NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?

SUMMARY

On Native American Heritage Day, a civil holiday held the day after Thanksgiving, the PBS News Hour examined a long-overlooked marvel of ancient engineering that had been tucked away beneath a golf course in Ohio. It is a place some archaeologists say is on par with Stonehenge. But its struggle for recognition spanned decades, ending only recently with validation as the state’s only World Heritage site.

View the transcript of the story.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Who were the Hopewell People? Who are their descendants?
2. Where are the Octagon Earthworks located?
3. When were the Earthworks built?
4. Why does archeologist Brad Lepper consider the creators of Earthworks "geniuses"?
5. How does Chief Glenna Wallace explain the significance of the Earthworks becoming a World Heritage site?

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

Chief Glenna Wallace asked, "Will they never be content until they have eliminated every trace of our ancestors? That's what's going through my mind." How do you think the Earthworks helps preserve the Hopewell culture? Why do you think it is a sense of pride for Chief Wallace and other Native Americans?

Media literacy: What part of the story struck you the most? How else could you learn more about it?

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO

There are many images included throughout the segment, including graphics, artistic renderings, drawings, photographs and more.

Choose one of the following screenshots from the video (or find another one on your own). What about it stands out to you? How does it help tell the story of the Hopewell People?

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