Melissa+O'Connor+Story+of+NC

=Story of NC=

=== The NC Museum of History currently has an exhibit which documents the history of our state from the early inhabitants of Native Americans to modern day life. In place of class this week I would like for you to visit the exhibit. Actively engage in the exhibits as a visitor and teacher. I also encourage you to visit the other exhibits throughout the museum. Your assignment for this activity is as follows: ===

**Part I.** (a paragraph will suffice) // As a visitor of the museum what part of the exhibit was your favorite and why? Did you find anything surprising in terms of our state's history? //

This was only my second visit to the North Carolina Museum of History, and since I went alone I had time to really take it all in! It was really interesting to see how so many of the college courses I have taken are represented in this exhibit, and how many of the extra-curricular activities I have taken part in at NCSU aided my experience. Three courses specifically, NC History, African American History, and Native American Literature, were brought to life with visual representations and inter-active activities/ sections in the museum. Perhaps my favorite parts of this exhibit were the section on Native Americans, Slavery, The Lost Colony, and Civil Rights. Over the weekend I had the privilege of participating on an ASB fall break trip, where we visited the International Civil Rights Museum, which I think would be a great thing to talk about. I found it interesting that both museums contain portions of lunch-counters from sit-in movements.

**Part II**. (answer the following questions)
 * 1) // How would you prep your students prior to their visit to the museum? //

The timing of this trip would be very important in determining the student learning objectives and outcomes. I have several ideas on how/when this trip could work itself into play, but I think my favorite would be to visit the museum toward the end of the 8th grade academic year. I would like to use this visit as a review for some of the major topics we have covered in North Carolina history. As a class we would discuss the trip and expectations, both behavioral and academic. Prior to the trip I would talk to them about chaperone’s, small groups, and the large group tour. I would also tell them that our visit to the museum, and their participation, will be very important for their success on the project-based assessment, which will count as a major grade.

//2. As a teacher how would you guide your students through the exhibits? (would you provide them with worksheets, scavenger hunt, what would they be looking for?) //

The day before leaving for the museum I will provide students with the post-visit assignment that they will need to complete. (I will attach this in the Part III section of this assignment.) This will help guide them through their visit. On the day that we leave, I will assign students to their small groups and provide them with their specified topics (Example: American Indians in NC). Each student will receive and index card with their groups topic written on the front. In addition, each group will also receive a Scavenger Hunt. We will go through the exhibit together as a large group, and if possible, have a tour guide. If there is no tour guide available I will try to lead the tour myself. During this large-group tour students will have the opportunity to see all parts of the exhibit, not just their specified area. They will also be able to begin filling in items on their scavenger hunt. Next, students will break into their small groups and head to their project-specific areas to study more in depth. Ideally, each group will have a chaperone. Using the American Indian group as an example, they will need to look into things such as the culture of this group (including daily lives of the people), how they were affected by colonialism and trade systems. They will be responsible for taking notes and will take pictures to show to their classmates and explain important components of their specific area.

// 3. Which sections of the exhibits would you focus on the most? Why? //

I would like to focus most on the American Indian, Slavery, Lost Colony, Piracy, Reconstruction, Civil Rights, and Agriculture sections of the exhibit. These would most likely be the seven small groups that students would be divided into. In class we would have covered each of the topics throughout the academic year, so focusing on them would reiterate what they already know and hopefully teach them even more!

// 4. What types of activities would you create while the students are visiting the museum? (be specific and provide concrete examples when possible) //

The students would have their Scavenger Hunt sheets that need to be filled out. In addition, each group would also be looking into a specific time/topic in North Carolina history. Each student would have an index card to jot down important notes from the exhibit. Each group would also have a camera to take pictures of important artifacts, and show how they interacted with the exhibit. For example, there might be pictures of students with the slave home or with the American Indian canoe. They will also already have their prompt choices for the final project. These items will hold them responsible for both the small group work, and individually responsible for when they create their project.

// 5. How would you extend the activities into the classroom? //

The activities in the museum will follow over into the classroom in several ways. When we return to class, the small groups will have time to select what they feel are the most significant photos from the trip. They will briefly present these to the class. Next, there will be a jigsaw activity where each student is given a new Scavenger Hunt. The questions on this new sheet will be more specific to the individual areas that the groups covered. They will be divided into their jigsaw groups, and then return to their small group to share their responses. This final Scavenger Hunt will act as their study guide for the final exam/quiz (whereas the S.H. from the museum counts for participation points). Next, based on their small group topic students will work on their final project. The final project will be a writing activity where students have the ability to take on different perspectives of their choice. (See more in Part III)

// 6. What questions or concerns might you have as a teacher taking a group of students to a museum with vast exhibits? //

The problem with field trips often deals with behavior. I don’t want my students to see going on a field trip to the museum as a way to get out of school. Field trips are meant to compliment what they are learning. While I want my students to have fun, I want their enjoyment to be based off of their interactions with the exhibit and their level of engagement with the content. I think having the chaperones available will definitely help to keep students from becoming too rowdy. It will also be important that I plan my small groups out in a way that students will have fun with their peers, but not get off track due to excitement or conflict. I think that by giving students the opportunity to tour in the large group and then the small group will allow time for them to relax and gain control of themselves. Also, the small group Scavenger Hunt will hold each member responsible for participation. During the small group topic/tour they will need to work together but have their own notes.

The other dilemma I see is that while I want them to be focused, I don’t want to suck all of the fun out of their trip. I hope that I will be able to find a balance, not just for a museum trip, but for other types of field trips as well.

// Create an activity and/ or a question guide for your students to complete if they were to visit the exhibit. //
 * Part III. Develop a field trip guide **

Each group would have a Scavenger Hunt sheet to fill out. This would include questions from each section of the exhibit, that ALL students would answer. They would be less detailed questions, because once the large group tour is over students will break into their small groups where the most topic-specific work will take places. I really enjoyed the American Indian section of the exhibit, and for this reason I will list three possible prompts that students in this group will use to guide them through the exhibit and help them plan for their individual project. (The students in the American Indian group will be able to choose one of these prompts to create their individual project. Providing the prompts prior to the field trip will help them organize their thoughts more succinctly.) Prompt example for American Indian small group:

__American Indians in North Carolina__

For this project you will take on the perspective of either an American Indian or a white settler. Relationships are beginning to form between the new settlers and the American Indians. Choose which prompt is most appealing to you. Using the notes you have taken at the museum, and prior knowledge from class, decide how you will respond to the prompt. (This is a RAFT assignment.)

//Your responses are not limited to the questions posed, and you may choose to be as creative as you wish. For example, you may choose prompt 1, and write diary entries about introducing your new white friend to your culture. How does your friend react to your culture, and how do you react to theirs? Perhaps you do not know the word for ‘gun’-what will you call it?//


 * 1) You are a young American Indian child in North Carolina. As a child what kinds of recreational activities do you enjoy? What is your home life like, and who do you live with? How is food provided for your family? What kind of events take place in your community/tribe? Imagine you have seen a white man for the first time-what was this experience like? Have you heard the adults in your community speak about the white settlers? What do they say?
 * 2) You are an elder in the American Indian community, in North Carolina. What are your responsibilities to your tribe? What trade arrangements have been made between your community and the white settlers? What decisions were made by the elder council before participating in trade? Have there been changes in your tribes culture since meeting the white man? What kinds of changes are these? How do you feel about interactions with the new settlers: will they help your tribe flourish, or will they become a threat?
 * 3) You are a white settler who has just arrived in North Carolina. Why did you decide to leave your homeland? What promise does the New World represent for you personally? How did you react when you discovered that there were already people living in the New World? What impressions of them do you have? Have you formed any relationships with the American Indians? What kinds of things have you learned from, or taught, the Native Americans?

Your project may take the form of a written diary, letters, or a voice recording. There should also be some form of a visual component: examples include, but are not limited a diary cover, diorama, or poster.