ASOR-ISAC Teacher Workshop: Bring Archaeology to your Classroom

Saturday, November 21, 2026
10:00am–12:00pm
Hilton Chicago
720 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605

Join the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) and the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC) for a hands-on workshop created for K–12 educators.

Workshop Schedule

10:00am–11:00 am | Investigating Ancient Artifacts

Experience ISAC’s Artifact Analysis activity using replica artifacts. Learn strategies for helping students make observations, form inferences, interpret material evidence, and ask meaningful questions about the past. Find out more about ISAC's program where you can bring artifact replicas to your own classroom and explore ASOR's teacher resources and ISAC's lesson plans on the ancient world!

11:00am–12:00pm | Archaeology in the Field

Hear firsthand perspectives from an archaeological field director and a student excavation volunteer. Learn what happens on a dig, how discoveries are interpreted, and what students can gain from participating in archaeological fieldwork. A question-and-answer session will follow.
Your Registration Includes

• Hands-on artifact-analysis training
• Classroom-ready educational resources
• Information about an upcoming curriculum competition
• Admission to Saturday’s ASOR poster session and afternoon sessions
• Digital certificate of completion
• CPDUs for Illinois Teacher: Up to Five hours available. Saturday Teacher Workshop (2 hours), Poster session attendence (1 hour), ASOR workshop Teaching with the (2 hours)

Registration Options

$30 | Saturday Teacher Workshop and Conference Access
Includes the teacher workshop, poster session where you can talk to presenters about their projects, and Saturday afternoon sessions including ASOR workshop Teaching with the from 2:00–4:05pm. Ancient Near East Today is ASOR's open-access digital platform for public scholarship, disseminating the latest research, insights, and news about the ancient Near East and beyond.

$50 | Full ASOR Annual Meeting Access
Attend the entire conference, from Wednesday evening through Saturday evening, November 18–21.

No previous background in archaeology or the ancient world is required.

About ASOR

For 125 years, ASOR has been a flagship for archaeology, history, and cultural heritage in the Middle East and wider Mediterranean, supporting professional standards for excavations, research, peer review, and conduct. ASOR has a unique ability to bring together scholars from archaeology, history, science and other fields to protect and study cultural heritage and share its importance with the public especially as so many sites are being threatened or destroyed. Learn more at asor.org.