Artifacts....What story are you leaving behind?

                  “You know my name, not my story.                                                                                                                                        Jonathan Anthony Burkett, Neglected but Undefeated 

"What makes a good Social Studies Lesson?" 

This was asked of us during our Social Studies class.  So what does make a good Social Studies lesson? Our class did a little brainstorming and came up with the list of words to describe a good SS lesson below:

A Good Social Studies Lesson
 Contains, Involves, Gives, Creates.....

relevance

experience

music

poetry

interaction

integrating the Arts

field trips

acting out history

simulation

empathy

   Now I ask you, think about it, what do you think makes a good Social Studies lesson? Is it reading from a textbook, looking at a Power Point, watching a movie? What will make History and Social Studies content come to life? How can a teacher really bring her students into the lesson, make them a part of it, therefore making it theirs?

   These are questions I find myself thinking about not only for Social Studies and History, but for all subjects. The answer I have settled on is interaction, engagement and empathy. What better way to get a student involved in the lessons content than to physically and mentally bring them into the lesson? For Social Studies and History, creating empathy is one way to show a student what it may have been like. It gives the student a personal connection to those events of long ago. Simulating an event and making it personal creates connections to the content that students can't help but make. 

   One way this was done in my Social Studies class was to simulate a trade fair among us classmates. Everyone took a great part in this, and we had a lot of fun. This caused me to really think about currency "way back when." It opened up my eyes and generated more curiosity that I know I will follow up on. This simulation is definitely one I will incorporate into my own classroom.

   Another way we were brought into a lessons content was the Artifact activity. We were asked to think about what legacy we would leave behind if someone would dig up artifacts that pertained to us a hundred years from now. This seemed relatively easy, should be a piece of cake. All we had to do was collect 5 artifacts that would tell someone who we were if they were to find our artifacts a hundred years from now. If I created a time capsule, what would I put in it to represent me and all that I am? 

   After thinking about it for a while, I realized that it was not going to be "cake" like I had originally anticipated. This was really hard. How could I sum up my life, all that I am, was,have become, everything I believe in, and represent who I am in only 5 artifacts!?

   There are so many stages in my life, so many moments that have defined who and what I am. How was I to choose material artifacts that would accurately represent "ME?"

   Before the activity, we discussed "Artifacts" and what they were and what they represented. Again our class participated in a little brainstorming session and came up with the list below:

Artifacts, what are they,
 and what do they represent?

documents

authentic sources

they tell history

physical history

give perspective of:

how life was lived

what the culture was like

diverse culture

offers a concrete view of an abstract concept 

artifacts tell us about interests

roles in the community/tribe

migration

uses

luxury (wants/needs)

technology

   There it is, this is what I could use to determine which artifacts I would leave. Again, this should be easy right? After all, I had a list! NOT! This was going to involve some serious thought. After hurting my brain, these are 3 of the things I came up with that would somewhat represent "ME."

PHOTOS!! This is one way around my dilemma! This album contains many many photos of everything I hold dear!

My Marriage Licence...and a plaque about what it is to be a Teacher

 

My Journal, one of many that tell MY STORY

    The last artifact was a coffee mug that states "Everything tastes better with cat hair!".....and that should pretty much sum up that I am indeed a cat lover (or I just have a hairy house!) Really, I am just a cat lover :) 

   So what do my artifacts say about me? They say that my family, children and husband are what I hold most dear to my heart. They are my life, my very essence for being. I take my marriage to my best friend and hero very seriously. I am a teacher who likes to write and anyone reading my journal a hundred years from now, will learn all about me and my journey....and lastly....I love animals, cats in particular.

   After everyone walked around and viewed everyone's artifacts, we were asked to select someone and choose one of their artifacts. We were to write what we thought this artifact would say about about them to someone that may find them a hundred years from now.

       I chose Clare and focused on her family snapshot: What this picture says to me...

   I focused on one artifact The family picture is very relaxed. It is just a snapshot in time, but by looking at Clare, and looking into her eyes, it is very apparent, and so easy to see the love she has for her family. It is not a formal portrait, and looks like it was taken at the spur of the moment. It is real, not staged, or posed, but rather an authentic glimpse of her, and the love she carries for her family. When we then discussed our findings as a group, she reconfirmed what I already thought about her, as well as confirmed what i thought her family pictured portrayed.

   All of our artifacts as a class were collected and put in one place. What would this tell someone a hundred years from now about us?

      This table of artifacts holds so many stories about us, and what each of us has determined will represent the very essence of who we are, as individuals, and as a community the best. 

                                                       Image courtesy of pinterest