A Visit from Benjamin Franklin

HISTORY IS ALIVE

Thank you to Ben Franklin for sharing your knowledge, experience and perspective of the American Revolution

Our Research Methods in Teaching Social Studies class was fortunate to have a visit from Ben Franklin.  We as teacher candidates were able to truly see the benefits of teaching through reenactments, as if Mr. Franklin had stepped out of the historic scene.  We were able to ask questions and hear his views on the reactions of colonists during the American Revolution.

The artifacts below were used in the creation of an an artifact bag (see 9/30/12 post; Finding Artifacts in the Classroom for more information on artifact bags) centered around the stamp act to motivate students to use inquiry skills and discover the history of the United States.

"Old paper" with stamp from Stamp Act

Colonists reading stamp act

Newspaper article from Pennsylvania Gazette 1775

The information shared by Benjamin Franklin enhanced my knowledge and understanding of the American Revolution related to the stamp act.  This powerful social studies learning experience cannot be obtained from a textbook.

In My Future Classroom

I will seek opportunities for students to experience Social Studies in authentic ways through the use of a variety of resources.  This class has taught me that history can be exciting, interesting, meaningful and active.  Some resources to support student understanding and growth as historians are:

• Artifact bags
• People in the community who have lived through specific time periods or who are knowledge of events
• Museums--virtual tours are available
• The local community; government buildings, architecture, research on street names, towns and villages or local historical places
• Documents/Primary sources
• Diaries, Letters and Pictures
• Paintings and drawings
• Reenactment and drama

The ability to include diverse perspectives, encourage critical thinking and integrate Social Studies material with other content areas is a goal of teaching Social Studies.  The ability to truly engage learners with the ultimate goal of creating the citizens of tomorrow is the goal of being a teacher!

"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward  you are likely to see."

                          -Winston Churchill