Teacher's Guide for ODYSSEY^TM Hunters

Format:
      Article/Page
      Summary
      Skills

"Underwater Archaeology: Our Past Beneath the Waves," pg. 6

• From the depths of oceans, seas, rivers, and lakes, underwater archaeologists gather evidence of humankind's past. Shipwreck sites provide "snapshots" of a moment in history. One sidebar tells how archaeologists infer the age, origin, and purpose of a ship from clues uncovered in its wreckage. Another explains how diaries illuminate the past.
• Vocabulary, Inductive Reasonin

• The world's oldest known shipwreck has provided a wealth of information about the Bronze Age. A sidebar explains the challenges facing explorers of the site.
• Vocabulary, Drawing Conclusions

• The symbols and markings on Spanish coins recovered from 16th-century shipwrecks reveal much about the politics of the time. Learn more about coins on the U.S. Mint's new Web site.
• Inferring, Extrapolating

• Use household chemicals to shine pennies and simulate the procedures archaeologists use to clean artifacts.
• Following Directions

• A sunken ship and a sunken city are treasure troves of knowledge for scientists from Texas A & M University, who use different methods and equipment for each recovery mission. An activity invites students to simulate the liquefaction earthquakes can cause. A sidebar explains how waterlogged artifacts are preserved.
• Cause and Effect, Problem-Solving

• Folklore, legends, and ghost stories abound in the cultures of coastal peoples. Ghost ships burning in the night belong in the realm of the imagination - don't they?
• Deductive Reasoning, Cultural Awareness

• Oceanographer and archaeologist Robert Ballard uses new technology to probe shipwrecks, including those of the Titanic, Lusitania, and Bismarck. His discovery of Phoenician vessels shipwrecked 2,500 years ago in the Mediterranean has helped historians understand better the history of trade and cultural contact in the region. A sidebar describes the vehicles Ballard and his team use in deep-water explorations.
• Technological Application, Science and Society

• ODYSSEY^TM interviews adventure author Clive Cussler about his experiences searching for shipwrecks. In a sidebar, ODYSSEY^TM readers review two of Cussler's books.
• Technological Assessment, Science-related Vocations and Avocations

• If you discover a shipwreck, is it yours to keep? The courts will decide, using principles derived from the "law of salvage," "law of finds," and Abandoned Shipwreck Act. However, many legal issues remain unresolved, including whether wrecks are better excavated or preserved in situ.
• Vocabulary, Decision-Making

• Join Karan Shah on a snake hunt with the Irula tribe of South India. The tribe captures cobras and rat snakes in the traditional way, but their modern purposes include venom extraction for making antitoxin and rat control on farmland.
• Vocabulary, Cultural Appreciation

1. Write the following column headings on the board: "Professions," "Skills," "Supplies," and "Equipment." Then pose this problem: "You must put together an expedition to explore and salvage a shipwreck. Who and what will you take along?" Compile ideas in four columns. Expand the lists as you read the issue.
2. In your opinion, why are shipwrecks so interesting to people? Why does the tragedy of the Titanic fascinate us? What attracts us to stories of excavations and explorations of ancient ships?

Pg. 11 - "Uluburun"

• Talk It Over:
  1. Reread the last paragraph of this article. Does this statement serve as its theme? Specifically, how does this idea apply to the Uluburun shipwreck?
  2. What new knowledge about early cultures has grown out of the work of Drs. Bass and Pulak? What old ideas about Bronze Age cultures did they prove correct or incorrect?
• Connections:
  1. Creative Writing: Using details from the article, play the role of the captain of the Bronze Age vessel. Write an entry in your captain's log, or diary. Include a description of your ship, its crew, and the purpose of your voyage.
  2. Art: Paint or draw what Drs. Bass and Pulak might have seen on the Mediterranean seabed when they first discovered the Bronze Age wreckage. Remember that not all artifacts are immediately or fully visible.
  3. Mathematics: In the 14^th century B.C., the compass had not been invented, and sailors had to remain within sight of land. Photocopy a map of the Mediterranean region from a world atlas. Draw a straight line from Izmir, Turkey, to Athens, Greece. (Uluburun is not easily found in most atlases.) Estimate this "as-the-crow-flies" sailing distance in kilometers. Next, measure the distance from Izmir to Athens on a route that never strays more than 15 kilometers from land. How do the two estimates compare?
• Student Assessment:
  1. Dr. Bass called the discovery at Uluburun "an archaeologist's dream." Detail two specific arguments that support his assessment.
  2. What is treasure? Set up a debate between those who seek monetary gain and those who value relics for their historical significance. Challenge debaters to present convincing arguments on both sides. Let a panel determine the winner.

pg. 35 - "Who Gets the Sunken Treasure?"

• Talk It Over:
  1. Why is ownership of a shipwreck so difficult to determine?
  2. What did the Fourth Circuit Court mean by "entitled to have that adventure"? Why should an individual's desire to see and photograph a shipwreck have any influence on court decisions?
• Connections:
  1. History: Find out how salvage operations were conducted in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. Compare these past operations to present efforts to preserve shipwrecks in situ. On a poster, depict how attitudes and technologies have changed.
  2. Persuasive Writing or Speaking: Act as the attorney representing either RMS Titanic, Inc. or Christopher Haver. Argue your client's case before the Fourth Circuit Court.
  3. Graphic Design: Imagine you are the first to find an ancient shipwreck. On a poster, draw a flow chart of the steps you would take to claim salvage rights. Include in your diagram likely obstacles and ways to overcome them.
• Student Assessment:
  1. Summarize the basic principles courts use in awarding ownership and salvage rights. Be sure to use correctly the phrases "law of finds," "law of salvage," and "in situ."
  2. The author asks several questions at the end of this article and invites readers to send responses to ODYSSEY^TM. Write a properly formatted business letter answering one or more of the queries. State opinions clearly and support assertions logically.

Diaries Dredged from the Dangerous Deep

Small-Group, Collaborative Activity: Organize the class into groups of five students. Assign each group to research a different famous shipwreck from the past. After each student becomes familiar with the details of the case, assign the following roles: ship's captain, crew member, middle-aged passenger, teenage passenger, and historian. The first four characters write and present pages from their diaries. The historian summarizes the facts of the wreck for the class.

Treasure Tales and Timely Topics

Community Connection: Contact a museum curator, archaeologist, scuba instructor, antique restorer, or salvager. Ask for a presentation or on-site visit. Challenge class members to prepare and ask questions of the expert.

Quiz Questions for Quintessential Querying

Large-Group Activity: Break the class into three groups for a game of Shipwreck Jeopardy. One group designs answers and questions in the following categories: Famous Wrecks, Tools and Equipment, Treasure Terms (vocabulary from the issue), and New Knowledge (gained from archaeological discoveries). The other two groups compete as individual players or collaborative teams.

Grim and Ghastly Groups of Ghosts

Individual / Class Project: Compile and publish a book of folklore, legends, or ghost stories with a nautical theme. Ask students to contribute original work for the book - perhaps an imaginative ghost story, eerie poem, retelling of a famous tale, or interview with an expert on folklore. Print the book and place copies in the school library.

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Updated: 9/2/10 10:31 am
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