Bringing Indiana History Alive in the Classroom

You can bring Indiana History alive to students of all ages by introducing historical fiction books written from the perspective of children their own age. The Indiana Historical society recommends books such as: By Freedom's Light by Elizabeth O'Maley, Captured! A Boy Trapped in the Civil War by Mary Blair and Alone: The Journey of the boy Sims. After reading historical fiction students can compare and contrast against facts presented in the text or through research. They can write their own historical fiction around an event being studied in class, or write a response to prompts asking how they would act/feel/or do something different in the situations presented in the book. Students can be allowed to choose to present the knowledge gained from historical fiction/textbooks/research through a method which is most meaningful to them; whether it be a short play, a power point, illustrations, or any medium approved by the teacher.

History in the Making

Blizzard of 2011
Over twelve inches of snow fell on northern Indiana last night, with wind gusts up to 40 miles an hour, which caused 8 counties to declare a state of emergency and close down schools, public offices, and many businesses. Today we are digging out. Here you can see the snow drift at the end of our driveway and the depth of the snow along our sidewalk leading away from our front door.