Breaking Down Fences -- Revealing The Past
Waltrina Kirkland-Mullins
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After viewing our curriculum units, please take a few minutes to help us understand how the units, which were created by public school teachers, may be useful to others.
Part 1: Setting the Tone
Motivating young learners to embrace a social studies unit may prove uninviting to today’s computer-and-Wii-generation. Nevertheless, making such a unit enticing can be achieved by introducing it in an engaging manner:
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“Boys and girls! Today marks the beginning of an unforgettable adventure-one
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that allows us to transport ourselves into the past despite the fact that we live in the
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21
st
century! Before we take this exciting journey, we must remember this special
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term: material culture! That is what we will be examining. In this instance, we
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will look at specific objects that have been (and continue to be) used in our
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everyday lives-yet we often take them for granted! Through our adventure, we
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will become junior researchers and historians; when we are through, we will
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discover a rich and revealing story to share with others! This week marks the
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beginning of our study. Initially, we will need much walking stamina, a few
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pencils, informational notepad, and keen observational skills. Are you ready to
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partake in this adventure?…”
By setting such an engaging prelude, the response will be a unanimous “YES!”
The discussion later continues, emphasizing that we each will develop our logical thinking skills and exploratory know-how by examining our material culture focus-fences. Upon examining lifestyles in each of the four noted centuries, focus questions to be addressed are to include:
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1. Was there a need for fences? If so, during what time period and why?
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2. Where are the gates/fences situated, and why may they have been stationed in that locale?
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3. From what materials were fences created? Were used materials reflective of social status? Cultural status? Economic status?
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4. Who may have crafted the utilitarian objects?
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5. Do shapes and forms within the fences/gates differ? If so, how? What might those differences indicate?
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6. Were there any symbolic meanings behind the fences?
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7. What feelings are evoked when you experience the fence/gate (exclusion, restriction, inclusion, receptiveness, poverty, elitism…)
