Making Local History Come Alive
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By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 7/16/2008 2:10:00 PM
Some Triton Regional High School students in Massachusetts will get an unforgettable lesson in history next fall, thanks to media specialist Andrea Sargent, who helped devise a new course that takes advantage of local history while promoting research and writing. In the end, the kids create their very own museum exhibit highlighting the history of three neighboring towns.
What do you want students to get out of a course called “Creating a Local History Museum Exhibit”?
The main focus of our course is to encourage student research to move beyond the classroom and into the community to investigate the three Triton Communities’ rich resources. There are numerous local primary sources at their fingertips including our public libraries, historical societies, museums, state archives, town and county historians, town hall records, schools, churches, and community groups and residents. These resources will help to engage our students as they are able to construct meaning from their inquiries.
Where did the idea come from?
The Triton Regional School District serves the rural Massachusetts coastal towns of Newbury, Rowley, and Salisbury. All three date back to the 1630s, and the area is a treasure of historical buildings, traditions, and attractions that can enrich the academic as well as the aesthetic experience of our students. Students in grades 9 through 12 will utilize the combined resources of Triton High School, Historic New England personnel and collections, as well as the Peabody Essex Museum and Phillips Library. Students will be given open access to the library media center to collaborate and complete research during their directed studies.
Does oral history play a role in the project?
Some of the most accurate and amusing history we’ve gathered is from sitting around the campfire, family gatherings, community events and the local coffee shop having hours of “coffee talk, spinning the yarn.” Oral tradition is important in all societies, as well as the reliance on written records and accounts. This course will combine both methods of recording history, enabling students to compare the two and determine their reliability and accuracy.
Sounds like a perfect way to teach information skills.
The practical application of the research is the most important component. Media literacy is an area that is often neglected, and this will give students the opportunity to look at a variety of sources and determine what is and is not reliable.
And there’s a very strong emphasis on writing and research.
Students are familiar with researching and the end result being a paper. This gives them an opportunity to see that research can be applied in other forms, a different style of writing. Students will develop an understanding of historical time, comprehend historical narrative, show historical perspective, demonstrate analysis and interpretation, formulate historical questions, obtain and use historical data, and support their writing with evidence.
Tell us more about your collaboration with public libraries, where students end up displaying their exhibits.
The library directors from Newbury, Salisbury, and Rowley Town Libraries have all indicated their desire to host the completed exhibit and assist students with their research during the process. The Town librarians will lend their expertise in the design and building of the exhibit as well. Once the exhibit is installed, it will be shared by all students and staff of the high school, and, by extending it to the three towns’ public spaces, it will reach all citizens and visitors during the summer of 2009.
