In this case study, two teacher educators at Minority Serving Institutions explore how artifacts can foster deep, original thinking in a classroom. We share how we modeled the use of artifacts to design an interdisciplinary social studies lesson with teacher candidates (TCs). Making connections to "realia," such as maps, brochures, and photographs with graphic organizers, we examine how the TCs selected community-relevant images and matched them to specific skills they aimed to teach. This qualitative case study analyzes the TCs' project work using an Activity System (AS) scale scoring guide to assess the creativity, community focus, and the potential for student initiative, interactions, engagement, and challenge. As part of a larger study, we profile two prospective educators' work samples, highlighting their plans to use artifacts to deepen students' skills in math and literacy. Studying realia, from everyday life, aligns with Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of individuals and their environments. Researchers in fields such as anthropology, social work, and urban studies can also use artifacts to explore how cultural realia shape social dynamics, identity formation, power structures, community development, and more. [This content is provided in the format of an e-book.]