Ashley+Carter+and+Melissa+Coto

NC Museum of History and Community Resources


 * __Part 1: NC Museum of History Field Trip Questions__ **


 * 1) How would you prep your students prior to their visit to the museum?
 * 2) One exhibit showcased photographs taken during the Civil Rights Movement by Spider Martin. This collection of photographs is titled “Montgomery to Selma” and throughout this gallery walk, there was music of the time period playing. To prep our students prior to their visit to the museum, we would go through the playlist of songs they will be hearing and having students annotate the songs. This will prepare students for the images they are about to see, and give them background knowledge of what was going on while these images were being taken.
 * 3) As a teacher how would you guide your students through the exhibits? (would you provide them with worksheet/scavenger hunt, what would they be looking for?)
 * 4) We would provide students with a scavenger hunt to guide them through the museum. The guide will have clues as to what item to take a “selfie with” and then fill in the blank question, that requires them to interact with the exhibit in order to answer. In order to get full credit for the assignment, students have to both take the selfies with the chosen items and fill in the blanks when prompted. Students will be required to post their photos on the class Instagram, using the designated class hashtag.
 * 5) Which sections of the exhibits would you focus on the most? Why?
 * 6) The exhibits that we would emphasize the most would be the “Montgomery to Selma” which displays Spider Martin’s images of the Civil Rights Movement and the exhibit dedicated to the Civil War. These exhibits portray the racial tensions and treatment of African Americans that have defined their place in society today, the Civil War aiding in the abolishment of slavery and the Civil Rights Movement aiding in their further attainment of rights. Students will be able to connect these events to the racial tensions they are aware of and are experiencing today.
 * 7) What questions or concerns might you have as a teacher taking a group of students to a museum with vast exhibits?
 * 8) Some concerns that we have about taking a group of students to vast museum exhibits are the inability to censor certain images. Some of the photos in the “Montgomery to Selma” exhibit are graphic and we worry about the possible negative reactions some students may have. We want a safe classroom environment for everyone, that includes going out into public spaces and sharing eye opening experiences respectfully.
 * 9) What improvements could the museum make in terms of accessibility?
 * 10) Some improvements that could be made the museum in terms of accessibility are hiding the light fixtures, certain exhibits are shown in dim lighting in order to aid in the overall experience, and while we were there students easily turned on the main overhead lights that had been previously turned off. We would also recommend having a read aloud option, for those who find the descriptions difficult to read and braille options for those who are blind and still want to enjoy the history. If the museum also had an app that guides visitors through the museum while describing the exhibits and artifacts that would be easy and effective for those who find it hard to focus on these specific things.
 * 11) What exhibits or exhibit items did not grab your attention? How could they have been presented in another way to boost engagement?
 * 12) The exhibit dedicated to the civil war in particular was not very engaging because it was not interactive. We think that the addition of touch screens or an interactive guide that students could follow along with using their devices would be a way to help close that gap and increase student engagement. Another thing that we found disappointing was the 1920’s Candy Store and Ice Cream Shop area. There were a lot of interesting artifacts but we feel very strongly that kids would benefit from trying the candy, that would not only increase student engagement, but excitement as well.

__** Part 2: Field Trip Guide **__ Directions: Create a 1 page field trip guide for students to complete if they were to visit the exhibit

The field trip guide should include:
 * 10 Higher-order thinking questions for students to answer that will make them engage in the field trip
 * Creation of at least one mini activity for students to complete during the field trip
 * A compelling question for students to investigate that tie your questions and activities together

** Field Trip Guide ** “Higher Order Thinking Question”
 * 1) How would you reorganize the museum to show a continuous narrative?
 * 2) What approach would you take to introducing the events depicted in the “Selma” exhibit?
 * 3) Explain what is happening during the “Selma” exhibit? What evidence proves these inferences?
 * 4) Using the displays at the North Carolina History Museum, what exhibits highlight discrimination?
 * 5) Connect the exhibit dedicated to Bull Durham, to the Durham we hear about today. What similarities and differences do you see?
 * 6) Modify the exhibit dedicated to the Civil War, what would you do differently?
 * 7) Based on the artifacts found in the model slave and colonial quarters, What are some similarities and differences of the early North Carolinian lifestyle?
 * 8) What are the distinguishing characters between medicine from the 1920’s and the medicine we see today?
 * 9) What was the motive behind using birch tree to build a canoe?
 * 10) Predict: what would have happened if the Confederates had won the Civil War?

Draw one artifact that you found interesting. Under your drawing label: what the artifact is, where you saw it (what exhibit), why was it important and why you chose it.
 * Mini-Activity: **

**Compelling Question**: Why do we interact with the past?

__** Part 3: Artifact Activity **__ Directions: Select 1 artifact that piques your interest and design a mini-activity for students to complete that you describe in 1-2 paragraphs

One of the artifacts we interacted with while at the museum was a sock. In the early 20th century people would not throw out socks with holes, as they would today, they would use a sewing darner and close up the hole. Socks were also not used daily as they are today, they were to be worn during special occasions, because why wear something you are going to cover up? The mini-activity will get students thinking about today’s daily essentials that were once used for other activities, or that we in the 21st century have repurposed. Students will be gauged with questions like, what are all the uses for a sock? How would life be like if we only had one pair of socks, and couldn’t buy any others? Why do they think socks are more common today, with a wide range of uses, than they once were? Students will then be asked to redesign “the sock” using the same general shape, size and fabric they need to invent another way to use a sock, apart from the answers they gave in question one. For their reinvention they need to outline a clear purpose and reason as to why the sock could be repurposed that way.

__** Part 4: Community Resource Inventory **__ Directions: Create a list of 10 local, national, or global organizations that you could use to enhance learning in a specific middle school social studies course. Describe in 1 sentence how you might use each organization.