Brian’s TRT Blog

I am wondering what value Colonial Day has. I saw the vidio etc… and wondered like all of the other secondary department chais present “who has time to do stuff like this?” What in the data proves the need and value? I asked before and got no answer.

Great question! This would be a great opportunity for our Social Studies specialists from PPS and across the country to respond to!

It makes history interesting for the students. They get to move around, try things, create things. It helps them to compare their lives to those who lived during the Colonial Period. With a pre- and post- test, my kids could give me better, more in depth answers about the Colonial Period, and had a better grasp of the time period.

Judge, what a great question. I believe that the VA Standards give us a great reason to do the Colonial Days, as well as sincere desire for our children to understand and remember their, our history.
Many colonial days are done in different ways. For instance, one school has an “archaelogical dig.” They are “making connections between past and present” and if a teacher puts in a variety of items they can be identified as part of the Native American culture, African culture or European - showing how these three cultures were so important at the beginning. Not only that, but you open up a new job description to children. In the last 3 years at CW, I have watched an increase in the amount of African-Americans doing archaelogical digs - not 8 years, I saw NONE.
Teaching dance incorporates music and PE into teaching social studies. In a time when course time for anything but reading and math are cut, this is a great way to combine resources. While teaching dance, you also teach the art of listening and following instruction - disciplines necessary for athletics, playing instruments, and generally being a good employee down the line. You keep students who don’t normally want anything to do with PE interested and involved.
Storytelling shows the different cultures and how they interacted. Encourages students to think of how the stories applied to life, and can be followed up with students doing writing exercises on their own. Teachers can use reading time to tell other similiar stories to help students be ready for the reading SOLs, because students will be made aware of more vocabulary.
Cooking colonial food lets children compare the present and the past in a very real way. And on the list.
All through these things, a teacher should be (and usually is) talking about Pre-Revolutionary War standards of learning, about those important people that VA wants to know about. They take this information and are able to utilize further in history. “Oh, so the slavery the storyteller talked about on Colonial Day, is still going on in the 1861’s!” “Hey, PE Teacher, the Square Dance looks a whole lot Colonial Dance.” “You mean the Cherokees that were run out of VA, the ones we saw the pipes, and hammers for in the dig, are the same ones on the Trail of Tears?”
The other thing about Colonial Days is that it makes history “stick.” Students have some background in them as between 6th and 10th, there is no US History really talked about. In the 11th grade, students are assumed to remember what they learned in 5th grade. Colonial Days at least give students way to remember some of what they learned then. The “hands-on” experiences are not easily forgotten.
I have met students in 8th grade, that saw me as a Character Interpreter in the 5th grade, and they remembered the context of which I spoke, the funny things I said, and most of all the history.
These are my thoughts on why Colonial Days, Dress-up Days, Historic Character Biography Presentations, visits to museums, museums visiting students, and other experiential learning activities are so important to our students.

Wow…where to begin. I am a former 4th grade and middle school history teacher. I was a CWTI graduate several years ago and at that time I had the idea of having a colonial fair at our school. It was a huge success! It is now in its 4th year and going strong. In fact, I now coordinate and run a colonial fair for a local elementary school which is also in its 4th year.

One of the most valuable and eduactional aspect of the fair is for the students to realize that this “stuff” they are having fun with was a reality for the colonials. It was a hard, tedious, and often dangerous life. We explored the class systems, the importance of gender related activities and the issue of slavery. Every year the students look forward to the “fair.”

Now, I will say that it is a lot of work and you need to start planning early, but it is well worth it.

We had 7 “Fair Stops” that the students visited and then for lunch we had authentic colonial fare. Before the meal we discussed customes of dining and the different types of foods.

My favorite area to teach was clothing. This itself is a wide topic and many aspects can be covered. I was formally observed while teaching one of my clothing lessons and received a glowing report. My principal noted how this lesson helped to tie in social as well as economical issues. This lesson was originally meant just to help the students gather costumes for the coloinial fair.

I love Colonial American history so I am slightly biased, however, I don’t know how a colonial fair CANNOT be educational.

I will be more than happy to share fair ideas with you if you would like to email me. I can even plan your event if your school has the funds. The elementary school I work with charges the students a small fee to cover expenses such as the blacksmith, French fur trader and others.

Thanks for the opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas. As an historical interpreter I think that too many of our young people don’t know about their past and this gives them an awesome insight and a chance to be a colonial child for a day!

We’ve put on an extensive Colonial Day for the last 14 years. We have tree parts: morning crafts, a formal tea after lunch, and Colonial dancing the last half hour of the day. Students will participate in 3 of the following morning activities: candle making, corn husk dolls, silver engraving, horn books and quill pens, rag rugs, butter making, pumpkin bread muffins, leather stamping, and Colonial games. Most stations have about 12 kids, but our most popular have about 24. Parents run everything while teachers oversee. For the tea, we ask parents to bring in china (or breakable) small plates, tea cups, saucers, table cloth, tea pot, sugar, creamer … We eat by candle light. I’ll be lucky if I have 4 parents who bring everything for their tables. I’ve been collecting this stuff for some time, and we’ll furnish the rest.
All kids and teachers are in costume. Some parents dress up. The first year is the hardest. It gets easier that. The costumes and the help get better each year.

My reply to that would be “How can authentic learning be ineffective?” It’s a perfect way to engage students and develop their critical thinking skills as well as historical perspective thinking.

I can’t believe you, the king of hands-on activities is asking that! Studies prove kids need an anchor to connect their learning to and to hook their schemata into in order to remember details. Try a pre-test (anticipation guide) and then have the Colonial Day activities and then give a post-test. One trial run should give you the “data” you need.
PS One reason 6th grade is back in elementary is that they still learn better with elementary methods.

I know I helped Lisa P. with this the last 2 years and it was great. The kids got an actual hands-on experience of the actual colonial days. It was alot of fun and learning for all. (Dont forget the fire permit!!)

Plus, alot of these kids have never experienced life outside of Portsmouth!! This gives them a solid, hands-on opportunity to experience life in colonial days. They only get a chance to read about what took place, but with something like colonial days, they can see what happened. The ‘reading about’ part can only take them so far. I know I was astonished to realize how many of our students have never even seen the ocean!! BW

Anytime frame yet on our own special Colonial Days Fair?? Would be glad to lend a helping hand with something. Reading Materials, Exhibit captions, hands-on, Script??
Let me Know. Here at JT waiting!!