Heritage night proposal Mrs. Allison Rogers 6th Grade Social Studies teacher Oak Grove Middle School

What is Heritage Night? Heritage Night—What is it? Heritage Night will be the final culminating project produced by Mrs. Rogers. The social studies teachers will have the option to include their classrooms in Heritage Night. Teachers will need to inform Mrs. Rogers of their involvement status by April 20th. Students will work on their projects and presentations for two weeks up until Heritage Night.

What will it include? Heritage night will include students researching the ancestors and where they came from. We are a diverse school and growing—it is important for us to recognize our students and their individuality. It is important that students discover who they are and to discover who and where their classmates are and came from.

What tasks will the students be doing? Students will use websites such as: Ancestry.com MyHeritage.com Students will take trips to the county library to research past documents. There, they will meet with the county Librarian and he will inform the students on the importance of proper research. Students will map out their family tree. Students will find their top 3-5 most interesting facts and highlight them when presenting. Students will tell us the storyline of one of their newfound relatives. Students will then prepare their information in any form of presentation style they chose.

Why is Heritage Night a good idea? Why would Heritage Night be useful in our students’ lives? Students need research skills. Students will make personal connections with the history they are studying. Students will learn how to access prior knowledge. Students will gain more respect for history. It will provoke interest in an exciting way for each individual student.

What about the parents? How could we get parents involved? Parents could give resources that the Internet simply cannot provide. Parents could provide family relics or artifacts. Parents could give oral histories. Parents could provide moral support. Parents could often have fun in this process as they would get to share an interest in their pasts together.

So what can administration do? How do YOU get involved? Provide resources County library Obituaries Past county documents Offices held, attempted offices held, law enforcement, etc. Birth certificates Marriage licenses News articles Publicizing Recognition for students Promotes funding

We are a diverse school! We live in a diverse area with numerous cultural backgrounds. Students and faculty could learn from the students work. Cultures that are common in the district: Caucasian African American American Indian Hispanic Asian American Plus exchange program students

Is Heritage Night just for students? Faculty and staff can also join in if they desire to do so! This would also allow students to get to know the faculty members better! Teachers/staff and students would be making big discoveries side by side. Teachers can be examples of how one undergoes the thinking process to their students.

I PROPOSE…. First annual Heritage Night Friday, April 28th 5:00pm-8:00pm Held at the new gym For questions or suggestions, email me at: Allison.turpin@smail.astate.edu

“A person without the knowledge of their past, origin, and culture is like a tree with no roots.” –Unknown

References Photograph. Whc.unesco.org. Web. 9 April, 2018. Photograph. Ipinimg.com. Web. 9 April, 2018. Photograph. Uschamberfoundation.org. Web. 9 April, 2018.