BlogsAcademicsPre-K to 8AdmissionPrimary Grades
A Living History Tour of Rome
Apr 20, 2012 9:27 AM
By Beth Smith '87 - Faculty
Learning by living -- a motto that I have loved for a very long time! It's very true. Children learn best by doing, living and experiencing. Young children, especially, love the hands-on approach that so many of our Lower School teachers use each and every single day.
In pre-K, our we learned by living with a Living History Tour of downtown Rome this week. We set out to experience what we had been learning -- and I will tell you, these kids know how Rome was founded, what the seven hills are, where the three rivers ramble through town -- they get it! I know this because we have been talking and looking through old pictures of Rome in class. I have told the children the story of how Rome was founded and why downtown was called "The Cotton Block." Even though they were wonderful listeners to all of my stories and lore of old, I wondered if they really "got it."
As we left the campus of the Lower School on Tuesday, I realized they "got it" quickly! As we walked along the levee, they pointed out that we were walking beside the Coosa River. As we sat on the pedestrian bridge above the confluence of the three rivers, they could tell me which river was flowing from each direction. As we marveled at the beauty of downtown Rome from Myrtle Hill, the children were telling the story of how Col. Hargrove and Col. Mitchell ate lunch there and decided that a town needed to be formed.
They continued to "get it" as we drove through the Cotton Block to Clocktower Hill. As we walked inside the Clocktower, they ran to the paintings of downtown and said, "There is the Cotton Block!" and "Wow, there is a steamboat that carried all of that cotton to different towns!" They were so excited they were experts in the history of Rome. We wandered through Broad Street and found many familiar pictures to mark our Bingo Game -- they just stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, laid down and took a look at Rome in a very cool way. They took it all in and were excited to put the things they had learned from our stories and books into their real experiences.
What a privilege it is to help children "get it" and live and experience their journey with them. Our responsibilites are in continuing those "get it" moments and help kids weave their old and new experiences together for a rich understanding -- they have a rich understanding of Rome and what it means to be a Roman for sure!
Stay tuned as we take our learning a step further. On May 18, pre-K will present "Rome -- A Living History... Right Under our Noses!" as our spring play about these things!
In pre-K, our we learned by living with a Living History Tour of downtown Rome this week. We set out to experience what we had been learning -- and I will tell you, these kids know how Rome was founded, what the seven hills are, where the three rivers ramble through town -- they get it! I know this because we have been talking and looking through old pictures of Rome in class. I have told the children the story of how Rome was founded and why downtown was called "The Cotton Block." Even though they were wonderful listeners to all of my stories and lore of old, I wondered if they really "got it."
As we left the campus of the Lower School on Tuesday, I realized they "got it" quickly! As we walked along the levee, they pointed out that we were walking beside the Coosa River. As we sat on the pedestrian bridge above the confluence of the three rivers, they could tell me which river was flowing from each direction. As we marveled at the beauty of downtown Rome from Myrtle Hill, the children were telling the story of how Col. Hargrove and Col. Mitchell ate lunch there and decided that a town needed to be formed.
They continued to "get it" as we drove through the Cotton Block to Clocktower Hill. As we walked inside the Clocktower, they ran to the paintings of downtown and said, "There is the Cotton Block!" and "Wow, there is a steamboat that carried all of that cotton to different towns!" They were so excited they were experts in the history of Rome. We wandered through Broad Street and found many familiar pictures to mark our Bingo Game -- they just stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, laid down and took a look at Rome in a very cool way. They took it all in and were excited to put the things they had learned from our stories and books into their real experiences.
What a privilege it is to help children "get it" and live and experience their journey with them. Our responsibilites are in continuing those "get it" moments and help kids weave their old and new experiences together for a rich understanding -- they have a rich understanding of Rome and what it means to be a Roman for sure!
Stay tuned as we take our learning a step further. On May 18, pre-K will present "Rome -- A Living History... Right Under our Noses!" as our spring play about these things!
