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Steve
Holmberg
Westfield Academy and Central School
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General Overview of the Proposed
Project:
Working with
Marybelle Beigh (the village historian), the Patterson Library, and
the McClurg museum in Westfield I plan to look into researching what
primary source documents and information is available to incorporate
into my current lessons on topics such as the Women’s Christian
Temperance Union, Prohibition, Women’s rights, William Seward, World
Wars I&II. These documents and information could be presented in
the classroom. I will also look into creating an activity that can
be done by the students by taking a walking field trip to the
McClurg museum so students can research and use the documents
themselves.
2. Clear Purpose
and Objective:
To make students
more aware of the local connection to national history and the role
that Westfield and people from Westfield played during these time
periods. This will also encourage/ require students to visit the
McClurg museum which is right in their backyards but rarely used by
students.
3. Stakeholders:
grade level, who will benefit, who will participate in this project.
This project will
involve all 8th grade Social Studies students, the
Westfield village historian, and the Patterson library in Westfield
(where the Westfield historians office is).
4. U.S. History
Content Area
The documents
obtained will pertain to content areas such as the Women’s Christian
Temperance Union, Prohibition, Women’s rights, William Seward, World
Wars I&II, the development of the Westfield Grange, Reconstruction,
etc.
5. Outline
Describing Content
Here is a list of
topics and the types of document I plan to look for:
WCTU- Was there a
local chapter? How many people involved?
Prohibition- Local
speakeasies, Lake Erie connection, bootlegging and the Gorge
Women’s Rights-
locals involved in the movement, newspaper editorials
William Seward-
local coverage of the hometown hero, the Seward mansion
World Wars- local
troops sent, the home-front, scrap drives, victory gardens
Grange- where/ when
the Westfield branch founded, grange activities
Reconstruction-
newspaper editorials, local men killed, editorials
6.
Software to be used, internet
materials, contacts, etc.
Contacts:
Patterson
Library Marybelle Beigh McClurg
Museum
40 S Portage
St 117 Union Street
Moore Park
Westfield, NY
14787 Westfield, NY 14787 Westfield, NY
14787
(716)
326-2154
maryb2@fairpoint.net
716-326-2977
7. Level of
Student Involvement
Students will go to
the Patterson library/ McClurg museum to look at the primary source
documents and local history collections to gather the information
they need. We will also then discuss local history in class (what
the liked, what was difficult, and why local history is important)
8. Evaluation
process (include students when possible)
Students will be
evaluated based on the work they complete. I will also evaluate the
effectiveness of the activities created together with those involved
from the library and/ or the McClurg museum. Modification will be
made a necessary for the next year.
9. Timeline: how
you envision the project being carried out between start up and
conclusion
December- meet with
library/ museum local history reps/ find useable resources
January- develop
useable resources into activities for students to complete
February- meet with
local history partners to go over student activities
March- discuss with
students, organize trip logistics, discuss expectations in class
April- Complete
activity with all 8th grade students at the library
May- modify,
evaluate, discuss in class and with local history reps.
Steve Holmberg
8th Grade Social
Studies
Westfield Central
School
After
hearing from Pam Brown and Michelle Henry I decided to work on
incorporating a new local history activity into my curriculum. I
began by contacting the village of Westfield historian to see what
resources were available to be used. I had 2 options for local
history collection that were available and decided to use the one at
the Patterson Library, the public library in Westfield.
I then
met with Nancy Nixon, the person in charge of the local history
collection and archives at the library. She gave me a folder of
information which contained summaries of the information and
collections available. After looking through the folder I met with
her to tour the collection, especially the items or collections that
I felt might work for students to use for research.
We
decided on pairing students and having each pair use selected
materials to research an influential person from Westfield’s past.
We put together a list and agreed to have the students come to the
library in the spring, as we would be walking.
In the
meantime I worked out the logistics- field trip approval, parent
permission slips, time schedule, and another chaperone for each
class. As spring approached we arranged 2 days to bring the
students to the library and work.
At the
library each pair of students randomly picked a person to research.
They spent the class that day finding an analyzing at least three
primary source documents about their person. I made a sheet for
them to record their findings on to be presented in class to the
other students.
The
experience was definitely a positive one. I have taught at the
school for several years and am sorry to say I had never even looked
into what local history materials were available to use. I found
there was an extensive collection and students really were excited
about using it. Students learned about so much more than their
person. Students were excited to find that Westfield once had an
airport, to see grandparents yearbook pictures, and to see pictures
of the village over 100 years go- as well as many other things.
Students responded very positively and some even asked if we could
go back again sometime.
I
think this made students realize the importance of preserving
history and how the newspaper from today, or a photograph they take
can become a valuable resource to people in the future. I also
think it enhanced their skills in analyzing primary sources.
Students are often given primary sources that are important to
analyze however rarely, if ever, do they get to look though a
variety of them and categorize for themselves which contain the most
valuable information. This will help their progress in answering
constructed response questions for the state assessment and in
writing DBQs.
There are 2 things I would do differently when I do this activity
again. First, I would give the students more time to work at the
library. We have 80 minute block classes and one class did not give
us quite enough time to walk to and from the library and do
research. I felt we were hurrying students along, when they were
actually exploring local history, and that’s not something we want
the hurry them through! I would like to give them more time to look
around in their own and thoroughly explore what was there.
I
also would do the activity in the fall instead of spring. We need
good weather as the library is 3/4 of a mile from the school, but I
would try to go in October next year. It was hard to find the time
in April as my assessment approached and assessment season was in
full swing in 8th grade. This also would allow for a possible
follow-up activity in the spring if it could be arranged, which I
wished I could pursue this year but just ran out of time. I also
know students tend to be a little more focused at the beginning of
the school year than they do just before or after spring break.
I
would encourage anyone who has not to looked into the local history
collection in their local library, museum or with their town
historian. I found a variety of people who were helpful and
enthusiastic about getting kids interested in local history. I
never know these people were there and I think other would fine the
same to be the case in their communities.
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