Table Top Exhibit

For the past two weeks our cohort of Teacher Leaders has spent our days at the Newark Museum trying to wrap our heads around Object Based Learning. The final product is a table top exhibit that illustrates a concept in our chosen discipline. The items shown in the exhibit are part of the Newark Museum's loan collection and are meant to bring to life the curriculum of our chosen fields.

Honestly, up until the moment we started brainstorming our options for a table top exhibit I had absolutely no idea what I would do. I was originally hoping this would work in with my Coaching position, but clearly, it fits much better with my role as Library Diva. And, as we were discussing, it just clicked. One of my favorite genres to read is Historical Fiction. I also love using picture books with older readers as read alouds: the same concepts, expectations and content as found in novels, but in a smaller package. A picture book leaves more time for talk as well. So, the concept was to highlight, bring to life so to speak, the history of historical fiction. So, we grouped up, chose a picture book (The Cemetery Keepers of Gettysburg) and started creating our exhibit.

It is a multi-media display of civil war artifacts, with a focus on the Battle of Gettysburg. And, as we were taught, the objects are the focal point of the exhibit. I also found a free download from iTunes that has Jeff Daniels reading the Gettysburg Address (also has Sam Waterston and Johnny Cash) with photos to view while listening: this is our listening center. I also created a slide show of faces of the Civil War, including battle scenes from Gettysburg (see the show to the right). The artifacts on display include confederate and union uniform pieces, a haversack, canteen, bullets, and flags of both sides. The backdrop of our exhibit is a blown up illustration from the book that inspired the exhibit. We furthered the learning with links to other pieces of literature set during this time, inquiry questions about the literature, objects, and centers.

And, a moment of clarity came today when our professor explained to me that I needed to step away from my instinctual teaching-- literature first, then objects. And into a new advance of objects followed by literature. Ah ha! I see now the benefit for myself as an instructor-- a new approach is always worth a try. I can certainly say that this exhibit is absolutely fascinating and exhilarating! My students will be enthralled by this.