DEPEW, NY - Students in Ms. Cobb's 6th grade Social Studies class at Depew Middle School got a little dirty Wednesday.
They were digging into the dirt as part of their ongoing lesson plan in archeology.
"We've been studying pre-history and how we learn about ancient people without written records. We learned about artifacts by discovering tools used and that the people have made and we also studied about archeology and archeologists," said Danielle Cobb.
The excavation site where the children were getting the hands-on experience was erected by the school staff. Teachers buried the mock artifacts that the students would discover.
"First I was digging and I thought it was a peanut, but it wasn't a peanut. So, I kept on digging and that's when I found the pottery," said student John Hughey.
"We had to scrape down to try and find artifacts or if we found a carrot root or a plant, that's extra bonus points for us," added Dominic Burton, another student in the class.
The outdoor excavation site is a unique way to educate the students and that opportunity is not overlooked by the teachers at Depew.
"It is a great opportunity and its sort of a reward for their hard work and it helps them to learn and appreciate what they've been learning," said Cobb.
After the dig, the class reconvened inside where students documented their new finds. In the upcoming weeks, they will put together a class collage depicting what they found and how past generations might have used the items in everyday life.