Mystery in Artifact Bags

This week in class we participated in a Mystery Bag activity. We learned how to make history alive through an artifact bag lesson. The task was to choose a mystery bag and figure out what the significance was in the items. I worked with Kim, Rachel, and Alexis. My group & I were given a bag with very interesting artifacts. We were excited to open the mystery bag, unwrap our items and begin our research on what these items were and who do they belong to! The first item we unwrapped was this one doll. In each doll was another doll. The doll opened and had another inside it. After researching we found out these dolls were called Matryoshka. We found out Matryoshka is a doll which was first made in 1890 in Russia. These dolls are used for decoration and entertainment. Matryoshka is a popular item in the Russian culture. The next item we discovered was gzhel pottery. The pottery is a beautiful blue and white consisting of designs. Gzhel pottery is pottery created in the 19th century. After researching we found out that this was pottery from the Russian culture. Gzhel is named after a city located in Southeast Moscow, Russia. This pottery can be used for a number of different things. For example, gzhel pottery can be used for decoration, vases, candlesticks, clocks, tea, and dinner sets & more. The third item we found in the bag was an award for Dr. Smirnova! This award was presented to her. The award was the National Teachers Training Academy of Science.  She got this award in 2005 after she came to America from Russia! We had to translate this award this way we could figure out what it meant. It was in the Russian language. This was a really cool experience because we got to work together and figure out what these items were and how they related to each other. The gzhel & Matryoshka are both Russian decorations. This activity was hands on and engaging. I really love the idea of Mystery bags because it encourges students to want to learn. To end the activity we had to fill out a chart which asked us the 5 W's: Who, What, When, Where, Why. Ultimately, we all used the inquiry method to figure out what the artifacts symbolized. We had to use the information given, conduct a investigation, and conclude  our investigation with an conclusion which explained our evidence. Each group presented their bags & we came to the conlcusion that this was all about Dr. Smirnova. 

Here is our presentation!

Gzhel

Matryoshka

Dr. Smirnova's Award