| Public Education Program | |
| The Public Education Committee of PAC is responsible for a wide range of efforts to educate the public on the importance of archaeological sites. |  |
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Each year PAC sponsors an essay contest for students in Grades 4, 5,
and 6 (Group 1) and Grades 7, 8, and 9 (Group 2). The theme of the essay
is "What are archaeological sites and why is it important to protect
them." First, second, and third place prizes and honorable mention
acknowledgments are awarded for each group. The award ceremony is held
at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in Harrisburg, PA. PAC's Project Archaeology involved the development of an archaeology
curriculum for grades five through eight. The project was sponsored by
a Local History Project Support Grant. The curriculum included lesson plans
covering the Paleoindian through Early Historic periods. A second grant
has been awarded for the development and production of teaching trunks
to complement the teaching guide for the archaeology curriculum. PAC, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), and the
Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology (SPA) jointly sponsor Archaeology
Month. Each year an
Archaeology
Month poster is produced. The PHMC sponsors a public participation
archaeological excavation on City Island in Harrisburg. In addition, an
Archaeology Month Teaching
Kit is made available to teachers and includes lesson plans and a speakers list. PAC oversees a series of traveling exhibits on Archaeology in Pennsylvania.
These are wall displays and are available as single exhibits or as part
of the series. PAC has developed a list of speakers on archaeological topics. Speakers
are available for classrooms and civic organizations on topics including
prehistoric, historic, and industrial archaeology. Links to Pennsylvania Archaeological Sites PAC also maintains a list of links to other Internet sites with information useful to those who are interested in Pennsylvania Archaeology. |
