date; magazine, dated;baby food jar. Have kids describe any unidentifiable item thebest they can.

4. Explain that, based on their bag�s contents, each group willdraw conclusions about what the people ate; how many werein the family unit (jumbo, economy-size items; single serv-ings); how fast items were eaten (expiration dates on prod-ucts); when items were eaten (dates on newspapers and maga-zines); and whether they have a pet.

5. Have each group member write his/her own hypothesis aboutthe family unit. Each assumption must be defended by evi-dence from the family�s trash.

Share findings. Did every member of a group describe thesame kind of family? Can each member defend her/his choice?Discuss with kids the makeup of the real families that gener-ated the trash samples. How well did kids describe the realfamilies?

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Modern trash disposal usually involves some type of landfill. While muchof our garbage is biodegradable�breaks down over time�some materials, such asplastic, glass, and metal, last for thousands of years. Ask kids to research howyour local sanitation department disposes of trash or, if possible, invite a speakerfrom the department to address your kids and answer any questions they mayhave.

SOCIALSTUDIES

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