How teachers can conduct historical reenactments in their own schools

Childhood Education, Summer 2001 by Morris, Ronald Vaughan

Typically, the students stay in small groups, and rotate to all the different planned activities. The first group in a rotation always takes longer to get going; everyone will want to do everything. With practice, the time periods will gradually grow shorter; if running short on time, cut the last session very short. Roundrobin sessions of 15 minutes to 50 minutes are long enough for a good rotation, depending on the difficulty of the activities. Give the volunteers a two-minute warning to finish up the last few details.

Experienced and responsible upper elementary students can assist small groups of younger children with the activities. These students can be particularly helpful in monitoring the time schedule, leading younger students from place to place, and helping with crafts. Younger students should focus on answering the question, "How have things changed over time?" Many different activities can help students illustrate and explain their conclusions. The reenactment may also prompt further questions.

Evaluation

The teacher needs to observe the event as it progresses; every portion of the experience requires evaluation throughout the day. Being ready to build on those interactions that occur naturally during the day is also important. A teacher should circulate during the reenactment, asking the students and volunteers for their opinions on how the day is going and reviewing what they learned. The more notes that are taken and the more evaluations done, the easier the next year's planning will be.

Because each student will experience the varied and complicated culture of the reenacted historic period differently, it becomes difficult to rely on traditional objectives and assessments. One possible assessment method is to offer guiding questions before the reenactment, to help students focus their learning. Ask the students, first thing in the morning, to predict the answers to those questions and then to talk with a friend about it; at the end of the day, review the questions with the students. Have the students talk in groups of four and then discuss the answers with the whole group; the day following the reenactment, fill out a data-retrieval chart in class. Use a common set of questions to compare historical figures.

In a second assessment strategy, ask the students to write the story of their experiences during the reenactment. They should record their most salient observations in detail, and compare that way of life to their present lives. Students should interpret the events and discuss why they were important. Through this process, students may understand that some of their current concerns are not so different from those of the past.

Other closing activities will help in evaluating the experience. Students may write a newspaper account for the local paper describing their adventures, or they could write a diary entry in the voice of a person from that time period. Still another possibility is for students to assume the role of a common person from that era and write a letter to a famous person from the time, asking questions about issues of the day. Students can make connections and comparisons from the past to the present on a wall chart, comparing issues such as health, pollution, civil rights, and civic participation.