LM_NET: Library Media Networking
I received 13 responses to my query on suggestions for local history
projects. They appear below (edited out are comments about our strike -
it's over after 14 days).
Thanks to all who responded. The replies will be of value of many on the
net. What a great resource we have in LM_NET.
Susan Baker
Library Media Specialist
Bremerton High School
Bremerton WA
sbaker@orca.eds114.wednet.edu
From: CALLISON@ucs.indiana.edu
The best person I know who has organized and conducted about
20 years of local history projects with senior high schood
students is Mike Printz at Topeka West High School, 21st
and Fairlawn, Topeka, Ks. Check him in the library lit
and catch him in presentations at the upcoming AASL conference
in Indianapolis. Daniel Callison, Indiana University
***
From: VirjeanGriensewic <misd77L@MSUS1.MSUS.EDU>
One really good thing to do is to audio/video record "older" people in your
community who have lived through some important event, like World War II,
Vietnam, Korea, Civil rights movement, big fire in your town, big flood,
etc. We've had some wonderful response to having speakers from the
community come in and tell our eighth graders what it was like to land on
the beaches of Normandy, and so on. Kids really like the live aspect of
it, rather than reading it from a textbook.
Good luck on your strike!!!
Virjean Griensewic
Dakota Meadows Middle School
North Mankato, MN 56003
(507) 387-5077
misd77L@msus1.msus.edu (home)
***
From: BASONEDS@UCBEH.SAN.UC.EDU
We had our 8 honors students research the names of streets in Cincinnati.
Quite a few streets were named after famous Cincinnatians or politicians
of that time period. They also had to interview a person who had lived on
that street for at least 25 years - sort of an oral history. The kids
enjoyed it and it was something new and different for the teachers.
Darlene Basone Cincinnati, Oh
***
From: IRA TOBAK <ITOBAK%ONONDAGA.bitnet@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
From: IRA TOBAK
I am the sole lms in a Dk-12 building. I have been working with a number of
grades on this subject, I don't have all my notes in front of me if I miss
anything please excuse me.
Have student check town and school records for relatives
occupations
taxes
court appearences
old report cards
attendence records
other good trash
Lookat census records, within a certain time limit what percentage of the
population worked in agriculture vs. non-agriculture
what changes in occupations occured after certain events
Try to have students look at old newspapers for ....
Check out differences in building designs.
Check out zoning changes.
Have students check out home industries or changes in quilting, sewing, etc.
designs.
Let me know if any of these ideas work out.
send to:ira tobak
DeRuyter Central School
itobak@ocmvm.onondaga.boces.k12.ny.us
****
From: "Penelope S. Cunningham" <pscunnin@mailbox.syr.edu>
Here are some late suggestions to your question about local history
projects. First, one of the Brown Paper School Books series is on this
topic. I can't remember the title, but that series is a great source for
creative activities.
Another series is published by John Muir Publications. They are books
written during the Westridge Young Writers Workshop. One of the titles is
KIDS EXPLORE AMERICA'S HISPANIC HERITAGE. The program is apparently run
by the Jefferson County School District No. R-1, which I believe is in
Denver, Colorado. If you can track down some of those participants, they
might be able to give you some ideas.
Las of all, at our K-8 school we have just begun a project partly funded
by the Arizona Commission for the Arts which involves a folklorist in
residence at the school for several weeks. She is helping the students
write a history of the school in honor of our 50th anniversary. At this
point I don't have many details, but I know the students are interviewing
a variety of alumni and other members of the school community. If you
send me a reminder in about a month I will send you an update.
Sister Penny Cunningham
St. Mary-Basha Catholic School
A National Blue Ribbon School
Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence
****
From: Elaine Pierce <pierce@aldus.NorthNet.org>
Try the Foxfire Book series Elliot Wiggins produced. They have many
excellent ideas for projects for local history. Elaine Pierce, Heuvelton
Central Elementary Library, Heuvelton, NewYork pierce@northnet.org
****
From: Ken Warchol <kwarchol@llwnet.ll.pbs.org>
I think one of the best ways to research local history is also the simplest
- have the students do oral histories by interviewing grandparents,
neighbors, etc. There are several books/articles around on ways oral
histories can be structured.
****
From: "Deborah L. Wright" <dwright@Mcs.Net>
While I do not have a project to share, I would like to put you in touch
with an excellent project done by some colleagues, that resulted in a
"published" book. For more information, inquire of Dan Jares, Addison
Trail High School, 203 N. Lombard Road, Addison, IL 60101
(708-628-3300). The school has done several student oriented local
history projects over the years.
Deborah Wright
Lyons Township High School
LaGrange, IL 60525
708-579-6370
dwright@mcs.net
****
From: "Jan Weeks - N. Knox Schools" <jweeks@ideanet.doe.state.in.us>
This is an easy project and one I did years ago in the public library.
Gave the students a tape recorder and they did interviews with their
grandparents, nursing home residents, etc. Let them talk about what they
remembered about growing up in the area, going through wars, the
depression, etc. You could use a lot of media with this, using old
photos, videotaping the interviews and big pr program donating the
finished videotape to your local public library.
* Jan Weeks, Librarian @ North Knox High School
* Box 187, Bicknell, Indiana 47512
* email: jweeks@ideanet.doe.state.in.us
****
From: Nelda Brangwin <nelda@halcyon.halcyon.com>
Dennis Small and Annette Holmstrom have a pilot project going through OSPI.
Too late to join. :<. Its a group of K-12 classrooms across the state.
Each site will look at their local history and we will compare and contrast
via Internet.
The OSPI goher (inspire.ospi.wednet.edu) will have a special menu item for
this project called The Best of Washington. You might find the info on it
helpful. Hopefully, if funding allows it will be continued next year.
We'll be looking at such things as the oldest building in our town,
interviewing someone who has lived in the area for 50 years, looking at
local disasters, comparing local issues and housing problems. I can send
you a finalized version of our year's outline of activities when we get it.
I really think it should be a fun year
==================================================================
Nelda Brangwin Nelda Brangwin
16715 SE 34th Street Cherry Valley Elem. School
Bellevue, WA 98008 26701 Cherry Valley Road
****
From: Gerry Clare <gclare@cln.etc.bc.ca>
1. Find the oldest living inhabitant of a town or village or
neighbourhood and interview him/her about earlier times there
2. Research origins of street names -- subdivision streets are often named
after a prominent citizen and his/her family members
3. City Hall or the Fire Department might have sets of old street maps
which would allow you to reconstruct the growth of the community
4. Place names or monument names often give a clue to the history of the
community.
Gerry Clare
Teacher-Librarian
****
From: Rhonda Jeane Jackson <rjackson@tenet.edu>
About your projects....How about .....
1. rationing in the PNW during WWII.
2. History of fire fighters in your forest areas
3. economic history of your various PNW Indian tribes
4. family trees/where folks came from/when/mapping on a
large US or WOrld map
5. Timber industry,fishing industry,farming industry, whatever is
local to you/history and current trends
6. Woman suffrage in your locality (sending me the results of
this one...)
7. pioneer women and men/now and then -comparison of modern
immigrants with first immigrants
8. influence of the British and Russians in your area
9. fur trapping and trading
10. labor unions and their effect on Bremerton
11. history of the local newspapers, radio stations, public libraries
and various schools, colleges, etc.
12. oral histories of senior citizens
13. Vietnam immigrant stories...there were once a lot of the Hmong
people in Oregon and Washington...at least 8 yrs ago when I
was up there
14. Vietnam vet stories
15. history of public buildings...city hall, library , etc.
A lot of these can be oral histories as well as researching of old
documents,year books, newspapers, etc. Family albums and family histories
are great too.
****
From: "Leah P. Goolsby 904-689-7194" <GOOLSBL@mail.firn.edu>
Two of our American History teachers did a project last year that was a
GREAT success. The main idea was to get local community members who were
teenagers during the depression to come talk to their students. But they
had a different twist - the contacted all the senior citizens who fit the
criteria asking them to come to our media center and talk to the students,
the teachers then divided the senior citizens into three groups (one shift
early in the day for about an hour and a half, another shift right before
lunch and the last shift after lunch). The students were then divided into
small groups of 3 or 4 per senior citizen so the end result was a room FULL
of older people getting to share "happenings" in their lives and students
who were getting first hand information about the depression years.
EVERYONE had a blast. The old people got to feel important and received
lots of attention as they relayed stories about that time in our history of
which they just happened to be "experts". Many of them came from senior
citizens homes where I'm sure they had not gotten this kind of attention in
a long time. Even the students who thought it was going to be another
boring project really got into it and were laughing and asking questions.
We video tapes as many as we could for an archive. The county newspaper
covered the story with a FRONT PAGE COLOR picture and a LONG write up about
the event. Many of the senior citizens who had been reluctant to come and
had only committed themselves to one session ended up staying ALL DAY and
others who had other errands would leave and then come back at a later
shift so they could do it again. We provided fruit trays and light finger
foods for the guests and many of them turned that into their lunch so they
wouldn't have to leave. Just watching the older people greeting each other
when they first arrived was one of those rare warm-fuzzy feelings. Now
they are all anxious to do it again and can't wait until our history
teachers get to the depression lessons. Some of them brought memorabilia
(pictures, scrapbooks, diaries) which really added realism to their tales
and some of them really told some tales all of which I am sure were true
but you know how uninhibited some older people can be - the kids loved it!
The teachers spent quite a few hours finding these old folks and
telephoning but the rewards were well worth it for everyone.
Enjoy the day,
Leah Goolsby
LEAH GOOLSBY, Librarian/TV Production ^'^ /|\
Crestview High School, 1304 N. Ferdon Blvd. / | \ ^'^
Crestview, FL 32536 904-689-7194 / | \
FIRN:goolsbl Internet:goolsbl@mail.firn.edu ,,,,,,,,,,,,\SSSSSSS/,,,,,,,,
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