Artifacts Shoebox Activity

Teaching History
Artifacts Shoebox Activity

When teaching History to elementary students the teacher needs to make sure to make connections so they can make a difference to the students. Using authentic experiences are very important to make an impact on students. When teaching these experiences it is important to use critical thinking with in-depth content, so make sure you ask a lot of questions and let the students ask a lot of questions and share opinions. Listed below are a few ways to make history "fun" for your students.




History need to be:

• Meaningful/Personal
• Active
• Social/Collaborative
• Integrated 
• Hands-On
• Thinking
• Relevant

In class we participated in the Artifacts Shoebox Activity. In Artifacts Shoebox Activity included each student packing a shoebox filled with things they wouldn't want to live without. The idea was: "If you were leaving/moving and you could only take a shoebox, what would you put in the shoebox?" Some of us were thinking about sentimental values such as, pictures of family and friends, music, jewelry, journals, artwork and other meaningful things. Some other thought more practical including things such as, toilet paper, tooth brush, make-up, food and other resourceful things. 

If our items were to be put in a time capsule or buried and later dug up, there are conclusions that would be made about our culture and the kind of society we lived in. For example, because of the pictures and journals one may say we were sentimental and emotional; because of the tooth brush and toilet paper, one may say we were realistic and practical; because of the journals and artwork one may say we were artistic and philosophical; or because of the bible and other religious tokens one may say we were religious and spiritual. Due to the different backgrounds and ethnic groups in our class one conclusion about this culture could be that we are multicultural. On interesting thing about this activity was that technology was a popular item in our shoeboxes. This is very ironic because we are all part of a time where technology is expanding and becoming a necessity in our society. 

The Artifact Shoebox Activity would be a great way to teach history, and make a connection with students. This activity lets the students express themselves and what is important to them. Because of the interest in the activity the students will stay engaged and get grasp on what it may have been like to live during a time when you had to make difficult decisions. With a class discussion after the activity it gives the students a chance to explore their thoughts and evoke critical thinking.