Field Trip: The Benjamin Harrison House
We took a trip to the Benjamin Harrison house today! It was a day full of excitement and HISTORY. I didn't know much about our 23rd president, Benjamin Harrison, until I visited his home in Indianapolis. To develop a schema about President Harrison, my classmates and I were asked to create a list with 6 degrees of separation between ourselves and Ben. I had many similarities with President Harrison, such as being born in the Midwest and associating ourselves with religion. It was beneficial for me to research before I attended the field trip because I was able to relate what I knew about him and his time period to what I was seeing inside the home.
When we arrived at the home we sat in the basement where there was a projector screen. I knew that Benjamin Harrison signed for Ellis Island to be opened, so we were whisked back in time to the era of immigration. Our proctor handed us immigration visas and we were given a specific person from that time period. I was a 6 year old girl named Marianne from Italy who arrived with her older sister only. A wonderful teaching strategy for this type of opportunity would be to ask them about what life was like for your Ellis Island person at that point in time. We were given a list in which we were to fill in ten items that we would bring with us in a trunk to America. It was truly an eye-opening experience! |
Historical Field Trip Teaching Strategies:
Next, we were taken on a tour of the house. We saw historical documents written by Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln's old china, letters from Helen Keller, Charles Dickens' whole collection of novels (1st edition), and so many more historical facts. This field trip was such a success. I learned so many interesting facts about President Harrison; more importantly, how to bring students through a historical house with rich content. We were handed a pamphlet containing elementary school educational services that the house offers to schools. The programs range from topics of Native Americans, settlers, signing the declaration, coming to America, and many more. I hope my future placement and first job is near historical sites so I can immerse my students into the rich history of the area.
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