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2016 EDUCATION MAGAZINE

LINCOLN DAILY

NEWS.COM

March 1, 2016 Page 19

The idea behind the Civil War Walk was based on

a cemetery walk. In the cemetery scenario, visitors

follow a map or are led through a cemetery.

The grave stones of significant local figures are

marked, and historical performers portray the

person with a short monologue of the person’s

life.

Kate Ewing, a fifth grade teacher at Washington-

Monroe, said, “I a.m. always searching for

something new to try in my classroom and the

premise behind a cemetery walk was the perfect

way for students to learn about the Civil War

and the people who played a part in the events

surrounding it.”

Ewing happened to mention her idea at a grade

level meeting, and Marsha Dallas, District

Curriculum Director, suggested that the Civil War

Walk would be a great opportunity for the fifth

grade classes to collaborate. Rebecca Bailey, fifth

grade at Central School, suggested contacting the

Lincoln Heritage Museum to see if students could

perform there.

After studying the Civil War in social studies,

students chose a person they wanted to portray.

They spent 2 weeks researching the life and

important role their historical figure played during

the Civil War. Once their research was done,

students had the choice of writing a two-minute

monologue or collaborating with classmates on a

reader’s theater.

Students worked very hard fine-tuning their

speeches. Many of the classes performed for other

grade levels in their schools prior to performing

at the museum. The goal of this project was to

provide students with an opportunity to work on

research skills and public speaking.

Students showed how much they enjoyed this

opportunity to shine in the amount of effort

and pride they took in their performances. “My

students impressed me every day with their

knowledge of the time period and the people

they were researching,” said Kate Ewing.

“Researching what people wore in the 1860’s

added another layer of understanding. I think

being in costume made it even more real to my

students.”

Ginger Yeazle, Principal at Washington-Monroe,

was very excited to see the students become so

engaged in the curriculum. “I believe students

will carry this learning far beyond the assessment

process. This will be an experience they won’t

soon forget,” said Mrs. Yeazle.

Anne Moseley, Assistant Director of the Lincoln

Heritage Museum (LHM), was a great source of

help both setting up the museum for the actual

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