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Wendy Allard
08
Project
Summary
Addison Central School District
1. General Overview of the Proposed
Project:
I was in the office of Addison’s local
newspaper and a woman was there who inspired my idea for this
project. She was talking about Addison’s 200 yr. birthday. I did a
little research and it is true. Addison turns 200 years old on
April 6, 20008. I want my students to research the history of
Addison and contribute a pamphlet, an exhibit, and a cemetery
display honoring the early settlers of Addison.
2. Clear Purpose and Objective:
The purpose is to have students learn their
local history and develop research skills that historian must use.
I am hoping that students will see connections between the history
and their families and/or the region today.
3. Stakeholders: grade level, who will
benefit, who will participate in this project.
11th grade US History students
will benefit and serve in this project. 12th grade
volunteers will also benefit from this project. The community will
benefit from the work that the students do to commemorate Addison’s
200 yr. birthday.
4. U.S. History Content Area
This is a local history project.
Student will research the village’s origin and history. They will
study the geographical influences on Addison’s history. Students
will look at the economics of Addison. Students will look at
military records and village minutes from long ago. They will put
those instruments in context to the historical period of the time.
Community records and county sources, along with census information,
will be investigated.
5. Outline Describing Content
After meeting with my superintendent and
contacting the local historian, I hope to have a better idea of how
the school and the students can assist in a community celebration of
Addison’s 200 yr birthday. I want students to outline the history
of the village and make short biographies of important figures in
Addison’s history6. Software to be used, internet materials,
contacts, etc.
6. Research that can be done using the
internet will occur. Local and county historians, as well as
community leaders, will be used as resources. We will need to make
the brochures, and create biographies. There will be a little cost
to that. Cemetery visits and displays may occur also
7. Level of Student Involvement
All 11th grade students will
have a local history day once per month through April. Student
volunteers will develop the informational exhibits and/or brochures
that are developed for the community celebration. We will work with
the community to add to any plans that may currently exist for the
celebration.
8. Evaluation process (include students
when possible)
Part of the evaluation will be based on
community support and participation in the 200 yr celebration. 11th
grade students will be given an evaluation of the local history
lessons after April. A separate evaluation will be made for student
volunteers, community members, and school administration.
9. Timeline: how you envision the
project being carried out between start up and conclusion
October – contact superintendent,
Principal, local historian, and specific community members
November – an initial planning meeting;
lesson for 11th grade;
December – development of subcommittees
and tasks
January – Two/three meetings and work
days ; evaluate if we need more materials
February – Two/Three workdays –
development of final products begins
March – Copies and displays finalized;
advertisements made
10. Comments or Questions:
This project could develop into a lot more
than initially planned. At the very least, my students will be
investigating local history and developing a product for the
community. Students will be able to say that they participated in
the bicentennial of Addison
Wendy Allard’s TAH Local History Project
– Self-Evaluation
What I learned:
I
feel very honored to have participate in this project! The benefits
were tremendous to both my students and my own commitment to
education.
I
learned that a teacher’s enthusiasm for his/her subject matter is
very influential in the success and motivation of the students. I
was really excited about the museum and all the information that I
was learning. I do believe that this excitement translated into
student excitement and desire to create significant projects.
I
reaffirmed my belief that real world application of learning makes
the curriculum so much more meaningful. When the students knew that
their projects were going to be displayed for the community, they
appreciated the work more and took it more seriously. It was
definitely more important to them to create something that would
honor the history of Addison.
I
also learned that I can teach my curriculum and have time to create
meaningful activities that will teach students to value history and
see it as relevant to their lives. I’m not sure that I would have
tried this had the project not pushed me to experiment and learn
more.
Finally, I think I underestimated the value that a community has
within education and the school. There are so many people
interested in history! There are so many community members who want
to see students excel in history. There are many people who want to
see kids interacting positively in the community. It is fun to
watch students learn and have fun doing it!
What I would do again:
I
do want to create a project that gives students a lot of choice and
ability to express their talents. My artists and writers each found
a way to express themselves in the project. My builders could use
their talents in the assignment, also. I saw some real quality
pieces of work. One student did a beautiful oil painting of a house
in the village. She became interested in the house after talking to
a community member. The community member arranged for this student
to meet the owner and get a tour of the house. She was excited
about her project! So, I would definitely offer a lot of choices in
my next project!
I
would also like to involve the community in some way. I’m not sure
how, but I do know that the community really helped with this
project. Letters to the editor and articles written by the
historian, in the local newspaper, urged the community to support
our project. It felt good!
What I would NOT do again:
I
will not have an Addison history project again. This year we did
one to honor the bicentennial. My next project will have to be
something else. Already, people in the community are talking about
making the Night at the Museum a yearly event. Perhaps this will be
the legacy of the project.
I
cannot think of anything else that I would NOT do again.
Participation and excellence were not achieved by everyone in the
11th grade. However, most students really spent a lot of time with
their projects. I believe students were given enough time to work
on them!
How it Changed Instruction:
I
brought more outside resources into my classroom than ever before in
my 15 years of teaching. That was a huge difference for me and I
know that the classroom and the school benefited because of it. On
the day that I had a former teacher and an 83 year old former school
board member, give a power point presentation about the history of
agriculture in Addison, some other teachers and classes asked to
come to my room. I had kids sitting on the floor and teachers
huddled in corners, listening to these two community members talk
about agricultural history. The Night at the Museum brought
students of all ages to the high school gymnasium. One parent told
me how nice it was to be celebrating academic achievement instead of
just sports-related activities.
I
expected more out of my students than ever before! Some students
tried to warn me about planning such a huge event. They thought
that no one would attend. They didn’t want me to be disappointed.
When it was a success, I think they were impressed and a little
shocked that the community actually honored academic work related to
history class.
How the Academic Environment Changed:
The
project required students to use their best talents and seek out
other people with more knowledge. Students were interviewing older
people. They were creating books, movies, and models. They were
forced to honor their heritage and community. Other areas of the
curricula became important to me and the class. Suddenly, students
were asking the librarian, art and technology teachers for help with
history. The community was encouraging members to help students
with their history. In some ways, Addison came together that night
on April 7, 2008. It was a positive educational experience.
I
will never be able to celebrate the bicentennial with Addison again,
but I hope to keep my enthusiasm, high expectations, and community
involvement as integral parts of my classroom! So, I think the
academic environment changed for the better. We were the focus of a
lot of activity for a few months.
The
school and the community rallied around our project for a while. It
was fun!
I
know that I can expect more from students if I’m willing to expect
more from myself! And…believe it or not, history is fun and can be
very relevant to students!
Allard 08 Reflection in
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