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Woods Canyon Pueblo | Life on the Edge
Archaeology at Woods Canyon Pueblo
Fourth Grade Lesson Plan
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Concepts Skills Time Required Materials 2. The Archaeology at Woods Canyon Pueblo Fourth Grade Study Guide that accompanies this lesson plan. 3. The diagram showing the major landforms mentioned in this lesson: mesa top, canyon edge, canyon slope, canyon bottom, alcove, and spring. Vocabulary Background To guide their investigations, archaeologists ask questions, then propose theories that can be tested using evidence gathered through excavation and laboratory analysis. In Woods Canyon Pueblo: Life on the Edge and in this lesson, students are asked to consider one of the research questions that guided Crow Canyon's excavations at this large village: Why did the ancient Pueblo people choose to live on the edge of Woods Canyon? Students are then challenged to think like archaeologists as they read about five theories, evaluating the relative merit of each before finally choosing the theory that they feel best answers the research question.
The research question presented in this lesson addresses a topic that is of great interest to archaeologists working in the Southwest today: the settlement patterns of the ancient Pueblo people. Settlement patterns—that is, where people lived on the landscape—have long been a research focus, because they are known to have changed over time, probably in response to a number of different factors. The ancient Pueblo people lived in the Four Corners region of the Colorado Plateau from about 1000 B.C. to A.D. 1300. They built villages of stone, wood, and adobe. Some villages consisted of only a few families, but others were home to hundreds of people. Early in their history (1000 B.C. to A.D. 750, also known as the Basketmaker period), the Pueblo people built their homes in many different locations, including canyon bottoms, alcoves, and mesa tops. During the Pueblo I and II periods (A.D. 750 to 1150), they built their homes and villages almost entirely on mesa tops, where there was abundant farmland. The building of a village on the edge of Woods Canyon typifies a settlement pattern prevalent throughout the Four Corners region in the late A.D. 1100s and 1200s (the Pueblo III period). During this time, the ancient Pueblo people tended to build new homes and villages on canyon edges and in alcoves located on the steep canyon slopes. Although the Pueblo people moved to these new villages in the late 1100s and 1200s, archaeologists believe that they continued to grow their crops on the mesa tops. Woods Canyon Pueblo is just one example of the relocation from mesa-top villages to canyon-edge and alcove sites. The famous cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park are also examples of this dramatic change in the settlement pattern during the Pueblo III period. The ancient Pueblo people's decision to build their village on the edge of Woods Canyon should be framed in this broader chronological context and pattern of regional settlement. You might consider drawing a picture of a mesa with a canyon edge and alcove to highlight changes in the settlement pattern (see the major landforms diagram). At a minimum, you should share with the students the following information, which is also available on the introductory page of Woods Canyon Pueblo: Life on the Edge (the "Who, What, Where, and When" section). Woods Canyon Pueblo is located in the high desert country of the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. It sits on the cliff edge and steep slope of a large canyon called Woods Canyon. Archaeologists believe the pueblo had more than 200 buildings, which was a fairly large village in those days. It might have been home to as many as 50 to 200 people. Pueblo people lived at Woods Canyon Pueblo for at least 100 years. They built the first structures about 850 years ago (A.D. 1150) near the bottom of the canyon. Approximately 750 years ago (A.D. 1250), the villagers began adding new buildings up the steep side of the canyon and on the canyon's cliff edge. Procedure
2. Print enough copies of the Archaeology at Woods Canyon Pueblo Fourth Grade Study Guide so that each student can have his or her own copy. 3. If students will not be working online, they will need access to paper copies of Woods Canyon Pueblo: Life on the Edge, which can be printed in sections and then placed in centers around the classroom. The sections to be placed at the centers are the "Who, What, Where, and When" section and the individual theory sections (Beauty, Natural Resources, Water, Defense, and Farming). Print several copies of each section, and place them at the various centers. Students will rotate through the centers to complete Parts One and Two of the study guide. This conserves paper and still allows students to work at their own pace. 4. Frame the activity by providing the students with the information presented in the "Background" section of this lesson plan, including information about settlement patterns and archaeological research questions and theories. 5. Distribute copies of the Archaeology at Woods Canyon Pueblo Fourth Grade Study Guide. 6. Read the directions for Parts One and Two with the students. Give the students time to complete these parts.
7. Read the directions for Part Three with the students, and have them work individually to complete the ranking and answer the questions. 8. As a class, compile totals for each of the theories. As the totals are being compiled, have the students share the rationale behind their decisions with the entire class. 9. Complete the closure activity, below. Closure Evaluation Extension Lesson plan developed and written by Joshua S. Munson, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center Visit the Learning Center at www.crowcanyon.org |