Today at Sutherland Middle School, sixth-graders have been working on different aspects of the JTHG-Monticello vodcast project. Some are working on costuming and props, and others are working on Media.

One class focused on using social media to share info about their project with other students. Each class picked a blog post to put online. Below is a post from one of the students:

“Jack Jouett’s ride is about trustworthy. When Jack Jouett came to warn Thomas Jefferson that the British are coming, Thomas  Jefferson trust Martin to not tell where Thomas is, he made the right choice. Martin was threatened to be killed and was hurt but didnt give away where Thomas was. That’s an example of a short script which Sutherland Middle School is making to help out Monticello.

Look for other blog posts soon!

In response to “Sculpt a story that explains key ideas in the  Declaration of Independence.”

In a small suburban house in the middle of nowhere, a cat named Tom was chasing a mouse named Jerry.  Day after day, year after year the chase was on.  One day, Jerry foiled Tom’s plan to catch him by pulling out the Declaration of Independence and saying, “I have the right to be free of you.”

Tom pulled out his own Declaration and replied, “Yes, but chasing you is my happiness.”  And he bounded after him toward his hole.

Sixth grade Sutherland science teacher, Bryan Anderson, asked students to look at Thomas Jefferson from a different angle as they studied his seven year plan for crop rotation.  They examined questions like, what is crop rotation, how did Thomas Jefferson gather data and how did he use that data to inform decisions on whether to plant peas or potatoes or both?

Sixth grader, Ping Yi’s Crop Rotation Chart follows.

Teacher:  Why is this story important?  Why does it matter to us today?

Student thoughts and sample storyboard

Students:  Because it’s history.

Teacher:  Why do I care about history?

Students:  (With enthusiasm) Because it’s American history.

Teacher:  Well, when I walk out to my car today, why do I care about American history.  I’m not sure it matters.

Students:  It teaches us

Teacher:  It teachers us what?

Fast forward ten minutes

Students:  History helps us know to make better decisions and to stay calm-headed when we go through tough situations.

The Sutherland students are hard at work on their videos. The topics were chosen in late March, and the students will return to Monticello in late May for filming.

The 4th Annual Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership Conference is set for June 22-23 in Charlottesville, Virginia.  The videos will be premeired during this conference.

Topics will include:

• Jack Jouett’s ride – Movie 1  - The importance of  staying calm and making good choices
• Jack Jouett’s ride – Movie 2 – How would our history change without Jack Jouett’s ride?  Would Des Moines boast an Eiffel Tower?
• My Crib –  Students will focus on uniqueness of Jefferson’s home
• Thriller —  Do values die with each generation?
• Jefferson’s gadgets –  We all have a specific purpose and should celebrate it!
• What is Naturalization and why is it important ?
• Outer Space Aliens examine slavery –  This does not compute!
• Jefferson’s Childhood  -  Did his childhood experiences influence him later in life? A Sherlock Holmes approach to sleuthing.
• Jefferson on Big Macs and Going Green

Creative thinking is key to the film making process.  In order to jumpstart the process, students were asked to weave the following ingredients together into a fifteen second show.

A golf ball, the sound of wind, a southern voice and a quote from Thomas Jefferson stating, ” A mind always employed is always happy.  This is the true secret, the grand recipe, for felicity.  The idle are the only wretched.”

Nehamiah boomed after the exercise, “Ms. Lee, this is what I have neeeeeeded!”

Students learning about Thomas Jefferson's gadgets

Yesterday, Monticello welcomed about 100 students from Sutherland Middle School for the second of two immersion sessions. Upon arrival, the students gathered in the Theater at the Monticello Visitor Center where they were greeted by Monticello President Leslie Greene Bowman and Journey Through Hallowed Ground President Cate Magennis Wyatt. They spent the rest of their day visiting each immersion station, where they got to experience, first-hand, different perspectives of historical aspects and events in the life of Thomas Jefferson and Monticello. The students will take the information they learned back to the classroom, where they will begin to craft ideas for their vodcasts. We can’t wait to hear what the students come up with for their video projects!

See some of the press footage here: http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=12084840 and http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/86426522.html.

Check back here for more detailed information about the immersion sessions. Additionally, friend Monticello on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more updates.

Thank you to Monticello for creating a custom designed day for student exploration.  As part of the experience, students rotated through four stations that provided a different lens on Thomas Jefferson and life at Monticello.

Station 1:  Jack Jouett’s ride – Gary Sandling

-  Gary met with students at a topographical model of the grounds of Monticello to explore decisions Jefferson made in the early morning hours of Tarelton’s raid.  Along with clever props and dramatic readings, Gary brought Jack Jouett’s courage and conviction to life as well as potential consequences for Jefferson if Jouett had made different decisions.

Student comments:  ”Was Banastre Tarleton a real threat to Jefferson?”  ”This ride mattered.”  ”Oh, so the middle school Jack Jouett is named for this man?”  ”We should do something for Hemmings too.  He was a hero.”

Station 2:  The Declaration of Independence – Linnea Grim

- Linnea asked students to participate in a choral reading of the Declaration of Independence and then to draw how the words in that document impacted their lives today.  Students shared their responses and then investigated the big ideas in the Declaration of Independence further.  They concluded by sculpting freedom, liberty and pursuit of happiness with the ever popular – playdough.

- Student comment:  ”Thomas Jefferson was brave and not afraid to make changes.” “I’m representing liberty with broken chains.” “I need black playdough to make an eagle for freedom.” “I’m making a flag because I think it shows all three.”

* The Peter Fossett Story –  Melanie Bowyer

-Melanie opened our eyes to the lives of slaves at Monticello who represented 84% of the 220 people living on the mountain.  She also used an interactive timeline to show the story of Peter Fossett, a slave of Thomas Jefferson’s who said, “I knew nothing of the horrors of slavery until our good master died.”  His new journey began at age 11, 1827.

-Student questions:  ”What types of jobs did slaves do?”   “No, I would not want to clean out the privy, put me on ice.”   “Why wouldn’t Col. Jones keep his agreement to sell Peter Fossett to his family?”

* Gadgets at Monticello –  Joe Avent

-  Joe met the students at the house for a tour with a twist.  Instead of looking at Jefferson as an architect or politician, students focused on the gadgets he owned, his innovations and the objects he collected.  Their mission was to determine what these tools and collectibles revealed about the man and how the items could be used as the basis for a riveting story.

- Student comment:  After seeing his revolving book shelf, “I just want to know what Jefferson actually read.  I know he liked to read, but I want to know more about the books.”

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership welcomes Sutherland sixth graders to the Of the Student, By the Student, For the Student service learning program. We hope it proves to be a transforming educational experience.

As a National Heritage Area, we know the value of historic sites like Monticello and are thrilled by the opportunity to explore its treasures with middle school students, especially in a way that allows them to take the lead.  We look forward to the multi-media productions they will create and to the youthful, energetic and honest perspective students bring to historical interpretation.

And even though we are in the early stages of this journey, we want to applaud student efforts toward historical preservation. All service learning projects fulfill a community need, but this one is unique as students are asked to examine preservation needs at a world heritage site, a site that provides poignant models of citizenship and leadership in our democracy.   As a result of student efforts, we hope young leaders are developed as well as a renewed enthusiasm for local history and its relevance to our contemporary world.

With enormous thanks for your efforts,

Cate

I’m Leslie Greene Bowman, President of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. I’m pleased to welcome you to our blog, where you can get updates about an exciting new project that Monticello is undertaking in conjunction with the Journey Through Hallowed Ground.

We at Monticello are thrilled to participate in the project, ‘Of the Student, By the Student, For the Student .’ This program, which had its pilot debut last year at Harpers Ferry, is a whole new endeavor for us at Monticello, and is groundbreaking in many ways. First, it is one of the first service learning projects in the country that allows students to create interpretive materials for a World Heritage site. It is pioneering because students will use the digital media they love here at Monticello to create those interpretive materials. And, perhaps most importantly, it will actively engage students in an authentic experience of history, making it tangible and relevant — sparking a lifelong interest in history and preservation.

This week, the mountaintop will be filled with students from our partner in the Albemarle County district, Sutherland Middle School.  Every sixth grade student who attends Sutherland will come to Monticello over the course of two days, and will participate in “immersion sessions” with Monticello staff, on four different subjects related to Thomas Jefferson and Monticello. The students will take that knowledge back to the classroom, where they will form ideas for their vodcast (video) projects. We at Monticello plan to be there to help every step of the way, and cannot wait to see the great ideas that come from the students!

With anticipation,

Leslie