Developing History of Place Narrartives with Our Students EcoJustice and Activism Conference Matt Siegried, Russ Olwell, Ethan Lowenstein March 20, 2015

Agenda Introduction (2 minutes) Brief historical context (5 minutes) Organizing our thinking (5 minutes) Document#1: Model (10 minutes) Document#2: Let’s practice together (10 minutes) Document#3: Practice with people next to you (10 minutes) Questions our analysis raises? Connections to issues today? (10 minutes) Ideas for student activities (5 minutes) Workshop debrief (5 minutes)

Southeast Michigan, 1825 Watersheds Native Trails Chicago Road Reserves French Lots Township and Range British System Settlements War of 1812

Organizing Our Thinking What have you already heard about this issue in your community? What have you read about this issues in or out of your community? How does this issue connect to present day issues? Who are the history makers in this document? What causes and effects do you see in this document? Who is driving the change that is pictured? Who can you ask in your community? Where in your community can you look for answers? What information is presented in this document? What can you infer from this document? What information may be hidden or invisible in this document? What do you see in this document? What questions does this raise for you? How does this information connect to what you already know? What story does this document tell?

As EcoJustice educators we ask: What ways of thinking and acting support life? What ways of thinking and acting harm life? Where did these ways of thinking come from? What are their root historical causes? Where in our communities and globally can we learn ways of thinking and acting that create healthy, sustainable, and democratic communities?

Ypsilanti, 1868

What have you already heard about this issue in your community? What have you read about this issues in or out of your community? How does this issue connect to present day issues? Who are the history makers in this document? What causes and effects do you see in this document? Who is driving the change that is pictured? Who can you ask in your community? Where in your community can you look for answers? What information is presented in this document? What can you infer from this document? What information may be hidden or invisible in this document? What do you see in this document? What questions does this raise for you? How does this information connect to what you already know? What story does this document tell?

What have you already heard about this issue in your community? What have you read about this issues in or out of your community? How does this issue connect to present day issues? Who are the history makers in this document? What causes and effects do you see in this document? Who is driving the change that is pictured? Who can you ask in your community? Where in your community can you look for answers? What information is presented in this document? What can you infer from this document? What information may be hidden or invisible in this document? What do you see in this document? What questions does this raise for you? How does this information connect to what you already know? What story does this document tell?

What have you already heard about this issue in your community? What have you read about this issues in or out of your community? How does this issue connect to present day issues? Who are the history makers in this document? What causes and effects do you see in this document? Who is driving the change that is pictured? Who can you ask in your community? Where in your community can you look for answers? What information is presented in this document? What can you infer from this document? What information may be hidden or invisible in this document? What do you see in this document? What questions does this raise for you? How does this information connect to what you already know? What story does this document tell?

What have you already heard about this issue in your community? What have you read about this issues in or out of your community? How does this issue connect to present day issues? Who are the history makers in this document? What causes and effects do you see in this document? Who is driving the change that is pictured? Who can you ask in your community? Where in your community can you look for answers? What information is presented in this document? What can you infer from this document? What information may be hidden or invisible in this document? What do you see in this document? What questions does this raise for you? How does this information connect to what you already know? What story does this document tell?

Maps

Newspapers

What have you already heard about this issue in your community? What have you read about this issues in or out of your community? How does this issue connect to present day issues? Who are the history makers in this document? What causes and effects do you see in this document? Who is driving the change that is pictured? Who can you ask in your community? Where in your community can you look for answers? What information is presented in this document? What can you infer from this document? What information may be hidden or invisible in this document? What do you see in this document? What questions does this raise for you? How does this information connect to what you already know? What story does this document tell?

As EcoJustice educators we ask: What ways of thinking and acting support life? What ways of thinking and acting harm life? Where did these ways of thinking come from? What are their root historical causes? Where in our communities and globally can we learn ways of thinking and acting that create healthy, sustainable, and democratic communities?

Using History in Community Mapping Community maps/inventories are a core Place-Based practice. – Students can raise questions during the examination of historical documents first, then map out how these issues are present in their community today. – Students can do the reverse—Map transportation in their community, then go to the historical sources to look for causes and connections.

Possible Student Activities Create a museum display – Write captions to the historical artifacts. – Guide visitors through the display. – Work with local museums and historical societies to include the display.

Possible Student Activites Analyze how the history textbook does or does not tell the story of the issue. – What information does the textbook include? What does it exclude? Why? – Have students create a new page to the textbook that tells the story as they construct it from their analysis of the artifacts.

Possible Student Activites Create a timeline that includes: – The root causes of the issue they are investigating. – A description of what has changed and what remains the same with regards to the past and present manifestation of this issue in their community. – Interviews with community members who are tackling this issue in the present day.

Quick Pair-Share How could you use this method in your classroom/context? What did you like about the method we used today? What did you find confusing? How could we improve the method we used today?

Blois, John T Gazeteer of the State of Michigan. Burkhardt, D. C. Jesse. Images of Rail – the Ann Arbor Railroad. Mount Pleasant, S. C.: Arcadia Publishing, Dunbar, Willis F. All Aboard! A History of Railroads in Michigan. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Henning, William H., ed. Detroit: Its Trolleys and Interurbans. Fraser MI: Mich. Transit Museum, Hirschfield, Charles. The Great Railroad Conspiracy: The Social History of a Railroad War. East Lansing MI: Mich. State College, Kent, Timothy J. Paddling across the peninsula : an important cross-Michigan canoe route during the French regime. Ossineke, Mich. : Silver Fox Enterprises, Mason, Philip. “Early Indian Trails Traced Highways of the Future from Footpaths to Expressways,” Wayne State University. Thesis, Schramm, Kenneth. When Eastern Michigan rode the rails Ⅲ : transit across Michigan by interurban, train, bus. Interurban Press, Wakefield, Lawrence and Lucille. Sail & Rail: A Narrative History of Transportation in Western Michigan. Holt MI: Thunder Bay Press, Woodruff, James C. Across lower Michigan by canoe, 1790 Lansing, MI : J. Woodruff, Bibliography