Churches were an important part of history and culture in African American history. This was because they had the capabilities and resources to hide slaves. They also had connections with other churches and were able to communicate when slaves were to be transported to the next church station. Members of the church felt it was their responsibility to house desperate slaves because it was the right thing to do. Most churches that were used as part of the Underground Railroad are now on the National Register of Historic places. The Exhibit also includes an interactive video commentary by Bishop Henderson.
The second project the students worked on was developing a website that represents the American Indian Movement. The website depicts the American Indian Movement (AIM) activism during the era of struggle. The rights group was formed to address various issues facing the Native Americans such as poverty, housing and treaty issues. As a result of the American Indian Movement, Native Americans enjoy better living conditions, increased employment options, job training, and improved opportunities.
“History Day is both fun and time consuming. It takes hard work, dedication, and determination. It turns History into a highly academic and intellectual experience”.
-7th Grade Exhibit Group
Technology Integration
Students learned valuable 21st century digital literacy skills throughout this process while getting a good lesson on local history. They learned how to research authentic sources of data to obtain scholarly information. They utilized sources such as Nettrekker, World Book Online, Encyclopedia Britannica, Gale Encyclopedia , New York State Historical Archives, University at Buffalo Libraries and the Erie County Historical Society. They also learned how to avoid plagiarism by correctly citing sources. Additionally, they learned how to use online tools to develop a website to present their information.
Competition Highlights
The 1st round of the National History Day competition took place amongst BPS students at the Buffalo History Museum in early March this year. School 59’s students Michigan St. Exhibit came in 1st place and the AIM website came in 2nd place.
The 2nd round of competition took place at Canisius College later in March in which School 59’s students competed against students from the Western New York area schools. They won 1st place for their Michigan St. Exhibit and 2nd place for their AIM website for the second time.
Picture of the Michigan St. Baptist Church Exhibit created by the 7th grade students at School 59.
Digital Literacy Skills
9