These are the kinds of questions found in Amy Waine's GATE classes at Martha Gaskins, W.J. Christian, and Huffman Academy. Students have recently been conducting a unit where they can choose to explore Architecture or Archaeology, one focusing on building civilizations, and the other on analyzing artifacts to discover past civilizations. One critical thinking question that students explored was "Which animal is the world's greatest architect?" Students listed a number of creatures that have proven to build complex structures, who do You think is the world's greatest architect? Write in the comments below! As part of the unit, students were visited by archaeologists, such as former gifted teacher-turned-archaeologist Amanda Williams, who does annual digs in Bulgaria "just because she always wanted to!" She brought artifacts and photos of the dig, along with all of the tools an archaeologist needs-like lots of water to keep hydrated. It was great to see Mrs. Williams in the classroom, lighting up students' curiosity with her own experiences in the field. The unit has provided the opportunity to cover science, particularly the biology of different animals and how they adapt to their surroundings. Students study social studies through the various archaeological sites and civilizations. Math is covered, the students were required to make a dome from paper which led to conversations about diameter and circumference. And of course students are reading and writing throughout the exploration. During the course of the presentation, Mrs. Williams mentioned a famous local archaeologist, Sarah Parcak only to discover 3-4 students were writing papers on her. Pretty amazing to have a local female archaeologist who is making an impact all over the world with her research! Who knows if there is a future archaeologist in Mrs. Waine's class that might follow in Dr. Parcak's footsteps. After the presentations, the architects got to design cities and build marble passageways, while the archaeologists worked with Mrs. Williams analyzing local artifacts and trying to determine where they came from. Mrs. Waine's GATE students got to experience a wide variety of hands-on learning experiences through the disciplines of Archaeology and Architecture. Many thanks to Mrs. Amanda Williams for sharing her experiences with BCS GATE kids.
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