Grade 7: Sacred Spaces Project Follows DC Trip

Seventh graders presented their unique representations of “sacred spaces and sacred places” this week based on reflections from the recent trip to Washington, DC. Students were asked to thoroughly research the history and background of an event, place or person that impacted them and present their learning in a personal way.

 

Reflecting on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Serena Barish chose to present a creative writing piece. Her fictional journal of a young Jewish boy during 1938-43 shows how Jews were humiliated and then arrested and sent to concentration camps. She used the analogy of a puzzle with missing pieces to tell the boy’s grim story:

 

“No one knows where we are headed. All I know is that the last piece of my puzzle has been snapped in half. I will be one of the 42,000 from my ghetto that were sent to Lublin/Majdanck Concentration Camp or Poniatowa, Trawniki, Budzyn, or Krasnik Labour Camp. The train smells like death … My puzzle has no answer. It has been broken, the pieces switched, burned and shattered. Now it seems that I will definitely die.”

 

William Mead gave a digital presentation of his thoughts on the anti-war movement of the 1960s inspired by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He outlined the cost in both fatalities and dollars before describing some of the organizations that formed to express opposition to the war and to President Johnson. From peaceful marches to violent demonstrations, lack of support at home contributed to the eventual withdrawal of troops from Vietnam. The memorial, William said, depicts the tremendous loss of life during the Vietnam War.

 

“What I love about this project is the variety of representations,” shares Beth Gaffga, history teacher. “There is so much choice and it leads to really creative art and writing projects. The assignment also helps students find a connection during the trip. They have to look more deeply to find and tell a story about history.”

 

To prepare, seventh graders learn about the assignment and review the trip itinerary before embarking on their journey. Along the way, they are reminded to think about how their travels through the museums, memorials, battlefields and cemeteries is impacting them and record their thoughts in a journal. Back at home, they have two weeks to do research and complete the project, which is a joint assignment from their history and English teachers.

 

Roosevelt Movie by Alex Kechriotis

Korean War History Movie by Madeline Roper