As I mentioned during our closure activity, I noticed that my curiosity and interest in the objects increased the closer I looked and more I interacted with them. At first, the painting of George Washington was anything but interesting, but by the end, I really did feel like I wanted to spend more time with it. In order to capitalize on this in the classroom, I know I will need to develop some good hooks and some good opening activities to immediately direct attention in ways that pique curiosity and seem doable, so the students don’t just shut down. I will also need to find ways to spend enough time with activities like this to really build their skills. (This reminds me of the idea of sit spots in science.) I hope that as I get to know my future students, I’ll get a feel for where each is on the skills progression chart, and what I can/should reasonably try to push toward. Having the essential skills laid out and broken down on one sheet of paper is a confidence builder for me — it’s good to know what the suggested targets are in terms of process and skills as well as content.
I must admit: “document analysis” sounded like torture to me, and I would think it would sound intimidating to most K-6 students. But I think the problem is just in the academic-sounding name…perusing and making sense of Mr. Stohr’s historical documents was a fascinating bit of detective work. I appreciated that you (Dr. Stohr) were willing to share a piece of your own history to help make this real for us. I’ve noticed students love to get glimpses into their teachers’ lives, and this would be a fantastic way to eek out a bit more meaning for them. And even cooler would be to see what they can dig up of their own history.
Often, when we visit with my husband’s family, my mother-in-law brings out clippings, photos, letters, heirlooms, etc. that were from her Air Force Colonel father (who was co-pilot in the lead D-Day plane), or her great grandmother (from whom Booker T. Washington learned to read), or my father-in-law’s Jewish immigrant family who came through Ellis Island. She gathers my daughters around her and spreads it all out on the table and tells them stories of their heritage. They look and listen and touch and ask questions. For hours. Sometimes they even mention a connection to something they have learned in school. Sitting in our class, I realized what a beautiful and important gift she is giving through this interaction.
Lisa, I appreciate you sharing this personal family story! I wonder if you might consider your own artifact box based upon your family members. I am not sure your mother-in-law is willing to part with some of her artifacts to create a lesson like this, but she might be! I wonder if one of your lesson plans due for class could be designed based upon an artifact box linked upon you or your family? If you create the lesson plan now you could save it for your own classroom one day. Give it some thought!
Lynne,
That’s a great idea! At the very least, I’m sure I could make some high-quality color copies or scans of the documents and photograph the other stuff. I will give it some thought and try to come up with content connections for 4th/5th grade…I’d love to hear your thoughts, too!
Thanks so much,
Lisa
Lisa,
I’m interested in the moment when the painting of GW became more interesting to you. Can you pinpoint it? Was it a question that was asked? Was it the comparison to King George? Knowing this may help you plan for your own students in thinking about how to hook them and keep them engaged in activities like this.
I laughed out loud when I read ““document analysis” sounded like torture to me.” Yup, it’s a terrible name, but it’s such an important skill. And really, I believe the success of a lesson using document analysis is deeply rooted in the choice of documents. There are so many amazing resources to choose from.
Thank you for sharing your personal connection and how you and your children learn about family history. I hope this inspires you to start thinking about putting a lesson together with family objects. I know it would be of interest to your (someday) students.