O Say Can You See?

Reflections on the Dust Bowl (National Youth Summit)

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Editor's note: This is a guest post from former summer teacher associate Carla Pacitti, and is a follow-up to the post Dust Bowl Summer. Carla describes her participation in the Dust Bowl National Youth Summit for high school students and teachers. You can watch an archived version of the program.

After spending my summer at the National Museum of American History, I was thrilled to learn that I would have the opportunity to take a select group of students to the National Youth Summit on the Dust Bowl in October hosted by the musuem. My husband is also an English teacher in my county, and together we built a group of students from both of our high schools to bring with us for the program.

Even though many of our students are from rural farming communities, their knowledge of the Dust Bowl was somewhat limited. In preparation, we wanted to make sure that each of the students had the background information necessary to fully participate in the program.

In our classes, we used the museum's teacher resource materials in order to help us prepare for the event. Each of our students read informative primary-source documents, including Caroline Henderson's letters and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. We also studied photographs and audio recordings from the era, and discussed the nationwide impact of the Dust Bowl. Finally, our students created and shared final presentations on a pressing environmental issue that was important to them. Doing these activities not only strengthened their understanding of the impact of the Dust Bowl, but also helped them to become more aware of the issues that affect them today.

On the day of our trip, we all were abuzz with excitement. Some of our students had never been to the museum before and were incredibly excited about all they would see and do. As a teacher, seeing a group of 16- and 17-year-olds enthused about visiting a museum is a refreshing and memorable experience! Luckily, we arrived in enough time to allow the students to explore the museum and speak with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, who did a book signing before the actual event.

Ken Burns meets student Isabelle Maina and signs copies of his new book "The Dust Bowl."

Our experience with the National Youth Summit was a powerful one. Many of our students shared their insights with their fellow students and teachers following their return, including some of the following comments:

Kyle Lahr: "...I had great respect for Ken Burns before the Youth Summit and a greater respect afterwards in having learned the measures that he takes to accurately portray the history of the subjects that his documentaries focus on... Having had the chance to learn about some of the history behind the Dust Bowl and how agriculture in the Midwest affects the rest of the nation, I am now incredibly excited to watch the upcoming documentary and learn even more." 

Joshua Rivera: "The Dust Bowl is an important time in American history that showed the triumph of man and the vitality of the American people... The panel discussion at the Youth Summit provided an important insight onto this time and I am very happy to be given the opportunity to have this experience." 

Panelists at the National Youth Summit discuss the Dust Bowl and current drought with students.

Nathaniel Philip: "I will openly admit that prior to attending the forum, I didn't know much about the Dust Bowl. I had seen portions of Ken Burns's documentaries, and I knew that this one wouldn't fall short of the rest. Not only was the information that he provided great, but the additional information provided by the other guests was so informative and interesting. It was truly a wonderful experience." 

It was incredible to see these students get to experience this opportunity, and watch as they gained a fresh perspective on an important event in American history. As Ken Burns has said, the key to great storytelling is unlocking "emotional truth." It isn't until we understand the struggle, the heartache, or the triumph of our history that we can truly learn from it.

Carla Pacitti is an English teacher at Washington County Technical High School in Hagerstown, Maryland.

The "unscripted" field trip

In line in the cafeteria recently, I stood behind a young woman in her early teens here on a field trip. She had with her a paper scavenger hunt, but an unusual one—the first question explained the Smithsonian and the National Museum of American History's missions and then asked the student to evaluate how well the museum lived up to them. I've seen a lot of scavenger hunts in my two years here; understandably, many busy teachers see them as the simplest way to direct students through a large place that covers a great deal of content on what is sometimes a very short visit. But, few scavenger hunts I've seen require students to really engage with what they are seeing.

So, what else could a teacher do with a large group of middle or high schoolers, here for maybe an hour on a long day of museum visits? The museum has many outstanding programs available throughout the day, including theater programs and interactive carts, as well as Discover guides (our own variation on the scavenger hunt), and in the past, we've shared one teacher's idea for a technology-integrated field trip. But, as I thought about these scavenger hunts, I reflected on my own experiences as a middle school student, and I thought about big questions.

Jeff Mangram, my 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher, taught us to think; one of the first questions he asked us in the fall of 7th grade was, what is power? The first assignment I remember from that class was making a poster that depicted what power meant to me. It was the first time any teacher had asked me to define a term beyond a dictionary. It really pushed me to think about my assumptions and to articulate my views. And I thought, why not make a question like that the basis of a museum visit?

On February 1, 1960, four African American college students--Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil, and David L. Richmond--sat down at this "whites only" lunch counter at the Woolworth's store in Greensboro, North Carolina, and politely asked for service. Their request was refused, and when asked to leave, the students remained in their seats in protest.

What if, instead of directing students to particular artifacts, teachers asked them to use their cameras and phones to photograph objects here that represent power to them, then organize them into a presentation for their classmates, or even just use these as the basis for a discussion on the bus? (And yes, photography is allowed except in the Star-Spangled Banner exhibition and where otherwise noted.) Might they include a symbol of protest? An emblem of the nation’s highest office from The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden? A communication tool from American Stories, such as the microphone used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his radio Fireside Chats (image above)? Currency from our Stories on Money exhibition? A uniform from The Price of Freedom: Americans at War? How might asking such a broad question get students thinking in new ways about history and about the world around them?

There are a host of other big questions one might ask students to answer through objects when visiting this museum, such as:

• What does it mean to be American? The museum houses the original Star-Spangled Banner from the War of 1812, which was the inspiration for our national anthem; many people consider this the quintessential symbol of America. What five other objects best symbolize America to you?
• What is the essence of citizenship? What objects represent what citizenship means in American history?
• Consider costumes. How does what we wear represent who we are? Find intriguing characters in the museum and explain what their clothes say about them, or find intriguing clothes and costumes and explain what they say about their wearer or their time.
• Is there an "immigrant experience"? Find examples of immigration stories and explore what makes them similar or different.
• What does "the American dream" mean to you? What objects in the museum represent that dream? What objects represent the American dream denied or deferred?
• What is justice? What objects represent justice, or the denial of justice, to you?

Parents might take a similar approach to visiting with their teens and have a discussion about a big question as you tour the museum or afterward.

How have you organized a visit to our museum in the past? What worked well for you? Would you ask a thematic question for a field trip? Why or why not?

Naomi Coquillon is an education specialist at the National Museum of American History who thanks Mr. Mangram and great teachers like him for not letting their students rest with simple questions or easy answers.

Teaching and learning in India

Stepping off the plane in Kolkata, India, where the nighttime temperature seared at 104 degrees Fahrenheit and the monsoon was late, I admit my first thought was not about the class I came to teach, but the weather.

For years I’ve been fortunate to teach exhibition evaluation for the National Council of Science Museums, but this time was different and many Indian colleagues cautioned before my arrival: "high heat, pouring rain, and FLOODS." Through monsoon season (and everything else), India teaches us. We become learners even if we arrive as teachers. And so it was that my students (all Masters of Science candidates earning a Public Communication of Science degree) and I embarked on a three-week class (along with fellow instructor Gretchen Jennings) to explore how people learn science in non-formal environments and how museum staff can utilize audience feedback in the process of creating exhibitions.

The class highlights were two trips to Science City, the large and popular science museum in Kolkata, where we studied visitors.

At Science City, we observed and interviewed visitors to gauge whether they were interacting with the exhibitions or learning science. Our goal was to identify obstacles that were hindering them from doing so. The students debated with one another to define concise learning goals for each exhibit; not knowing the original "science learning" objective for each activity was a liberating constraint because it freed us to rethink the activities based on what we actually saw people do (or not do). We noted general confusion about the main ideas at each of the three activities we were studying.

Time constraints—we had less than one day to produce new exhibitions—meant only simple adjustments could be made. The students decided to add and enlarge graphics, change labels, and even used a personal laptop to show video. Language became a flashpoint of discussion while we worked on the new exhibition elements. Many Indians do not speak the National language, Hindi, or the adopted language—English. College graduates typically speak three languages including their regional dialect. Poorer Indians might only speak their regional dialect, which in Kolkata is Bengali. Because science museums are a popular destination for Indians across a wide education spectrum, we decided to add Bengali labels.

With exhibit modifications in-hand, we went back to the museum to see if we could engage people more thoroughly (or just more people) in science. Tremendous thanks to the staff and Director, Mr. A.D. Choudhury for allowing us to use their museum as our sandbox for exploration.

The 2012 class

It is also worth noting that the students struggled with their professional ideology (i.e. "I am a science content expert") and their personal observations (i.e. "museum visitors try to interact but exhibits don't always help them"). In fact, this revolutionary program which confers a Master's Degree in the Public Communication of Science upon staff who may already possess a PhD in science, exemplifies why "knowing science" and "teaching science" are not always synonymous. Said another way, our colleagues in India are grappling with the realization that effective science communication has a better chance of occurring when the sender (i.e. Museum expert) is more familiar with the receiver (i.e. people who visit the museum). Smithsonian staff grapple with the same issues and, through this program, we share our expertise on learning in museums while we too become students of how another culture views learning in museums.

And so, our second visit to Science City brought with it small successes through the changes we made to the exhibitions. Perhaps the more powerful insight for our students was that the work didn't end in the museum that day. We could see that our changes helped visitors engage, understand, and explore science concepts. But fundamental questions surfaced about the ideological shift needed in order for prototyping and visitor feedback to guide our museum work. Reluctant to end the discussion, we had used our class time (including weekends) to fullest result and hopefully added ten more museum professionals to the ranks of visitor-centered exhibition interpretation.

Karen Lee is a curator with the National Numismatic Collection. She began her career in science and children's museum where her passion for exhibition planning and evaluation was cultivated. She now seeks to surprise and engage people in learning history from coins and money, while utilizing a visitor-centered approach to planning exhibitions. She has blogged about the National Numismatic Collection.

For more on this story, watch this video.

American Girl Self-Guide, it’s here!

I’ll admit it, I love American Girl. Seriously, I’m a 20-something that still pulls my doll out whenever I’m home (which is admittedly only a few times a year). I literally flipped out when I learned we were partnering with American Girl. I tried to play it cool, but really it was to no avail. Besides, now we have an awesome new American Girl themed Self-Guide that highlights many of the Girls and connects them with real museum objects, so why hide my enthusiasm? 

Visitors (with or without their own American Girls in tow) can scour the museum looking for the objects that relate to, for example, Josefina Montoya. Visitors can see the serape on display in the Price of Freedom exhibition, something Josefina’s father might have worn. Josefina, her sisters, and Tia might have woven a serape that looked like this, along with the many blankets they wove to trade for sheep after a flash flood wiped out most of the family’s herd. Imagine patiently weaving such a complex pattern, or at least complex to me, and the pride you’d feel once it was completed!

Another highlighted object is a ship’s medicine chest, which connects well with the story of Marie-Grace Gardner and Cecile Rey, whose story takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana, during a yellow fever epidemic. Examining the chest in On the Water, families will see that medicine once looked very different than the familiar pill form we see today.

There is way more to discover so bring yourself, your doll, or your children and enjoy exploring!

Katie Macko is a Daily Programs Floor Manager at the National Museum of American History.

All American Girl images and content © American Girl. All rights reserved. All American Girl, Kit Kittredge, Julie Albright, Josefina Montoya, Addy Walker, Rebecca Rubin, Molly McIntire, Marie-Grace Gardner and Cécile Ray marks are trademarks of American Girl.

Fall Fridays

It’s time again to go back to school and at the National Museum of American History that means we get ready to create exciting experiences for students. This fall we are making an extra effort to welcome school groups with Fall Fridays.

Join the Student Sit-Ins

From September 7 through November 16, we are offering historical theater and interactive activities every Friday from 10 AM to 1 PM. Students can join a civil rights sit-in at the Greensboro lunch counter or learn science with Joseph Henry, who in 1846 became the first secretary of the Smithsonian. Hands-on carts and gallery interpreters will be also available for students to discover history. So much is happening on Friday mornings!

Stereoscope object cart

How should teachers get started? Check out the school visits web page for suggestions on logistics such as bus drop-off locations, chaperone-student ratios, and group lunch sales. And don’t miss our pre-visit videos for teachers and students. They are packed with helpful tips. Be sure to look at the events page, too, for specific program times, then visit an information desk upon arrival to find out what hands-on carts and interpreters are on the floor.

As always, admission to the Museum is free and reservations are not required, but we kindly ask teachers to register their group. Doing so helps us learn more about our student visitors—information we use to craft better programs and materials. The registration form is also the place to request special accommodations such as sign language interpreters (please give us 1-2 weeks notice).

To set the stage for a visit, teachers should check out the pre- and post-visit sheets for our living history programs on the Greensboro sit-ins, Join the Student Sit-Ins, and visit our OurStory website for activity sets featuring historical literature for students. I recommend the ones for the John Bull (All Aboard the Train) and the Star-Spangled Banner (Making the Star-Spangled Banner) since the related objects are on view, easy to find, and fun to explore with groups. And, as always, if you can’t visit the Museum, you can find resources for your classroom (including video versions of our theater programs) on Smithsonian’s History Explorer.

We look forward to meeting you during Fall Fridays!

Julia Garcia is an interpretive specialist at the National Museum of American History.