Living History in the Classroom by Heuvel Lisa L.;

Author:Heuvel, Lisa L.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
Published: 2019-09-25T00:00:00+00:00

Partner/Pairing Opportunities

As the year progresses and students have had several opportunities to experience group support, it is time to remove some of the scaffolding and give them opportunities to work with a partner. Two such opportunities are a “Poem in Two Voices” and “Meet the People.” Both are excellent examples that demonstrate how two people can live through the same event or series of events and yet are affected differently by them and see the results of the events through different eyes.

The Living History First-Person Interpretations projects the students are required to create and present can cause a good deal of anxiety. Like most adults, they are terrified about making a presentation – a first-person costumed interpretation no less – in front of their peers. To prepare them for the stand-alone projects that will be assigned near the end of the year, instruction must be intentionally crafted and dedicated to provide the necessary skills required to be successful under pressure. These skills are woven into the fabric of practically every daily activity in some way. Asking the right questions while conducting research, properly vetting sources, effectively applying the disciplinary thinking skills of a historian, and citing textual evidence to support opinions are certainly key components to building a presentation. However, even extremely bright students who can perform the skills listed above with a high degree of proficiency may have a great deal of anxiety about public speaking. Creating opportunities to speak and perform in front of a safe audience is as important a routine as the ones used to practice the other skills that we expect them to master.

“Poem in Two Voices” requires no costuming, only a background that would allow students to see that there are multiple perspectives and impacts to people, depending on their conditions. When used initially, consider allowing students to work together as a pair or even a group of three with each taking a different perspective, noting differences and similarities. The poem is also an excellent summative evaluation piece when used to test students' understanding of historical perspective.(Fig. 6.8)

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