Legacy: Hands on the Past
LEGACY: Hands on the Past
The Legacy Program was created with our community in mind. San Antonio, and Texas in general, has a rich archaeological record dating back thousands of years. Our focus is in providing schools, teachers, and other local community’s access to information about archaeology, historic preservation, and related resources. While we try to include all ages in our audience, we are specifically geared towards K-12.
Outreach
Legacy: Hands on the Past is CAR’s educational outreach program, providing information about archaeology and historic preservation to San Antonio students, teachers and the general public. Legacy staff provide tours and training seminars at the CAR facility and present talks at local schools and community events.
History
In 1993, CAR staff began conducting periodic informal tours of the laboratory research center on UTSA’s west campus in response to requests from the K-12 education community. During the fall of 1994, CAR staff established the Legacy: Hands on the Past outreach program with specific educational goals and curriculum to meet this need. These tours are still offered today and serve to promote the public’s understanding of archaeological research methods, encourage citizens to be mindful of protecting cultural resources, and to promote respect and understanding of diverse cultures. Since its founding, Legacy has continued to expand these opportunities for people of all ages through participation in community-wide events; however, its primary focus still lies with teachers and K-12 students.
Objective
Observing how archaeologists learn about the past through scientific research gives teachers and students a unique opportunity to understand the interdisciplinary nature of archaeology and how it connects science to history and other social studies, as well as math, art, and language arts. All Legacy curricula are designed to meet specific TEKS requirements, so they are easily integrated into the classroom. All programs are provided by experienced CAR archaeologists.
P20 and Gear-Up
Legacy worked with UTSA's P20 Initiative and Gear Up programs designed to prepare students for the college environment.
