New York Wrap Up

As I reflect back on the last two weeks it becomes a blur, while telling my family about all that I had seen there are some experiences that are more memorable then others. This being my first time in New York I had no idea that it would be an assault to all my senses. The first sense that was invaded was my sight. The Brooklyn Bridge was beautiful, it looked so graceful connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn. The next sense that was assaulted was my sense of smell, I thought it would smell terrible but it smelled pleasant most of the time, especially the bakeries making fresh bread. I will never forget that smell. My sense of sound was affected by the sound of the subway roaring by and the traffic. The press of people on the subway or the way the humidity affected everything was something unforgettable. But the most wonderful sense affected by New York, that unfortunately will leave its mark on my waistline, was the taste of all the food. It was wonderful and hard to resist. The three items that I will most remember and take back to my classroom with me, were Ellis Island, the New York Historical Society, and both the Roosevelt homes.

            The day spent at Ellis Island was so informative. It was wonderful to go to the hospital, I love walking where tourists are not normally taken to. As I signed in to research my family history, it was surprising how much information was available to the public. It showed ship manifests, as well as the ship itself. This will be incredibly useful for my students. This can be a useful component in our Ellis Island recreation. The students can research actual people, possibly relatives and find out when they came, where from and how they got here. I also loved that she gave us all those primary resources. This will come in handy when I plan my lessons for this unit.

            Spending the day at the New York Historical Society, inspired my lesson plan. This is an area that is fuzzy for my students. I especially liked how the presenter had us look at the primary sources and how she used her method of questioning to get her students to be the investigator. This information from this time period will greatly enhance my units that cover this period of history. I teach predominantly US History I and this day gave me new ideas to use and again primary source that are useable for my freshmen. It is stressful when trying to get my students to analyze documents and they have such low reading skills they cannot read the material. I think these documents are very student friendly.

            The last area that we visited that will be useful in my classroom, was visiting both the Roosevelt homes. It would be interesting to have my students compare the two presidents, not only what they did during their presidency, but their family life and their homes. Having the students analyze how this may have affected them as leaders, could help students use higher level thinking skills. I was surprised by how isolated these homes were and how they presented a retreat for both of these leaders. The pictures I took at both these homes will be nice to share with my students.

            The trip to New York was an unforgettable experience. As difficult as it is to be away from our family for two weeks, the learning that I experience will be a wonderful asset to my classroom. All of the sights were wonderful; there was not a destination that did not enrich my knowledge, even our day spent at the Baseball Hall of Fame. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and know it will help me make history come alive for my students.

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