Historical Marker: History is All Around Us!

History is all around us! This is a great assignment that I did for my Utah History students. However, it could work for any history class in any state. The previous for this project is that students will need to:

• Go to a Historical Marker within the State of Utah
• (plaques with on old buildings, or monuments etc.)
• Take a Selfie at the Marker 
• (Print off or send to me to print)
• Do a little research about said marker
• Present to the class

Selfie at Hotel Utah,
 My kids and myself

To help students find markers, to begin with, I had students look up markers using the Utah Heritage website:

https://heritage.utah.gov/history/historic-markers

In this link select “Markers and monuments database”  then search by County, Organization, Keyword, or Theme. In most cases, it will have a short description.

I even placed a map on the back wall of my classroom with pins and selfies of places that my student have gone within the state. 

To help motivate students, I award 3 prizes at the end of each quarter.

1. Best Selfie
2. Farthest Marker
3. Most Interesting 

For most students, they enjoyed this project and enjoyed learning about the little-known history of our small towns and our state. When it came to students that claimed that their parents couldn't take them to a Historical Site, I had them have their parents contact me, or reminded them that there were a ton within a 30 min drive.

John C. Fremont Document Based Question

Document Based Questions (DBQ)  are a great way for teaching students to use Primary and Secondary Sources and formulate their own conclusions. For this DBQ I took an article for Utah Historical Quarterly and simplified it and broke it scaffold it with a question to help students understand its significance.
The question that students were to keep in mind during this assignment was: How were Mormon Settlements Influenced by John Fremont's Reports of the Great Basin?
Students would then read the documents intrprite and read maps, and answer questions to help students understand what they should be looking for.
Depending on the level of students they would then come up with a Thesis and Essay to answer the first question.

The Full Document Based Question is at the Following Link to a Google Doc:
Fremont Mormon Settlement Document Based Question

Baugh, Alexander L. "John C. Fremont's 1843-44 Western Expedition and Its Influence on Mormon Settlement in Utah." Utah Historical Quarterly 83.4 (2015): 254-69. Print.

Memorial Project

This is a fun way to get students thinking about symbolism and remembering the past. It also gives students the freedom to choose how they would like to present their research. For this project I put it into Utah's Struggle for Statehood, but it could be adapted for almost any unit. They begin by selecting a topic within Utah's Territorial time frame to research. Then they select the the way that they would like to present their research; drawing out in detail a memorial (or building a small replica),  designing installation art, or a miscellaneous/ performance (interpretive dance, monolog, musical composition, or something else). They then do the research, write a process paper explaining their symbolism and present it to the class.

Memorial

This is the Place Monument commemorating the Mormon Pioneers entry into the Salt Lake Valley and all of the other explorers before.

Resembles a weeping willow in Budapest, Hungary.  On each metal leaf is a name of a Hungarian Jew who die in the Holocaust.

http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/survival-and-legacy/legacy-and-memory/holocaust-memorials/#.VRnAbDvF8mc

The memorial at Iwo Jima to remember the United States victory at Iwo Jima.  The sculpture is based off of the famous picture taken the day of the victory.

 Installation Art

This is an installation art piece that represents the Japanese Internment in the United States during World War II.  Many people who were Japanese or of Japanese descent on the West Coast were forced from their homes and sent to internment camps until the end of the war.  This art piece is a collection of luggage tags that the Japanese had to put on their suitcases.  It shows the number of people that were sent away.

This installation art piece is in remembrance of 9/11.  "In observance of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Illegal Art has marked each of the 110 floors on the sidewalk with chalk, starting at 5th Avenue and 14th Street and heading north for 1,368 feet (417 meters), the height of the taller of the two towers.  Passersby, like yourself, are encouraged to walk the height of the once standing building along 5th Avenue and write any words that expresses your feeling or experience related to 9/11."

http://www.examiner.com/article/heartfelt-diy-9-11-memorial-encourages-interaction

This the Rubric and information that is given to students:

 Remembering Events of Utah History

The State of Utah has decided that people are forgetting what happened many events that happened in Utah History.  You will compete in this competition choosing to create one of the following a memorial, an installation art piece, or a miscellaneous project.  Below are the requirements for each category.  IN TOTAL YOUR PROJECT IS WORTH 45 POINTS

Step 1: Choose form one of the following topics:

Utah War

Mountain Meadows Massacre

The Walker War

Utah Black Hawk War

Trans Continental Railroad             

Coop. Stores

Mining in Utah

Minorities

Pony Express

Other_______________________

Step 2: Pick a Genre

MEMORIAL:

A memorial is an object, which serves as a focus for memory of something or someone.  Examples are plaques, sculptures, monuments, statues, fountains, or parks.  (You cannot do a plaque or a park – nor can you simply do a statue of an American Indian).  Memorials are often very symbolic in their design.  For example, some Holocaust memorials include barbed wire, symbolizing the wire used to contain them.  If you choose to do a memorial you must have:

______  A well-drawn design of your memorial (this is not a quick drawing) (20

            points)

______  An incorporated symbol that has a connection to your topic (5 points)

______  A one-page typed description that includes: (20 points total)

            ______ HOW and WHY you chose your design (5 points)

            ______ What is your incorporated symbol and why did you choose it (8

                         points)

            ______ A location for your memorial (where would you put it and why) (2

                        points)

            ______Sources and Research What happened! (5 points)

“INSTALLATION” ART:

“Installation” art is an art piece that is 3-D that can be found within a museum or in a site-specific space.  While a memorial has symbolic elements, “installation” art is completely symbolic and raises awareness.  It also can be interactive.  It is art that really makes the viewer think about what is symbolizes, but it also makes them look inward.  If you choose to do an “installation” art piece you must have:

______  A well-drawn design of your “installation” art (this is not a quick drawing)  

            (20 points)

______  Symbolism (How is it symbolic) (10 points)

______  A one-page typed description that includes: (15 points total)

            ______ HOW and WHY you chose your design (3 points)

            ______ Describe how your art is symbolic and what you want your viewers to

                       experience (5 points)

            ______ A location for your “installation” art (where would you put it and why)

                       (2 points)

______Sources and Research What happened! (5 points)

MISCELLANEOUS

We know that there are those of you out there that have other talents that may not fall into the 3 categories above and we would like to give you the chance to participate as well.  In this category you may: write a song (music and/or lyrics), choreograph a dance, write a spoken word poem or write a 5 minute monologue (each recorded and sent to Mr. Owen  (See me for examples) If you choose to participate in this category you must have:

______  A recording of the piece (20 points)

______  A one-page typed description (25 point total)

            ______ HOW and WHY you chose this particular form of art (8 points)

            ______ Your process in creating this art piece (6 points)

            ______ What do you hope your audience will feel and take away from

           seeing/hearing your performance (6  points)

            ______Sources and Research What happened! (5 points)

Step 3: Research Topic and complete requirements for your chosen Medium.

Step 4: 2-5 minute presentation about your Project.