Highlights Archives
Fourth-Graders Give New Textbook a Thumbs Up
An enthusiastic group of fourth-graders at Huegel Elementary School in Madison got their first look at the Wisconsin Historical Society's new fourth-grade textbook, Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story, at a special unveiling of the book on Tuesday, June 3, with Wisconsin first lady Jessica Doyle as special guest. If the reactions of the young scholars for whom the book is intended can be taken as a measure of its success, it looks like the Society has a hit on its hands. As Jessica Doyle and Society Director Ellsworth Brown talked about the book and the painstaking process used to create it, the fourth-graders in attendance excitedly thumbed through the book's colorful pages, popping their arms up frequently to make comments and ask questions.
 Society Director Ellsworth Brown and a student review the new fourth-grade textbook, Wisconsin: Our State, Our StoryThe book intends to change the way that history is taught in Wisconsin fourth-grade classrooms. Moving beyond the facts-and-dates approach of ordinary textbooks, Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story is structured around big questions that help young readers grasp history. These big questions, called "Thinking Like a Historian," appear in sidebars at the beginning of each chapter and are very much like the questions asked by professional historians. For example, how did Wisconsin waterways influence where people settled? How did Wisconsin become a state? What's it like to be an immigrant? In asking these questions, students are actively engaged and become motivated, critical thinkers.
"Thinking Like a Historian" questions fall into five categories: "Through Their Eyes," which presents perspectives of those who lived long ago; "Cause and Effect," an analysis of historical factors and impacts; "Turning Points," which identifies critical junctures in the past; "Using the Past," which makes sense of the present in light of past events and people; and "Change and Continuity," which looks at the question of identity over time.
Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story looks different from other textbooks. This is no accident. Instead of folding familiar stories and faded images into a standard format, the book features fresh stories and one-of-a-kind historic images. Young readers and their teachers will meet a migrant worker who lives on a farm in Dodge County, where he once worked as a day laborer. They'll see the handwritten letter of a Civil War soldier who never returns to his Oconto County farm and family. And they'll see a reproduction of an original 1875 folk art watercolor depicting a Sauk County farm.
This unique textbook is the result of a partnership between the Wisconsin Historical Society and the hard-working people of this state. Teachers and students in more than 20 classrooms from Sheboygan to Spring Valley piloted sample chapters and gave valuable feedback. Local historical institutions statewide provided select images and artifacts; these supplement the array of visual materials supplied by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Authors Bobbie Malone and Kori Oberle fill the textbook pages with their poignant words. The panoramic cover is an image of an Eau Claire County farm, taken by a Crawford County photographer. And Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story was printed in Stevens Point on paper made in Wisconsin Rapids.
Finally, the textbook is a pass key to the vast resources of the Wisconsin Historical Society. "Places to Visit" sidebars at the end of chapters highlight subject-relevant Wisconsin historic sites, as well as many regional venues. "Things to Read" sidebars feature Wisconsin Historical Society curriculum products — and other relevant books — that dovetail with the textbook. The Society's 10 historic sites and museum will allow teachers and students to take their history journeys to the next step. In summer 2008 a teacher's edition and student activity guide will be available. And in fall 2008 additional online activities and assessments will be available on the Wisconsin Historical Society Web site to keep Wisconsin schools going well into the 21st century.
:: Posted June 9, 2008
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