Sharing local history with third graders

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Abstract

Elementary students do not always get a chance to learn about local history because it is often overlooked in textbooks. RSVP of Meigs County, Ohio, developed a program which provides students with the chance to learn about regional history from its volunteers. Four years since its inception in 1998, twenty-eight regular volunteers and four substitutes now visit thirteen classrooms weekly to teach students local history. Lessons are accompanied by hands on activities, and students take field trips to sites of historical significance. Besides broadening their knowledge of history, students benefit from these positive interactions with older adults by viewing them as active and knowledgeable members of the community. Diana Coates of RSVP of Meigs County, Ohio, submitted this effective practice in December 2001.

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Issue

Elementary students rarely draw connections between their personal lives and local history, or between their local community and wider historic events.

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Action

  • Volunteers from RSVP of Meigs County who are retired teachers and/or those interested in regional history or genealogy, teach local history to third graders. These older adults bring a wealth of information students would not otherwise learn, because this information is not always available in textbooks. For example, one volunteer shared a quilt embroidered with images about the Underground Railroad.
  • Volunteers utilize resources from private collections, as well as information from the local museum, library, and newspaper.
  • Students are given nametags in the shape of Meigs County to help them learn about the townships where they live.
  • Students tour the local courthouse and the local Sheriff's Department.
  • Students take a field trip to the courthouse in Chester, Ohio, where volunteers there dress in period clothing to enliven historical facts. This is the oldest standing courthouse in the state.
  • Hands on activities accompany each lesson.

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    Context

    Meigs County, located in southern Ohio on the Ohio River, is a rural county with a population of 24,000 (1999). RSVP of Meigs County, Ohio, received a Programs for National Significance (PNS) grant through the Corporation for National Service to teach local history to children at or below the third grade level. In 1999, RSVP developed a program that places 28 volunteers annually in 13 third grade classrooms each week to provide students with information about local history.

    The Meigs County Council on Aging, Inc. (MCCoA), a multi-service agency, was formed as a non-profit corporation in 1972. The MCCoA coordinates all older adult programs through the Meigs Multipurpose Senior Center. The program's mission is to enrich lives through service and education. The purpose of the MCCoA is to provide services to Meigs County's older population that enables and promotes "aging in place." All services of the MCCoA are offered in a consistent manner with all federal, state and local laws and regulations. The Meigs Multipurpose Senior Center is Accredited through the National Council on Aging/National Institute of Senior Centers.

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    Outcome

    Students gain a broader knowledge of Meigs County history, as well as the positive experience of learning from seniors. This helps decrease stereotypes that children sometimes have about older adults. Students remember these meaningful encounters with volunteers; when students reach fifth grade, where many of the same RSVP volunteers teach Appalachian crafts, these relationships are enthusiastically renewed.

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    Evidence

    Students are given a test before and after their experiences with the RSVP program.Teachers report that students who were unable to answer questions like, "What township do you live in?" prior to volunteers visiting their school, are consistently able to answer them afterward. They may still answer questions like, "What age is old?" with stereotypical responses, but the relationships formed with the volunteers are lasting and remembered.

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    Posted On

    April 11, 2002

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    For More Information

    Diana Coates
    Meigs County RSVP
    RSVP Director
    112 E. Memorial Drive, P.O. Box 722
    Pomeroy, OH 45769
    Phone: (740) 992-2161 x222

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