Rachel+Douglas

__ Part 1: NC Museum of History Field Trip Questions __ 1. How would you prep your students prior to their visit to the museum? I would tell my students what the expectations were as they walked through the museum -- to be respectful of their surroundings, to be mindful of the volume of their voices, to engage with exhibits as the signs permit. I would give them an idea of what they would be experiencing when they enter the museum, and with that, I would give them certain exhibits or artifacts to take note of.
 * ClassWorks: NC Museum of History and Community Resources **

2. As a teacher, how would you guide your students through the exhibits? In order to guide my students through the museum, I would have parent chaperones that would be willing to lead small groups of students through the exhibits. At first, I would walk through the exhibits with my students and talk about the things that relate to our classroom studies. If we were studying NC history, we would look through that exhibit in detail. Then, I would release the students in their small groups, and I would give the students a scavenger hunt activity that used riddles to find the appropriate artifacts in order to lead them around the museum.

3. Which sections of the exhibits would you focus on the most? Why? I would focus on the NC history and Civil War exhibits the most because they interested me the most with the various clothing, propoganda, weaponry, etc. Any exhibit that has interactive areas would draw my interest for student’s exploration of the museum.

4. What questions or concerns might have you as a teacher taking a group of students to a museum with vast exhibits? A main concern would be that students would not be able to take it all in because there is so much to see. I would be concerned about students getting rowdy too, and as a result, not getting the tasks done. I would also worry about students not engaging with the exhibits, and just rushing through the worksheet to get the assignment done.

5. What improvements could the museum make in terms of accessibility? I think the museum does a great job of making the exhibits accessible with an elevator, signs that point to the exhibits and tell whether artifacts can be touched or not, spacious rooms, and interactive exhibits.

6. What exhibits or exhibit items did not grab your attention? How could they have been presented in another way to boost engagement? At first, the loom did not grab my attention, but later when I walked past it again, there was a woman working on crafting something with warn and cotton. Having a real person talking to me and engaging me in discussion about the craftiness that goes into making or sewing something was fascinating. So, I guess having more ways to engage with a real person or Q&A cards that are left to interact with for an exhibit would be my only suggestion.

__ Part 2: Field Trip Guide __
 * Questions **
 * 1) Applying what you know now, would you have fought for the North or the South during the Civil War? Why?
 * 2) Is the law good or bad? (Consider these questions: Who makes the law? Who enforces the law?) Make your connection from present day happenings regarding the law and the Civil Rights Movement.
 * 3) What patterns do you see emerging in history between the Selma to Montgomery March and Black Lives Matter?
 * 4) How did WWII’s propaganda portrayal of men and women affect that society’s view of them? How are men and women portrayed now? Are they different? Similar. Explain.
 * 5) What would have happened if the Civil Rights Movement wouldn’t have taken hold? How would life be different? Would it be?
 * 6) Compare 1920’s cigars and 21st century cigarette advertisements. (Consider the prices, the people, the method, the colors, etc. in your answer.)
 * 7) Put yourself in Spider Martin’s (photographer for Selma to Montgomery March) place while he took photos for the March. How do you think he felt receiving death threats and being in the midst of all the chaos and action?
 * 8) Write a folk song or ballad about the Civil War.
 * 9) Describe the Confederate flag. Discuss its colors, its shapes, and its meaning.
 * 10) Create a T-chart that compares the types of weaponry and machinery used in World War I with the types of weaponry and machinery used in present day wars.

Create a political cartoon that relates Martin Luther King Jr.’s relationship with society.
 * Mini-Activity **

How does viewing history’s artifacts change our perspective of the past?
 * Compelling Question **

__ Part 3: Artifact Activity __ The activity that I really enjoyed was the role-playing of different Supreme Court cases. There was a television monitor showing a recorded role-play scene of a court case that had been overturned. The students that were in the film were 8th/9th grade students, and they were a small group of about 8-10 students. When studying court cases, it can be overwhelming to just memorize several names and outcomes, but if the students are involved in the acting out of these cases, the information and importance might stick better with them because they would have experienced it. Acting out these court cases and giving specific roles to each student would be very similar to when Language Arts courses act out Shakespeare’s plays.

__ Part 4: Community Resource Inventory __ 1. Primary Sources I would use primary sources to connect the students to the history on a personal level; using primary sources helps give a first-hand account in order to understand the past.

2. Guest Speakers I would use guest speakers to engage the students in the things of the past by inviting them into our classroom to speak.

3. Taking Informed Action Projects By using taking informed action projects, students would be able to put into action the things they have learned and to better apply it to their lives.

4. Skype Interviews This would allow for a primary source to enter the classroom far a non-local location, perhaps someone from the Vietnam or Korean War.

5. Tarheel Junior Historian Association This is a great organization that can be used for the classroom in regards to further research or exploration of materials.

6. American Historical Association The group’s goal to promote historical studies, preserve historical manuscripts and provide access to priceless U.S. documents is supported through an online archive.

7. Organization of American Historians This organization focuses on studying and teaching of American history and invests its efforts in promoting best practices for instruction, presentation and scholarship.

8. World History Association This group is known for promoting cross-cultural global study and for creating teaching standards across the world.

9. National Council for Education History Instructors from the elementary to collegiate level have access to professional development opportunities, diverse historical organizations, publications and information on developing issues in history education policy.

10. Fieldtrips Fieldtrips can be taken to explore and experience things so that it resonates with students.