Teacher Resources

Drawing on their expertise in experiential education and their firsthand knowledge of archaeology, Crow Canyon educators have developed a variety of materials for teachers to use in their classrooms. The printed and online resources listed below are designed to actively engage students of various ages in the study of archaeology and American Indian history.

Online Resources

Study Guides and Lesson Plans

These study guides and lesson plans are based on the results of actual research conducted by Crow Canyon archaeologists at ancestral Pueblo sites in the Mesa Verde region. Grade level: see individual guides and plans.

Pueblo Indian History for Kids

Bring the past to life! Your young students will have fun using this colorfully illustrated history to learn about the Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest. With a complete glossary and lots of maps, photographs, and reconstructions, this kid-friendly chronology tells the story of how Pueblo culture developed from ancient times to the present day. It also includes the award-winning video Visit with Respect, in which Pueblo people talk about how they feel about archaeological sites.

Peoples of the Mesa Verde Region

More than 10,000 years of American Indian history and 250 years of European-American history are summarized in this illustrated chronology, complete with maps, drawings, and historic photographs. Geared toward older students.

Visit With Respect

In this 9½-minute video, Pueblo people describe how they feel about archaeological sites and explain why it's important for people to treat all sites with respect. This moving video won the Society for American Archaeology 7.5 Film Fest award in 2010.

Glossary

For those new to Southwestern archaeology, this online glossary provides definitions of many archaeological and anthropological terms used in Crow Canyon’s publications and programs. (For young students, see the Glossary in Pueblo History for Kids)

General-Interest Reading List

This bibliography is for older students and adults who want to learn more about the histories and cultures of the native peoples of the Southwest.

Education Bibliography

This education bibliography lists texts that deal specifically with the application of educational theory to the teaching of archaeology and anthropology.

Other Resources

Archaeologists Use Maps

This workbook teaches students observation and mapping techniques used by archaeologists. Students learn about scales, measurements, and cardinal directions, and they make interpretations on the basis of observations. Available for purchase on campus only. Grade level: fourth through eighth.

Community History Trunks

Trunks containing historical objects and replicas representing different ethnic groups and time periods in the Four Corners area help educators teach local history.

Windows Into the Past

Written by Crow Canyon educators and published by Kendall/Hunt, this book for teachers explains how to use experiential education methods to teach archaeology and American Indian history in your own classroom (grades 4–8).