Time Frame 
Two 1-hour sessions

Materials
1. Boxes 
2. Bag of sand/dirt 
3. Paintbrushes or toothbrushes for removing sand/dirt
4. Spoons or small shovels
5. Artifacts (jewelry pieces, dried poultry bones, pottery fragments
6. Paper and pencil for cataloging
7. Glue or tape for assembling artifacts

Procedure
1. Before students begin the activity, fill 6-8 small boxes with damp sand or dirt.  Place the fragmented artifacts in the sand and pour sand over the artifacts in these boxes.  Explain to students how to work as an excavation team.  
Team Roles:  
Excavator-will uncover the artifacts using the spoons/shovels.  This student must be careful not to disturb the position of the artifacts until they are cataloged.
Recorder-will enter data in the excavation log including a descriptive paragraph about the find.
Illustrator-will create a scaled drawing of the artifact
Cleaner-will carefully brush away soil after cataloging and arrange artifacts on a flat surface.
Overseer-will reconstruct the fragments using glue or tape.  The remaining members of the group could participate in this job.
2. Students work in cooperative groups as they carry out the archaeological dig, exploring the site and discussing the finds.  After the artifacts have been assembled the group should compose a report detailing their conclusions about the cultural origin of the find.
3. After all artifacts have been reassembled they can be displayed in the school library along with the written compositions detailing their excavation.