Education and Outreach

Archaeology offers a unique way to understand human history by uncovering and interpreting artefacts and material remains. For students, archaeology builds curiosity and strengthens core skills: observation, critical thinking, evidence-based reasoning, and respectful engagement with the past. 

4 Corners Heritage delivers interactive, curriculum-aligned sessions that complement Year 7 HASS: Deep Time Australia and Senior Ancient History. Incursions are hands-on and inquiry-based, showing students how archaeologists ask questions, test ideas, and draw conclusions from physical evidence. Online sessions are also available.

What students will do (hands-on activities)

Shoebox Excavation: Students excavate a simulated site, record finds, analyse artefacts, form a hypothesis, and present evidence-based conclusions. 
Shoebox themes available: 

  • Introduction to Archaeology (historical European materials) 

  • Deep Time Australia 

  • ANZAC / Modern History 

  • Artefact Analysis Lab: Students practice classification, interpretation, and “what can we infer vs what can we prove?” 

  • Modern Garbology: Students examine everyday household items through an archaeological lens to explore primary sources, relative and absolute dating, and bias in interpretation. 

Skills students build

  • Critical and creative thinking: hypothesis formation, pattern recognition, and interpretation 

  • Evidence-based reasoning: using data to support claims and acknowledging uncertainty 

  • Multiple perspectives: understanding that different knowledge systems and viewpoints shape interpretation 

  • Interdisciplinary learning: links across history, anthropology, geology, and environmental science 

Session topics (examples)

  • Deep Time Australia 

  • Ancient Australia and First Peoples’ heritage 

  • Lake Mungo and what it tells us about deep history 

  • Introduction to Archaeology: methods and careers 

  • Ethics of human remains 

  • Museum repatriation and why it matters 

  • Ancient Egypt (Cleopatra)  

Tailored to your curriculum

  • Year levels: 4-12 

  • Duration: minimum 45 minutes - up to 90 minutes 

  • Class size: best for classes under 30 students 

  • Capacity: up to 4 sessions per day 

  • Pricing: $350 per hour, including preparation, set up, and travel time 

  • Locations (in-person): Gold Coast, Greater Brisbane metro, Sunshine Coast (other locations by discussion) 

  • Online sessions: available 

  • Teacher pack: pre-lesson and post-lesson activities (even a 1-page PDF) 

Pricing: $350 per hour (includes preparation, set-up, activity materials, and travel time within Gold Coast, Greater Brisbane, and Sunshine Coast). Other locations by quotation. 

Book a Classroom Session