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Introduction:
Monoliths, megaliths, and others are structures, primarily made out of stone
that are usually enormous in size and curious about their meaning. Examples
include Stonehenge & Avebury of Great Britain; the Stone Heads surrounding Easter Island, Nasca (Nazca) Lines of Peru, Cahokia of Illinois,
Meadowcroft of Pennsylvania, and many more. The world is covered
in these “8th Wonders” and very little is known about how and why
they were built.
Much has been researched about them, and archaeologists have found a vast amount of information, however, there are still many unanswered questions. Speculation about how and why they were built has sparked worldwide interest. There is increased belief in alternative life forms in our universe, and this has translated into the “Who” and “How”. For example, no one has ever come to a conclusion as to how the huge stones of Stonehenge were transported and erected; even our modern machines cannot reproduce this construction task. Many people have come to believe in aliens from other worlds and think they are responsible for many if not all of the Monoliths found throughout the world.
In this scenario, the United Nations has received more and more pressure from all nations asking the above questions.
Your Task:
You see, in our early human history, very few people kept records of the world
around them. Without documentation, we find we limited to guesswork. Like
studying for a test when you have been absent through the entire unit and have
no notes or information to study with.
As a team of the Worlds Top Notch Archaeologists, you will be assigned one of the many Monoliths throughout the world. Cards will be drawn in class as to which Monolith your tam will investigate. Your investigation is dependant upon your ability to find accurate and non-biased information. Collect this information and prepare for a presentation to the United Nations.
The Process:
In your group of four, each member is to select one of the following roles:
1. What is (was) it for? A tough role. What you do have is a lot in guesses. They include:
Ø
Political
o
Was it used
for election political officials or rulers?
o
Was it used
for controlling crime by punishing people for their wrong doings?
Ø
Religious
o
Was it used
to worship a god or supreme being?
o
Was it used
for sacrifice of animals and/or humans for their gods?
Ø
Societal
o
Was it a
place for community?
o
Assemblies
for trade?
o
Companionship? (not many people in the world then)
Ø
Astronomical
o
Were they
following the stars in the sky?
o
Were they
tracking the seasons? For crop
rotations?
For winter
and summer preparations?
Ø
Alien
o
Were they
trying to communicate with aliens in outer space? Granted they did not have the
sophisticated idea of aliens that we do, however, they did believe in entities
that were neither human nor spiritual.
2. Who made (used or uses) the structure? You will find many beliefs out there. For example, some religious groups hold ceremonies at monolith structures, with a long ago belief that their ancestors were responsible for creating them, however, it has been determined that their people had nothing to do with the structure.
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Who are the people involved?
List all you find and a piece of information about who they
were |
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3. When was it made? There will be vast spaces in time with these. No archaeologist can say “Stonehenge was completed on September 15th, 5764B.C.E. (before the common era”. First, most people had a different means of telling time. Second, if no one recorded the information, how can they tell? Also, if it was made naturally, it took a lot of time and natural processes.
Ø
You may need
to look at several resources here, as many will have different estimates as to
when the structure was built.
o
Decide which
appears most accurate
o
Remember,
they weren’t built in a day. Some may have taken hundreds of years to
complete. Be sure to note this fact.
o
Some have had
“Phases” of construction where the structure was originally built, then rebuild
to serve a better purpose.
Ø
You will need
to determine how they came to their conclusion.
o
Most is done
through radiometric dating of debris left behind by the builders.
Some will talk about carbon 14 dating, indicate this.
What did the
evidence come from?
Campfire wood?
Middens
(trash heaps)? Bones or
remains of people who lived then?
4. How was it made? Work closely with the person managing the When, and Who questions. Your task is to determine how it was made based upon the evidence you have on when, who and it was made.
Ø Where did they get the materials that the structure is made from?
Ø How did they get them there (if they weren’t on site)?
Ø How many people were involved?
Ø What tools did they use (levers, rolling logs, ropes, etc?)
Ø If it was made naturally, how was it made?
5. Final Task: As A Team: When you have collected all the information, prepare a presentation for the United Nations with the outline used for your tasks: What, Who, When & How.
This can be in the form of:
Ø A Power Point presentation for the United Nations Delegates to view as you speak to it.
Ø
A handout for
the United Nations Delegates to follow as you discuss your findings. (created on
Word)
Resources:
Ø You will search for your information.
o You will need to distinguish, decipher, and evaluate the websites you find to look for:
§ Relevant websites, websites that is relevant to your topic. For example, there is an alternative rock band called Stonehenge. This site will not tell you what you need to know about Stonehenge!
§ Websites with accurate information. Some religious sites may alter the fact to better serve their beliefs.
§ Appropriate websites. You know what is appropriate.
§ Comprehensive websites, those that will provide information. For example, there may be many websites about Stonehenge, but their main goal is to sell you books & tapes, not provide information.
Ø You will use Search Engines such as:
o Books in the classroom
o Any other resources you may have or find.
Evaluation:
Here's what each of you in your group will be graded on:
All
roles will require a written report.
These reports are to be grammatically correct and without spelling errors.
Each report should thoroughly, sufficiently, and completely discuss the
following (according to your role):
Ø What is it for?
Ø Who made the monolith?
Ø When was it made?
Ø How was it made?
Presentation:
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Each
group will present their role in the investigation.
1.
Clarity of information. 2.
Incorporation of visuals and graphics into the presentation.
Using word or power point, visuals such as pictures, graphs and charts are a
must. 3.
Accuracy of information. As you meet with your team,
make sure the information you have matches collectively with the others on
the team. During your presentation, if one person states “it was made at the
time of the Druids” and the other states “this pre-Druid structure…” your
information will be conflicting and thusly inaccurate. 4. Your
Conclusion. This is the most important part of the
presentation that most people wait for since it either supports their
beliefs or argues against them. Plan it carefully. |
Going Further:
Effort is based upon how much you put into it. Tell me, I forget; Show me I remember; Involve me, I understand.
Page Creator & Updater:
Jerry Clemens
7th Grade Science Teacher at
Lake Zurich Middle School North
See:
Mr. Clemens Website
Sponsor:
Mr. K.
Webmaster:
Mrs. Schwartz
Originally Created:
May 21, 2005
Last Update: May,
2005
Lake Zurich School District 95
See our:
LZ95 Web Quest Page (in district access only)
