In my paper I have explored ways in which young children can gather historical information about early pioneer life, creating mental pictures and developing a more critical eye for viewing films. Films such as "Daniel Boone," "Davy Crockett: Kind of the Wild Frontier," and "Johnny Appleseed" will be used for developing strategies and classroom activities for assimilating and analyzing historical stories based on factual information.
Mr. Friday is a puppet to assists in bringing information pertinent to the story that the children will be viewing in class. He will guide the children in their critical analysis of historical facts in film by asking relevant questions about the stories. Follow-up activities will include cooperative learning where children are paired and discuss themes from the film then report back to class. In addition, a collaborative effort will involve second and third grade students paired with first graders in order to make an animated movie about Daniel Boone.
My unit is part of a team effort including teachers from L.W. Beecher School whereby we help students utilize film to examine major movements in American history.
