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Morayfield State High School

Title: Whose body is it anyway? Crime Scene Investigation 4000 BC.

School Profile:

Name	Morayfield State High School
Location	Morayfield, north of Brisbane
Cultural mix	Mostly Anglo Saxon, small indigenous and islander populations
Sector	Secondary
Size	Around 1000 students
Socio-economic status	Varied. Some students are from a high socio economic background, many students are from a low socio economic background. Only a very small percentage (around 4%) of parents have a tertiary education.

Program Coordinator:

Name	Julie Daws
Position/role in school	Teacher

Project Overview:

Where did it fit in the school?	Year 11 Ancient History - archaeology
Why was this project chosen?	I felt that the archaeology unit needed to be upgraded for the new syllabus as the science of archaeology had changed enormously since the unit was written. I also wanted to tap into the current interest in forensics, to stimulate students.
Which students were involved?	Year 11 Ancient History students were involved. These students had chosen to do this subject at a senior level.
How long did it run for?	It ran for about 3 weeks at the end of term 1 and start of term 2. Students had already spent some time studying traditional archaeological methods and Neolithic societies. This section was added after the Neolithic societies to time with the excursion to the Abbey Museum.

Outcomes Addressed:

KLA	Strand	Outcome
Senior ancient history	Studies of archaeology	Effects, interests and arguments - how have developments in science and technology influenced archaeology and increased our knowledge and understanding of the past? What ethical issues have been raised about archaeological practices?

Project Outline:

What did you achieve?	Students studied forensic methods in archaeology and applied them to a hands on situation. Students also studied ethical issues raised by such situations and reported on their findings and ethical recommendations.
How did you go about it?	After lots of research (resources page), a short unit was planned (lesson outline page) to be added to the existing archaeology unit. This was specifically targeted toward Neolithic societies, as that was the subject of the dig at the Abbey Museum. Students made decisions and reported on this in their assessment (assignment page).
Any pitfalls or problems?	The timing of this was dependent on our excursion. We tried to get a guest speaker from UQ, but were unable to do so, but that would have been fantastic. The videos I purchased did not turn out to be as helpful with this project as I hoped, however they could be used if I had chosen a different background subject, so this may be a future project. A couple of the students were away for the dig, which made the reporting for them a little more difficult, but I changed the final report for them (alternate assignment page).
What did it cost?	I purchased a half set of archaeology books from Heinemann that I found very useful for this project at a cost of $397.50 (see resource page). I also purchased some videos for the background to the subject which were not so useful, but you could use other material you have available eg if you have material on Egypt, this project could easily be altered to accommodate this. The students paid for the cost of the excursion, which turned out to be $17 per student - $10 for the dig and $7 to cover bus fare. Plus we purchased a few other resources for research and also did some photocopying of resources etc.
Extra materials	Forensic resources new window 58k Lesson overview new window 19k Lesson plans new window 44k Worksheet 1 - excavation of human remains new window 20k Worksheet 2 - the human skeleton new window 42k Identification of bodies in forensic archaeology new window 23k Archaeological methods research assignment new window 38k Archaeological methods alternative research assignment new window 38k Forensic archaeology survey - question sheet and results new window 24k

Resources Used:

What CHP resources did you use and how?

I used the introductory unit "What happened to Stan Harrison" to give students an introduction into the idea that archaeology is a series of clues which need to be put together to form a hypothesis, or solve a mystery. It also contained a body that was the main focus of this project, and added to the idea that students were crime scene investigators, albeit from a distant (as far as time was concerned) perspective.

What other resources did you use?

See Forensic resources new window 58k

Which Historical Literacies were addressed and how?

Events of the past - by looking at the Neolithic period and applying our understanding of this period to the dig situation.

Narratives of the past - by looking at how modern forensic methods have changed our understanding of historical events and that our understanding is a changing construct.

Research skills - students were obligated to research their site to come to further understandings of their hypothesis.

Moral judgement in history - students were obliged to study several cases of archaeological finds, particularly involving bodies, and make ethical considerations on those sites and bodies.

Applied science in history - students were obligated to study forensic methods in archaeology and how they could be applied to different sites, both of past and present materials, and how they can change our understandings of sites.

Evaluation:

Overall Outcomes	Students gained a knowledge of forensic techniques in archaeology and an understanding that historical understanding is an ongoing process and not something set in stone. They also gained more of an empathy and understanding of the ethical considerations with bodies from both past and present and the conundrums facing archaeologists and government bodies today.
Reflection	I will probably tighten this project up for next year, and look at changing the timing of the dig. I'm also not totally happy with the report format still. I want to rethink some of my resources, and perhaps tighten up the timing of some aspects and spend more time on other aspects.
Student Comments	Overall, I felt that students enjoyed the experience, they seemed engaged and keen in class and the outcome of the survey was likewise quite positive (see survey and responses page).
What help are you prepared to offer teachers who want to contact you?	My school email address is jdaws8@eq.edu.au and I will be happy to offer any assistance to any teacher who emails me regarding this project.

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