The Dig

When the new layer contradicts your theory, what do you do?

The Dig makes your sixth graders archaeologists reading a site one layer at a time. Over ten days they build a theory from the evidence, then meet a contradiction that does not fit. The students who follow the evidence over their first idea do real science. It is inference and revision, lived.

See what your students get, and why it lands.

No mockups. Every page below is real, pulled straight from the files you download. Tap any one to see it full size.

A worksheet was never going to teach this.

Your sixth graders are not labeling the steps of the scientific method. They are excavating a site, building a theory about what happened from the layers and artifacts they uncover. Then a new find contradicts the story they had committed to, and they have to decide whether to defend their theory or follow the evidence. The students who let the data win do real science. That is inference and revision, with their own conclusion on the line.

Tap to read the contradiction

They are graded on their reasoning, not on the right answer.

Here is what surprises teachers. A student who reconstructed the site correctly is not graded higher than one who did not. The right answer is not the point. Students are assessed on the quality of their reasoning, traced through their own daily journal. A careful interpretation that turned out wrong scores higher than a lucky guess. That is how a sixth grader learns to value evidence over being right.

Tap to read the grading note

Let the workbook hold the evidence.

The Dig comes with a workbook that records every layer, every artifact, and what each one suggests. The student logs the finds, and the evidence builds across the ten days. Their attention stays on the hard part, what the site actually shows, instead of on keeping track of every detail.

Tap to see the evidence log

Every day is already scripted. You just run the room.

You do not need an archaeology background to teach this. The guide scripts every day, names what students will likely say, and gives you exactly how to respond, including the contradiction. The layers, the finds, and the final reconstruction are all written for you. You bring the facilitation. The simulation brings everything else.

Tap to read the teacher guide

The lesson plan is already written.

Every simulation comes with a fully editable, admin-ready lesson plan. Standards alignment, daily pacing, learning objectives, differentiation, and an assessment plan are already done, so you can hand it to an administrator or adapt it to your district template in minutes.

Tap to preview the lesson plan

Everything you need to run it.