Grade 6 World History Students Become Job-Seeking Archaeologists in Interactive Unit

Middle School history teacher Rian Otto found a way to use a unit on archaeology as a means to teach valuable life skills that will benefit students outside the grade 6 world history class.

Mrs. Otto’s students are studying archaeology to better understand how the work of an archaeologist impacts historical research. Mrs. Otto decided to put a twist on the unit—by teaching the students the process of writing a resume and interviewing for an archaeologist job using the information they learn in the class.

“The project got students excited about the study of history, and helped them to gain confidence in themselves,” Mrs. Otto said. “They learned about the important impact archaeologists have on the study of history, and they developed essential life skills that they will use well beyond the sixth grade.”

Students learned about the archaeology profession by researching the field on a variety of teacher-selected websites, learning about specialists within archaeology and watching video clips of archaeologists describing their work and using common terminology like excavation, preservation, artifacts and radiocarbon dating.

The lesson then became truly interactive when students gathered in the Library to conduct a Q&A via Skype with Matthew Williamson, a biological anthropologist who teaches at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Williamson, a friend of a St. Margaret’s parent, answered questions from the students about his work in the field, different types of archaeology and some interesting stories about notable moments in his career.

Students took plenty of notes during Dr. Williamson’s Q&A, because they knew the tables would be turned the next day. Parent volunteers participated in the final phase of the project, interviewing students as they applied for a fictitious job with the “Seekers International” archaeology team preparing for a trip to Kenya. Parents asked a number of questions to the “job seekers” during the mock interview, which served to both reflect their acquired knowledge of archaeology as well as work on social skills like proper handshakes, eye contact, body posture and thinking on their feet.

“It’s good for them to get a look at the process of writing a resume, knowing what goes into selling yourself, and interviewing for a job,” Mrs. Otto said. “Selling yourself is not bragging. It’s a life skill that will be useful in experiences like college essays and job interviews.”