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| This is a sample Focus on
Teaching proposal which was accepted by the OAH Committee on Teaching.
These proposals are meant to demonstrate the qualities of a successful
session and are for illustration only.
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Sample Focus on Teaching Proposal #2AbstractThe Minnesota Department of Transportation was scheduled to build a new multipurpose bridge across the St. Croix River during 1997-98 to accommodate the growing volume of traffic between Wisconsin and the Twin Cities. However, the bridge would alter the water flow and detract from the scenic beauty of the lower St. Croix valley so on December 3, 1996, the National Park Service announced its decision to block construction of the bridge under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The result has been a heated multisided debate between various agencies of the federal government and both state governments as well as among environmental activists, historic preservation groups and local communities that reflects the national-state-local tensions inherent in our political system. Whatever the result of this political dilemma, fifty-five families have been forced out of their homes and a neighborhood with a long, rich history in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota has already been destroyed. This lower class neighborhood had gradually become isolated by three previous government sponsored projects and its history illustrates the dynamics of social change, the results of disparate political power and the effects of governmental disputes on the fives of individuals.Anticipating the destruction of this neighborhood, a collaborative, multidisciplinary local history project was developed incorporating a variety of educational experiences which ultimately included students from fifth grade, junior high, high school and college. Junior high students did interviews with selected residents, conducted research in the county records, took photographs of houses and drew maps of the area. Fifth grade students drew sketches and art work of the area while high school students took pictures of the interior and exterior of the houses to be destroyed. College students analyzed raw census data from 1920 and produced a series of charts and graphs to display this evidence. The junior high students took two field trips to the University of Nfinnesota to exchange information with the college students and to engage in a "Family Feud" game based on the 1920 census of the neighborhood. The junior high students then created an exhibit consisting of all the photographs, maps, artwork, charts and graphs produced by the various students as well as videotapes of interviews and pictures and artifacts donated by the residents of the neighborhood. Students determined the composition and arrangement of the exhibit, wrote and produced the captions and informational texts and adjusted the lighting. The Grand Opening of the five month long exhibit served as a reunion for the displaced residents of the neighborhood and the exhibit was honored with the Rivertown Historic Preservation Education Award. This project provides an example of interdisciplinary collaboration at various educational levels and in conjunction with community resources. We propose to explain the mechanics of the project and how it can be replicated in other areas of the country to preserve local history while serving as an educational unit to satisfy national and state history standards. Abstract accompanied by brief vitae for each session presenter and panelist. |
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