Colonial Williamsburg

VOLUME 7, ISSUE 4

Top Stories

Living History: A Character Study

Living history is most broadly defined in the museum profession as costumed historical interpretation. But increasingly historical character portrayal, also known as first-person interpretation, is what comes to mind when people think of living history. This dynamic and challenging way to teach history can blur the distinction between past and present and momentarily immerse its audience in another time.

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Primary Source of the Month:
Reproduction Gourd Banjo

Since the early colonial period, music has played an important role in the lives of Americans. It served as entertainment, giving performers a way to express their emotions and beliefs and listeners time to reflect on their culture. Music was also an important component of religious observances, and helped a community share its culture and traditions.

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Teaching Strategy: Historical Character Interpretation

Using character interpretation is a great way for students of all ages to experience history. It provides a connection with the past and helps to explain the historical people and events in a personal way. This lesson presents a template for enriching your history/social studies instruction with character interpretation. Students work individually or in small groups to plan, research, and present their character interpretations, making history come alive in the classroom.

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Colonial Williamsburg Teaching Resources for Your Classroom

Colonial Williamsburg offers a variety of quality instructional materials dealing with 18th-century life, including:

• Hands-On History: Soldier's Haversack
  (object kit)
• Hands-On History: Lady's Pocket (object kit)
• Hands-On History: American Indian Bandolier Bag (object kit)
• Hands-On History: Slave's Bag (object kit)

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Teaching News

National History Education Clearinghouse
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the National History Education Clearinghouse (NHEC) is designed to help K–12 history teachers access resources and materials to improve U.S. history education in the classroom.

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Exploring U.S. History
Online teaching modules, designed for George Mason University, offering relevant exercises that reinforce textbook readings and classroom discussion. They cover the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, including topics on indentured servitude, runaway slaves, antebellum popular culture, and advertisements in modern magazines.

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Quotation of the Month

". . . let us be sure that there are people in history. Let us make them live; let us share their triumphs and frustrations; let us know them. History is a kind of introduction to more interesting people than we can possibly meet in our restricted lives; let us not neglect the opportunity."

-Dexter Perkins, president of the
American Historical Association, 1956

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