Mysterious Bones by Katherine Kirkpatrick:
Questions and Activities for the Classroom
Note: My friend Gail was a middle school teacher for many years and she often shared articles about Kennewick Man with her students.--KK
For a more complete curriculum about Kennewick Man, geared for grades 7-12, contact the Education Department of the Burke Museum in Seattle. Educators in the Seattle area may borrow a “Burke Box” (traveling teaching collection) featuring Kennewick Man.
Questions
Chapter One- Discovery
The young men who found Kennewick Man/ the Ancient One stumbled over him while trying to sneak into a sporting event. They did not report the skull right away. What would you have done?
Name three things you discovered about Kennewick Man/ the Ancient One in chapter 1.
Would you enjoy being a scientist who studies human bones? Why or why not?
A decision was made not to include photographs in the book. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using art rather than photos? Would you prefer to see photographs of the bones?
Chapter Two—Controversy
After reading chapter 2, how would you define “Native American”?
Write a one-sentence definition of “race.” Did your ideas about “race” change after you read chapter 2?
Name three facts we know for sure about Kennewick Man/ the Ancient One. Name three other conclusions we can make from the facts presented.
How far back can you trace your family roots? Do you know anything about your ancestors who lived 100 years ago? Do you feel in any way connected to your ancestors who lived more than 500 years ago? How do you think you are different from them? How do you think you are alike?
Chapter Three – An Ancestor or a “Find”?
What new information about Native Americans did you get from reading this chapter?
What are the tribes that live, or lived, in your area? Which tribes would you like to learn more about?
Do you feel mummies should be kept in storage at museums? Or put on display? Discuss why or why not.
Before you begin reading the next section of the book, predict the outcome of the court case.
Chapter Four: A Nine Year Court Battle
Make two columns and answer the following. What are the benefits of resolving disputes in the courtroom? What are the benefits of resolving issues before they reach the courtroom?
Were you surprised at the outcome of the court case? Why or why not?
How might the outcome have been different?
The “sidebars” in the book are the shaded boxes where topics are explored outside of the main text. Do you have a favorite sidebar so far? Is there a topic you would like to learn more about?
Chapter Five: The Scientists Study the Skeleton
What methods did the scientists use to help them find out more about Kennewick Man/ the Ancient One? Name three.
Imagine you are a scientist studying Kennewick Man/ the Ancient One. What question would you like to answer? What steps would you take in order to find the answer to your question? What research methods would you use?
What does it take to be a successful research scientist? What skills would you need? What personality traits would be helpful to have?
Think about ways you would find information about an event that happened 10,000 years ago.
Imagine what it would be like to live in North America 10,000 years ago. What modern tools and equipment would you miss the most? How would living 10,000 years ago be different than camping?
What are your five favorite facts you’ve learned from this book?
Chapter Six: The Future for Kennewick Man and Other Skeletons
Have your opinions about studying skeletons changed as you’ve read this book? If so, how?
More ancient human remains may be found at any time. What rules or laws should be passed to solve problems ahead of time?
What if scientists wanted to study the bones and skeleton of one of your deceased relatives. How would you feel about that? What if scientists could briefly study the bones but have a time limit? Would that change anything? How long should the time limit be? Is studying a skull different than studying a few stray bones? Why or why not?
Whose decision do we honor in deciding whether or not ancient North American skeletons should be reburied?
Do you have a favorite illustration in the book? What would you like to see illustrated that is not in the book?
Writing prompts
Creative Story
Make a list of important information that is known about Kennewick Man/ the Ancient One. Write a story about one event in his life. What kinds of descriptive words or factual examples will help make the story better?
Exploring Points of View
How are stories different when told from different points of view? Tell the modern-day story of what happened to the skeleton from a scientist’s point of view. Tell the story from a Native American’s point of view.
The Arts
Create a Portrait
Using what facts you know about Kennewick Man/ the Ancient One, make a portrait of him.
Drawing K-Man’s World
Suppose Kennewick Man made a drawing of his world? What might that drawing show?
Spearpoint
Choose a style of spearpoint from the book and make a model of it out of cardboard. Dental floss can be used for hafting your point to a popsicle stick.
Math
Understanding Ancestors and Generations
(directions for the teacher)
Assume that a generation is 30 years. Within the first 30 years of your life you have 2 ancestors (parents). Going back another generation, 60 years, you have 4 ancestors (grandparents). Going back a third generation, 90 years, you have 8 ancestors (great-grandparents). Have students make a bar graph to show how many ancestors they’d have going back 120 years (4th generation), 150 years (5th generation), 180 years (6th generation), 210 years (7th generation), 240 years (8th generation), 270 years (9th generation), and 300 years (10th generation). After students do this exercise, tell them that Kennewick Man/ the Ancient One lived about 400 generations ago. Assuming his descendents are alive, he would be an ancestor to a great number of people—can anyone venture a guess as to how many?
Dramatic Arts
Play the Role of a Scientist
Have students work in pairs to role-play a scientist being interviewed by a television talk host. The student acting as host must be prepared to ask questions about his or her work involving Kennewick Man/ the Ancient One.
Courtroom Drama
Have students take the parts of lawyers for the scientists and Army Corps of Engineers, judge, and witnesses, to decide if the scientists should be allowed to study Kennewick Man/ the Ancient One. The students acting the parts should become as familiar as possible with the actual events before acting out the roles. Your judge does not have to come to the same conclusion as Judge Jelderks did in the real-life trial.
Research Activities
Cross-Culture Study of Prehistory
Very little is known about prehistoric people in Kennewick Man/ the Ancient One’s time period. Ask teams of students to find out, to the best of their ability, what was happening 10,000 years ago in parts of the world other than North America. Were all the people nomadic (moving from place to place) or were some living in permanent settlements? Were all of them hunter-gatherers, or were any of them farmers? Have teams report their findings.
Cross-Culture Study of Repatriation
Research how different cultures and nations think about the study of their ancient dead. What laws are in effect in other countries? Does the widespread looting of Native American graves make the situation for study politically different in the United States?
Migration Routes
Display a globe or world map and ask a volunteer to pick out Africa. Have students suggest routes to the other continents. Have students speculate as to why leaving a homeland in prehistoric times would have been important. Discuss what hardships early people might have encountered on their journeys. Have students list some of the problems that the people faced and some ways they might have dealt with the problems.
NAGPRA
Research the story of the Polar Inuit boy named Minik who came to New York from Greenland with explorer Robert E. Peary in 1897. Does Minik’s story help you understand why the Native American Graves Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was made a law?