Mar. 23, 2018 -- It’s hard to remember every tiny detail you were taught during your school years. Take, for instance, the French and Indian War. Some adults may scratch their heads and wonder, “Wait a minute, was that between the French and the Indians? Was it the French and the Indians against the British colonists? Were there three groups all fighting each other?”
But if you’re Fairfax 4th graders Sydney Evans
and Coleman James, and you actually get to compose your own music and write
your own lyrics for the song, “Do You Know the French and Indian War?” you
become such an expert that the nitty gritty details will stay with you for
life.
That was part of the purpose when Fairfax’s 4th
grade teachers, Stephanie Petty, Eric Cohen and LaTonya Gaiter, crafted this
assignment, using National History Day guidelines.
Students worked in small groups to conduct research on a historical
event that had a significant impact on the history and development of Ohio.
Once they selected their partners and their topic, the most important part was
up to them: how to show what they know.
Many students opted to create tri-fold displays, while
others prepared oral presentation or slide shows, crafted original plays, and
even wrote and performed their own raps and songs. Parents, community members
and the rest of the student body were invited to view the final products on March
13, an event that caused some anxiety for the young presenters.
“I am so nervous I need a hug,” declared Olive Chicotel, as
she was rehearsing her presentation on the Underground Railroad with her
partners Kaya Starr and Eniya Lockhart.
Principal Quatrice James figured those nerves were healthy.
“I think the biggest thing the students learned from this is how to speak in
front of people. That’s a skill they need now and one they’ll need down the
line. They would have learned the content either way; but presenting what they learned is the extra enrichment piece.”
The process they had to follow and the creativity they had
to find proved both challenging and rewarding for the students. Madeleine
Kelly, who wrote a play about the Revolutionary War with Henry Rosebrock-Hayes
and Brandon Hayes, said, “At one point we thought we were done. But it turned
out we had so much more to do.”
Sydney and Coleman had to deal with conflict and compromise,
just like the historical figures they wrote about. “It was easy in the
beginning, but then we had a little disagreement,” said Sydney. “But we got
through it!”
Ms. Petty said the students have become “masters of their
topics. They learned so much more than they would have if they’d only read
about this in a book. They had to work collaboratively, make decisions, create
art, and show responsibility.”
Milan Teague, Mya Porter and Aneeyah Ivezzy agreed that they
learned “way more” about the Civil War by creating their own tri-fold,
preparing remarks for the guests and writing up a research paper, than they
would have if they’d just completed a worksheet. “It was very challenging,” said
Milan, “but we made it through the whole project.”
Students worked three times each week at school over the
course of six weeks, plus had access to all their documents on Google classroom
so they could work independently or together outside of school.
It turns out that students weren’t the only ones who learned
something new. Euridia and Nicholas Papadakis, who visited the event to see their
grandson Marcos Alden, were “very impressed by the kids. I thought it was
incredibly nice and I learned quite a few things,” said Euridia who emigrated
from Greece 14 years ago. “I learned about the Underground Railroad.”
“It’s not a subway!” joked her husband.
And in case you’re still there scratching your head and
wondering, the French and Indian War was between
the British colonists, supported by some Native American tribes, and the French
colonists who were allied with even more Native American tribes, with the Spanish
eventually joining the French side as well. Now, try to go write a song about that.
