Willow Hill Field Trip Proposal

The benefits, statistics and execution of field trips to Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center

Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center Background

Located in Portal, GA, Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center is a former elementary school (Willow Hill Elementary School for Negroes), that has been converted into a museum. The facility was established in 1874 during the Reconstruction era. It was one of the first schools for African Americans in Bulloch County.

1954 Willow Hill School Building, circa 1975

Objective

❧ Ultimately, we want to work with you in order to create valuable, in-depth learning experiences to enrich the minds of Bulloch County youths. Meanwhile offering a new perspective in history and supplementing Georgia’s performance standards.

Making Willow Hill Field Trips a Reality

Talking Points Include:❧ Satisfying Georgia’s Requirement Standards❧ How field trips benefit student learning❧ How field trips benefit the community❧ The budget

Meeting Georgia Performance Standards

6th and 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th-12th GradeCourse: N/A

From 6th to 7th grade there is no specific curriculum pertaining to Willow Hill. However, prior hands-on learning would help instill the teachings to be received from grades 8th-12th.

Course: Georgia Studies

Section SSH86 covers the Reconstruction era in Georgia, slavery and the Civil War. Topics of which Willow Hill possesses historical artifacts and stories to support.

Course: United States History

Section SSUSH8 explains how slavery became a significant issue in American politics.

A Piece of Literature

❧ Defining their Destiny: The Story of the Willow Hill School, Written by F. Erik Brooks, recounts the history of the Willow Hill School

❧ This book can also meet Georgia’s Curriculum by fulfilling the “25 book standard” or can act alone as a historical account supplement

A Study Pertaining to Student Benefits of Field Trips

❧ Who? Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art❧ Northwest Arkansas

❧ What? Students went on a field trip to the newly constructed museum and were later assessed about their trip

❧ When? 2011

❧ How? Surveys and essays were distributed three weeks after field trips to 10,912 students and 489 teachers at 123 different schools to access information recall and critical thinking.

Read more about the study here!

Student Benefits Found from the Study Include:❧ Increase in Information Recollection

❧ In the study it was found that students were able to recall a great deal of information when they were surveyed three weeks after the field trip

❧ Improved Critical Thinking❧ Students who went on the tour a second time were

more observant and were able to describe works of art more in depth

❧ Historical Empathy❧ Museum tours expose students to diverse time

periods, people and ideas. Leading to the ability to appreciate the way of life of people from different places and times.

Field Trips and Community Benefits

❧ Better informed citizenry❧ Taking the hands-on approach allows students

to better understand different aspects in history. They are more open to discussing the information, because they know it.

❧ Students will naturally begin to show an appreciation for diversity

References

❧ https://www.georgiastandards.org/Standards/Pages/BrowseStandards/SocialStudiesStandards.aspx

❧ http://www.elkhartfieldtrip.org/Images/PDF%20for%20Presentation/Field%20Trip%20Research%20Article.pdf

❧ http://www.americanschoolbuscouncil.org/issues/environmental-benefits

❧ https://app3.doe.k12.ga.us/ows-bin/owa/fte_pack_enrollgrade.entry_form