★ Save Our History® ★One-Class Lesson Plan

Grades 5-8

Objectives: At the end of thislesson, students will be able to expressthe importance of preserving historicstructures and artifacts for the future.Specifically, students will be able to identify what historic preservationencompasses and the value that historicsites, structures and artifacts bring to our lives and communities.

Skills Developed: D ra w i n ga n a l o g i e s , chronological thinking,v o c a b u l a ry, re s e a rch , a n a l y s i s .

Middle School Level: 5ththrough 8th

Special Equipment: Acan of corn , a dry sausage (such as a “ S l i mJ i m ” ) , a jar of berry jam. It would be best ifthe label on the jam jar re a d s , “ p re s e rv e s ”but it is not necessary. A l s o, a kitch e nt i m er–the louder the better–will keep theclass on targ e t .

To the Teacher: The weekbefore the class on historic preservation,write the wo rd “ p re s e rva t i o n ” on thewa l l b o a rd. Assign your students thef o l l owing homewo r k : they should cometo class with the name, p h o t o gra p h , o ractual object of something that hasbeen pre s e rved. They should also beable to define the wo rd “ p re s e rva t i o n .”Remind them of this assignment theday before the class.

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Save Our History National InitiativeSave Our History is a national history education and preservation initiative created byThe History Channel® that challenges communities across the country to raise awarenessand support for preserving local heritage. Through the Educator’s Manual as well as thisone-class lesson plan, The History Channel looks to teach e r s , community leaders, a n dp re s e rva t i o n i s t s to help educate and instill pride in the upcoming generation about theirlocal history around them. All lesson plans in the Educator’s Manual as well as the one-class lesson plan link to state standards in all fifty states.

As part of the S ave Our History p r o gra m , classrooms are encouraged to collaborate with localhistoric societies to develop projects that celebrate the pre s e rvation of their community’slocal history. Projects can be submitted for consideration in the Save Our History NationalAwards Contest. Preservation organizations and educational institutions can win a three-day trip to Washington, D.C. and attend the Save Our History National Awards dinner. At thisevent, The History Channel will present a $10,000 Classroom Award to the educational institution that submits the best Save Our History project through their implementation of the lesson plans and activities in the Save Our History Educator’s Manual. For moredetails about submission guidelines and official rules please log on to saveourhistory.com.

Save Our History One-Class Lesson PlanHistoric preservation can easily be part of many lessons in history. It only takes five minutes to remind students that the existence of specific historic sites and artifacts contribute to our understanding and appreciation of people and events from the events and eras in our past that they are studying.

Social studies classes provide ample opportunities for expanding notions on the richnessand diversity of historic preservation. Consider a standard theme such as immigration, inwhich young people can learn about places that have now been restored for visitors, suchas Ellis Island and Angel Island, and respond to the vivid stories of becoming American,echoing across many generations. Historic preservation themes can be woven into units on the Ancient Egyptians, on Native Americans of the Southwest, and the American CivilWar. It is not difficult for young people to understand what we would lose if the pyramidshad been torn down to make way for a mall, or if our historic national parks were turnedinto parking lots. We know about people’s lives in the past because, in many cases, wehave preserved the artifacts and structures – even the boats – that shaped their lives.

Community heritage projects, which can include taping oral histories, creating a locallythemed timeline, and working with your neighborhood preservation society, provide a perfect introduction to this topic. The History Channel Save Our History manual provides a variety of activities for these types of learning initiatives.

However, many teachers have requested a specific lesson on historic preservation that can be covered in one class period. With that in mind, we have designed “A Race AgainstTime.” It requires the use of a timer, which we hope emphasizes the urgency of historicpreservation issues. Once an historic place is lost, it is lost forever.

Educator IntroductionTeaching Historic Preservation: A Race Against Time

★ Save Our History® ★One-Class Lesson Plan

2) Vocabulary:(10 minutes)

1) Drawing Analogies:(5 minutes)

Begin the class by asking for their examples of something that hasbeen pre s e rv e d . It is possible that some students will mention abuilt structure, or even a family photogra p h . Others may identify p re s e rved food products. Discuss what they brought in and why.Display the corn, the sausage, and the jam to the class. Your presentation may proceed along these lines:

These three food items have been preserved. In fact, a jar of jam is sometimes called a “jar of preserves.” Why would that be?(Because the berries have been preserved by making them intojam.) Why do we preserve food? (To make it last. Otherwise itwould go bad.)

Guide your class towa rd drawing analogies between a jar of pre s e rv e sand an historic site or artifact that has undergone pre s e rva t i o n . Youmight use Ellis Island, the Star-Spangled Banner, and/or a local site as examples. Here we will use Ellis Island. You may write thef o l l owing question on the wa l l b o a rd or simply ask it dire c t l y : What do a jar of blueberry jam and Ellis Island have in common? Possibleanswers include:

a) Immigrants brought jam with them to America;b) They were both first created in the same year; c) Both of them have been preserved; d) Blueberry jam was invented at Ellis Island.

Obviously, the answer you are looking for here is C, they both havebeen preserved.

Using dictionaries (online or printed), students should define artifact,preserve, reconstruct, restore, irreplaceable, environment, and conservation. If you don’t have enough dictionaries to share, youmay want to define these vocabulary words in the entire classroomsetting, or assign the definitions as homework the previous day.Review definitions.Vocabulary Discussion. What is the difference between a re s t o ra t i o nand a reconstruction? (A re s t o ration repairs a building, while a reconstruction rebuilds it. Historic re s t o ration means that an old building is re p a i red following accura t e, historic techniques anddesigns. An historic reconstruction can simply be a copy of an olds t r u c t u re.) When we hear the wo rds “ e n v i r o n m e n t ” and “ c o n s e rva t i o n ,”we often think of natural wilderness areas such as rain forests ornational parks. But these words are also used in talking about his-toric preservation. What do environmental protection and historicpreservation have in common? (They both are concerned with maintaining quality existence for the natural environment in thecase of environmental protection, and historic sites, buildings, andlandmarks for historic preservation. Often, they share goals. Forexample, environmentalists want to reduce pollution in our atmosphere to make the air cleaner and healthier to breathe.Historic preservationists are also concerned that pollution will injurehistoric sites, such as the Statue of Liberty.) How are they different?(Conservation is a process that can also refer to taking care of artifacts. At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of AmericanHistory, textile experts are conserving the Star-Spangled Banner,which was created in 1814, so that visitors can enjoy seeing thishistoric flag for generations. Documents such as the Declaration ofIndependence are conserved by the National Archives inWashington, DC, so that they will last as long as possible.)

Vocabulary Word of the Day: IRREPLACEABLE

Let’s operate! Irreplaceable is an excellent word for dissection. S e p a rate the wo rd into parts to study its

origin and meaning: i r- re - p l a c e - a b l e.

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Grades 5-8

★ Save Our History® ★One-Class Lesson Plan

3) Creating a List of Sites:Small Group Research and Discussion(Use timer! 10 minutes in groups plus 5 minutes shared time)

4) Why Should We Preserve the Past?Small Group Brainstorming Activity(Use timer! 10 minutes total)

Now it’s time to get specific. How many historic sites, buildings,landmarks, or artifacts can your class name? Allow 10 minutes forsome fast research in small groups. If you have Internet access inyour room, students can do an online search for various sites.Textbooks usually include images of historic structures as well.This list can include anything from a local statue to a famous battlefield to the White House. See if they can identify 20 differentplaces and major artifacts or documents that are part of ournational story. As an alternative, you can develop a more local perspective by having students select sites, artifacts, events, etc.,that reflect their local community heritage. Encourage a sense ofdiversity in their responses, if appropriate. After 10 minutes, theshared list should be written on the wallboard in front of the class.Each site should be identified by its location and the year or erawith which it is identified, if possible.

• Historic sites are irre p l a c e a b l e.

• You can never rebuild them. Once a development is built on a battlefield it will never re t u rn to open fields and we will lose the sense of place.

• Some historic places (and objects) are beautiful or i n t e resting in a unique way that makes them worth sav i n g.

• Some historic places re p resent an important moment in our history and help us remember that time.

• People can learn more about history and culture by visiting these places.

• Neighborhoods and local economies can be strengthened through historic pre s e rvation and heritage development.

• Communities can build their identities by pre s e rving c u l t u ral heritage.

It is not difficult to understand why people preserve food. But whydo they preserve sites and artifacts? Divide the class into smallgroups of 3-5 students. Each group should be responsible fordeveloping 5 reasons why people pre s e rve historic structure sand artifacts in 7 minutes. Give a warning after 5 minutes, andagain when there is only 1 minute left. Each group should sharetheir results with the class. One student may be responsible forwriting the reasons on the wa l l b o a rd. Possible reasons whypeople pre s e rve sites and artifacts include:

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Grades 5-8

★ Save Our History® ★One-Class Lesson Plan

Grades 5-8

5) Wrap Up.What Should be Pre s e rv e d ?E n t i re Class (5 minutes)

You as the teacher should lead the class on a brief ex p l o ration ofplaces and things your students think deserve pre s e rvation efforts.Modern buildings can be lovely to look at, very practical and convenient. Well planned, new housing and schools are needed as our population grows. But wouldn’t it be a shame if beautiful old buildings or important historic sites were just left to fall apart,or were destroyed care l e s s l y ? Interesting buildings from differenteras bring a sense of heritage and character to communities. Oralhistories and textiles such as traditional quilts add richness andbeauty to our lives. Thoughtful historic preservation helps keep the past alive in a positive way.

Your students should suggest places or things or pre s e rvation efforts. Some of them may already be under care. These mayrange from a National Historic Site such as Ford’s Theater whereLincoln was shot or the Spanish Mission at San Juan deCapistrano, to family recipes and scrapbooks. Part of preservationis deciding what should be saved and what, ultimately, is notworth saving. Sometimes those can be tough decisions. Encourage your students to think about what they would like topreserve in their lives or in their own neighborhoods and why it isimportant to pre s e rve for future generations. A bridesmaid dress oran old toy may hold cherished memories and help young people u n d e r s t a n d that structures and landmarks hold memories too.And those memories are part of our history.

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Extra CreditShort activities for students in small groups or as individuals.

1) ANALYZING THE MESSAGEAnalysis and communication skills. Companies and organizations work hard to develop a motto, slogan, or tagline which represents their philosophy. The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s slogan is “Protecting theIrreplaceable.” The History Channel® outreach project,Save Our History, uses the tag line that says, “Help giveAmerica’s past a glorious future.” On a sheet of paper,rephrase these mottos and explain their meaning. Why doyou think these organizations chose these slogans? Whydo organizations use slogans or tag lines in general? Whatother tag lines do you know? Can you invent your own tagline for preservation?

2) POSTERCreativity, idea summation. Create a poster of an historics i t e, l a n d m a r k , or artifact that you believe should be p re s e rved in your hometown. The poster should include animage of that place or item, brief identifying information, anda call to action or a slogan.

3) TIMELINE Chronological thinking. Using the list of 20 historic sites,arrange their names in chronological order on a timeline.Indicate at least 20 historical events in different color ink on the same timeline.

Help give America’spast a glorious future.