IRVINGTON, N.Y. -- Seventh-graders in Christina Mitchell’s Social Studies class at Irvington Middle School were given the opportunity to examine Native American artifacts from various cultural areas during a recent unit.
“The artifacts, which came from dwellings, clothing and tools, demonstrated to students the strong connection between the culture and environment,” Mitchell said. “Students were asked to evaluate whether or not Americans today value the environment equally.”
The students responded to this query by writing a paragraph that defended their position and supported it with specific examples. During a fish bowl discussion, they expressed their opinions in front of their peers, who listened intently before joining the discussion.
“The activity fostered students’ ownership of their learning and challenged them to be metacognitive,” Mitchell said.
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