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A Photographic History of Burke by Amanda Burger, Michelle Parker, Shari Ross (7/8 team teachers) Grade Level: 7th and 8th grade How This Project Came About
A Photographic History of Burke Getting Started Timeline We began the Passumpsic River unit in late September and wrapped it up in late November. The photographic history of Burke project began about one month into the river unit after students had looked at rivers around the world, discussed the importance of our own river (both ecologically and historically), and begun a three-dimensional model of the Passumpsic watershed. The project took three weeks, including discussion of project, research, taking photographs, writing up descriptions of photographs and information from research, and presentations. Participants Thirty-six seventh and eighth grade students, three teachers, and one paraeducator participated in the project. At the time there were 18 seventh graders and 18 eighth graders on the team. For the entire river unit, students worked in two large groups (18 per group) which were selected by the teachers. We wanted to ensure that students were not divided by grade so that seventh graders could learn about the new team they were on from the eighth graders who had already spent a year with us. We also wanted to encourage students to work with people they might not usually spend time with, and to realize that the seventh and eighth grades functioned as a team, not separately. Other important participants were two members of the community who contributed a great deal to the project and our principal, Sonny Davis, who helped students with resources and photographs. Phyllis Burbank has lived in Burke for many years and is considered our local historian. She has written a book on the history of Burke called Burke: More Than Just a Mountain, and collects information on the people, places, and events in our town. She loaned the seventh and eighth grade team numerous books, maps, letters, photographs, and first-hand accounts of life in the area. The book she wrote was the main source of written research the students used. She also compiled a photographic history of Burke that the students used as part of their photographic comparison. Jack Davis, a local retired logger who has lived and logged in the Burke area for many years, also donated time and information to our project. He agreed to come speak with our team and share photographs of the logging and mill industries that once prospered along the Passumpsic River. Students compiled a list of questions for Mr. Davis, and he came and shared stories and information for over an hour. He also brought an album of old black and white photos showing life as a logger and mill worker. He gave us permission to copy the photos onto a CD so that students and teachers could use them in the future. Materials and Resources Needed • books, newspapers, maps, documents, first-hand historical accounts of life in our area • community members willing to share their stories and experiences • old photographs of the area • camera (a digital camera was very helpful) • materials for final presentation boards (display boards, construction paper, glue, etc.) Essential Questions • How has our town changed, both visually and historically, over the past fifty years? • How can seventh and eighth grade students research and display these changes? • How has the Passumpsic River impacted our town and how have we impacted the river? Focusing Questions • What are the important economical, structural, and natural features of our town today? • What were the important economical, structural, and natural features of our town fifty years ago? • How have these features changed over time, and how can we show this both in writing and through photography? • How has our reliance on the Passumpsic River changed over time? Rationale • Help students to see the connection between their town’s natural resources, such as the river, and our economic dependence on it, and to view how this dependence has changed over time. • Encourage students to see beyond the time they are living in now, and to see the life of their town as a continuum rather than the isolated time period we are living in now. Culminating Activity Students completed writing projects, drawings, and photographic comparisons and pulled them together into a large visual display. Two students created a wall-size map of Burke and students hung their displays around this map. Students then presented their information and photographs to their peers and teachers. In the future, we hope to take this culminating event a step further by presenting our findings from our river study to the local Select Board, creating a website in which students share the information they’ve learned, and inviting community members to view the photographic comparisons the students created. A Photographic History of Burke Project Outline Curricular-Learning Goals • Students will research the history of various aspects of their town, especially those that affect and have been affected by the river. These topics may include farming, mills, railroads, floods, stores and merchants, roads and bridges, Burke Mountain Ski Area, etc. • Students will work in small groups to gather information on their topics through books, newspapers, community members, maps, first-hand accounts, and photographs. • Students will use the research information to write narrative and informational accounts of life in Burke over the past 50 years. • Students will find old photographs and identify the location of those photographs in their town. • Students will travel to that same location and take a current photograph so they can make visual as well as written comparisons. • Students will display and present their findings to their classmates and teachers. Learning Standards 1.19 Research 3.9 Sustainability 3.10 Teamwork 4.5 Continuity and Change 4.6 Understanding Place 6.6 Being a Historian Interdisciplinary Nature Our entire river unit was designed to be interdisciplinary, with the photographic history of Burke project focusing on social studies, reading, writing, and public speaking. In Science, students focused on a current study of the river during which they researched life forms in the river, took water samples, completed chemical testing, and conducted river surveys. In Math, students did an intense study of scale and map-making, eventually creating a three-dimensional model of the Passumpsic River watershed. This connected back to a sense of place and cultural heritage as students discussed where certain businesses, homes, industrial buildings, parks, and recreation facilities existed on the three-dimensional model, and discussed their possible impact on the river. Assessment of Learning Goals • Task-specific assessment: • Focus questions • River journal • Research notes • Group work • Presentation Generalized-Standard Assessment: • Research rubric • Sustainability rubric • Teamwork Group rubric • Continuity and Change rubric • Understanding Place rubric Service Goals The overall river unit provides information to the community on the health and history of their river. Our hope is to continue to test and record information on the health of the river in years to come. The photographic history of Burke project provides Burke residents with historical information on important aspects of their town. It also includes community members in the project, encouraging them to share their knowledge and expertise, and valuing them as important members of our town. Challenges Cognitively, students were challenged to read primary sources and written texts on the history of their town and take notes on the information. They studied maps, questioned speakers, sorted through old photographs, had formal and informal discussions, wrote up their findings, and presented information to their class. Socially, students were required to work in cooperative groups of three to four students each. They had guidelines to follow, but many of the decisions were left up to them, such as who would complete the drawings, who would take photographs, which areas to photograph, how to pull the final presentation together, and more. Community Connections Students made important connections with the community as they discovered what their town was like in the past. They became more aware of our historical dependence on the Passumpsic River as many people worked in mills, as loggers, and as farmers, and may not have come to this area if the river did not allow for these jobs. Students saw our reliance on the river change over time and recognized that the Burke Mountain Ski Area is one of the few businesses to continue to rely directly on local rivers. Through photographs, they got a visual sense of how our town has changed which seemed to have a strong impact on them. Students shared photographs with their parents and grandparents who remembered many of the mills and buildings that are now gone. Students also made connections with community members by relying on them for resources and asking them to share their stories and memories. Community members seemed to enjoy working with the students and provided first-hand accounts of life in Burke over the past 50 years. Reflection Students were asked to reflect on what they were learning and discovering throughout the project. Before starting the photographic history of Burke project, students spent a lot of time by the Passumpsic River. They carried river journals in which they wrote about what they saw and heard by the river, and created poetry based on their notes. They also reflected on past uses of the river and its importance to us now. During the project, students used their journals to record new information, reflect on the success of their group, take notes on speakers, record questions, and keep track of their progress on the project. Once the project was complete, students responded to questions on how well the project went, what they felt their own strengths and challenges had been, how well they had worked in their groups, and what they might to differently if they had the project to do again. A Final Note Watching students work with one another, interact with community members, and work closely with school staff as they learned about their local river was a valuable experience for them and for me. Students became so engaged in the project as they realized what they were studying related directly to their own lives and families. They were empowered by studying places and people they knew and by learning more about the area they lived in. Students also enjoyed taking photographs and going beyond the classroom to learn.
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