The very last class brought us full circle. The kids encountered scenes with bones and material remains and used their skills in interpreting the symbolic information in so-called “garbage” and bone evidence to determine important facts about the scene. They were able to tell us if the death scene was that of a human or … Continue reading “CSI Alabama”
Even though we taught the kids last week that we have to be careful in assuming too much about a person just because of the way he or she looks, we can tell a lot about a person by even just looking at bones. Forensic anthropologists have to do this all the time, as we … Continue reading “Human Variation”
This activity followed up on the genetics activity from the week before. We really want the kids to recognize the uniqueness and similarities of humans, both of which get mixed up a lot. For instance, we use the term “ancestry” to group people more accurately than the terms most people use, which are “race” or … Continue reading “Ancestry”
Next the kids waded into the deep water. We brought in centrifuges and had them extracted DNA…Kidding. Mendelian traits are simple traits coded for by single genes. Most of the kids have heard of genes and some already knew that genes are simply operating manuals in our bodies’ cells for making and running all the … Continue reading “Mendelian Genetics”
In understanding some of the changes that took place over the course of evolutionary history that led to the differences between humans and other primates, we had the kids discuss and experience some different forms of primate locomotion–that is, walking. To do this, we had the clans divide up as teams and assigned each one … Continue reading “Primate Locomotion”
Speaking of communication (pun intended–get it?), we wanted to share with the kids how our closest living non-human relatives communicate. How is human communication and symbolic behavior similar or different than other primates? We started by talking about some of the basic similarities and differences between us and other primates (video of primate skulls). For … Continue reading “Primate Food and Communication”
Once the clans were established, we asked each clan to define themselves. What makes you a unique people? Do you share a common language? Where do you live? What foods do you eat? Members of each clan visited other clans to learn some of each clan’s unique practices and then returned to their own telling … Continue reading “Cultural Diffusion”
So we’re catching up well after the fact, for which we apologize, but we wanted to share with you what the kids have been up to this semester by topics. Naturally, what the museum exhibits the kids constructed conveyed is symbolic information. The garbage symbolized something about a culture, and our young archaeologists were left … Continue reading “Symbology”