History Lab: INQUIRY 2
An "Object-Inquiry" Unit

 Go back to Table of Contents

I. GRADE LEVEL

A. Applicable K-12

II. Areas of Study and Integration

1. SOCIAL STUDIES
1. The understanding of objects as historical sources often falls under the category of Social Studies. Within Social Studies, we draw from history to develop a context or setting for the use and relevance of the object; geography to determine where it came from; economics to try to understand to possible impact of the object on local and world economy; and civics to determine whether any laws may have been in place that affected the production and distribution of the object.
2. SCIENCE
1. Prior to the application of Social Studies disciplines and the contexts they provide, it is necessary to employ some scientific methods in the analysis of the object to determine what materials it is made of and, in some cases, whether it is authentic.
3. MATH
1. Mathematics is used in artifact analysis to determine the dimensions, weight, and possible volume, distribution factors, and economic impact. Additional math skills — such as determining scale — are utilized in relation to visual arts in Activity 4.
4. VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
1. This unit advocates the use of visual and performing arts to demonstrate student assimilation of the information about an object and its historical context. Visual arts are used in the contextualization phase to create an environment in which the object would have played a central role. Performing arts (script writing and reading) are utilized to recreate interaction with an object and demonstrate that action to others.
5. LANGUAGE ARTS
1. Language arts are woven throughout the unit, manifesting in reading, descriptive writing, and script writing. The unit focuses on the six traits of Analytic Writing: Ideas, Organization, Voice, Character, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions.

III. Defining the Topic

1. This unit focuses on ways in which teachers can use objects for effective classroom teaching. We examine and analyze artifacts of historical significance to develop an understanding of the artifact as a "tool of the history trade" — a source of historical information. The methodology presented in this unit is based on the earlier models of material culture analysis presented by E. McClung Fleming (1974) and Jules Prown (1982).
2. In general, the term "material culture" refers to artifacts, images, artwork, and ephemera. The term "object" can be used to refer to both artifacts (objects made, used, or altered by humans) as well as natural history specimens (fossils) and pre-historic archaeological and paleontological finds.