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Research, Writing, and Art: P.S. 312′s Fourth Graders Curate a History of Bergen Beach

Written by Samantha Gibson on March 19th, 2012

Along with Educator Emily Gallagher, BHS Educator Alex Tronolone is working closely with a team of “young curators” at P.S. 312 to uncover the history of their Bergen Beach neighborhood this spring. The work the students create will ultimately go into three professionally-designed museum panels to be displayed at the school. BHS’s after-school program “Young Curators” is made possible by a Cultural After-School Adventures (CASA) grant from City Council Member Lewis Fidler. I’m happy to introduce today’s guest blogger, Alex, and his insights on getting students engaged with history.

CASA Educator Alex Tronolone

Since the beginning of January I’ve been working with 16 incredible fourth graders in Bergen Beach to study their neighborhood and school. When we began the project I don’t think the students were quite clear about what we would be doing. They knew there was something with history, and that it was a “special” after-school program, but they couldn’t picture the end result – a museum exhibit in our school? However, the students’ visit to Brooklyn Historical Society helped bring their project to life since they got to see the actual archival materials firsthand.

On our first class meeting following the trip, we gathered in a circle on their library’s carpet to discuss our findings. We then split into groups of researchers, writers, and artists to begin making progress on the production of our panels. Beginning with this class session, the students took complete ownership of both their roles and their collective project. For example, the researchers transcribed a 17th century bill of sale for the land around Bergen Beach! The researchers also highlighted important information in historic newspaper articles we had looked at as a class and sent them over to the writers to craft the text for our exhibit panels. The writers recorded facts and ideas they had learned about and noted questions where more research had to be done and sent them over to the researchers to find answers. The artists went through our historic photos of Bergen Beach and looked through our research for descriptions to help them imagine the past. They also came up with two art project proposals that they presented to the entire class to debate and vote on.

Students from P.S. 312 examine documents on display at BHS.

The class now has its own momentum that comes from the genuine enthusiasm these young curators have for this project. My students are so engaged they’ve been spending their lunch periods going to the library to do additional research for the project and every week some students ask to take home work to do.

As a former classroom teacher, I am especially enjoying working with public school students in this student-driven learning environment. When I taught special education in a NYC public middle school, my job as a teacher was really impacted by the external pressures of large class size and test prep. We spent entire months preparing for test after test, data notebooks, and, if you were really unlucky, a ‘quality review’. Invariably these tests consisted primarily of multiple choice questions – the lowest common denominator of knowledge and assessment. Needless to say, discipline had to be iron. My students would refer to themselves as numbers; corresponding to their state test scores. I dare you not to feel ill when you hear an eleven-year old with special education services describe their academic achievement as, “I’m a one”, or, “I’m a two.”

In contrast, my work with the young curators gets to be participatory, grounded in real historical research, and driven by the students themselves. It’s exciting to think that my CASA students are legitimately enthusiastic about our project. The skills they learn working collaboratively to produce their exhibit will be skills they can use for the rest of their lives. They’re learning to run their groups democratically (you should see them organize themselves!) and to make decisions about what work needs to be done and who will do it. They will have ownership over the knowledge they gain through historical research that can’t be replicated by studying a textbook or preparing for a test. The excitement about historical and archival research…well, maybe that will wane, but for now, their energy and passion has a momentum that makes it easy and a joy to teach.

The P.S. 312 “Young Curators” team.

Posted in Education | No Responses »
Tags: Bergen Beach, Brooklyn Past & Present, CASA, Education, Museum Education, neighborhoods

“Young Curators” at P.S. 276 Dig Into Canarsie’s History

Written by Samantha Gibson on February 27th, 2012

This spring, students from P.S. 276 are working with Educator Emily Gallagher to uncover the history of their neighborhood, Canarsie, through BHS’s after-school program “Young Curators.” This program is made possible by a Cultural After-School Adventures (CASA) grant from City Council Member Lewis Fidler. I’m very pleased to introduce our guest blogger, Emily, and her experience working with her great team of “young curators.”

BHS Educator and today's guest blogger, Emily Gallagher

As a Brooklyn Historical Society educator, I’m honored to work with third and fifth graders at P.S. 276 in Canarsie as part of the “Young Curators” after-school program. Each week, we delve into a new aspect of Canarsie’s history and, eventually, we’ll tell the story of Canarsie’s past in our own voice as part of a museum quality installation at P.S. 276. As a museum educator, I’ve often felt exhilarated after exposing young people to the multiple perspectives of history but, through ”Young Curators,” I’m getting an extra thrill — the thrill of watching very smart, capable children become even more emboldened and impassioned about where they live, who they are, and how they fit into the narrative of our community.

I applied for this position because I was especially inspired by on the program’s focus on local history. So few of us, as children or adults, have a real connection to the amazing events and experiences that happened in our own buildings and on our own blocks. I really feel that a more tangible connection to that specific past helps build a better neighbor and a better citizen. Caring about our neighborhoods’ histories and how they fit into Brooklyn and even broader communities beyond Brooklyn is a direct pipeline to caring about our neighborhoods in the present and in the future.

P.S. 276 "Young Curators" check out a historic atlas of their neighborhood.

During our first “Young Curators” class, I asked the students what came to mind when they thought about their neighborhood of Canarsie in the past. We quickly realized that even though they spend every day immersed in their community, they were much more familiar with New York City and United States history as a whole. We had a difficult time pin-pointing the important spots in their neighborhood, or important people in their neighborhood’s past. Using resources from Brooklyn Historical Society’s library, we were able to dig in directly. The students have already examined maps, photographs, and documents in order to uncover their neighborhood’s past.

Flash forward a month into our investigation, and my students are asking very pointed questions. Instead of referring to “the Native Americans,” they speak with authority about the Canarsee Indians for whom the neighborhood is named. Instead of guessing that the Dutch lived here, they can tell you exactly what the Wyckoff family would be eating in Nieuw Amersfoort, and one student even tears up when thinking about what happened to the oyster beds that used to pepper Jamaica Bay along the waterfront of Canarsie.

The "Young Curators" team during their visit to BHS.

Walking down Flatlands Avenue no longer means dodging cars and looking for the bus stop, but it instead means imagining a different time and a different kind of Brooklyn– and hopefully helps these children, who no doubt have an important role to play in Brooklyn’s future, feel more excited about the role they’ll make for themselves in it.

Posted in Education | 2 Responses »
Tags: Brooklyn Past & Present, Canarsie, CASA, Education, neighborhoods

Museums and the Common Core: What’s Your Role?

Written by Todd Florio on October 31st, 2011

Last Tuesday, Brooklyn Historical Society hosted the New York Museum Educators Roundtable (NYCMER) in an event dubbed “Museums and the Common Core: What’s Your Role?” The event was open to NYCMER members and the public and the audience wound up being museum educators from across New York and beyond. Common Core refers to the new Common Core Learning Standards which are being rolled out by the State of New York and the NYCDOE.

BHS President Deborah Schwartz welcomes NYCMER and friends.

The night began with an introduction by our fearless leader, Deborah Schwartz who came to BHS after having been the Deputy Director for Education at The Museum of Modern Art and Vice Director for Education and Program Development at Brooklyn Museum. Deborah’s leadership at BHS always ensures that education is part of the institutional thinking process at every juncture.

NYCMER Common Core Panel

After Deborah’s intro a panel of people who’ve had hands-on experience working in the implementation of the Common Core gave short “elevator speeches” or explanations about their roles. Moderator Dr. Rhonda Bondie shared a powerpoint presentation which is available here. Jody Madell also shared a powerpoint which is here.

This student response to a Van Gogh painting was popular with the crowd. The slide accompanied a lecture by Karen Rosner of the NYCDOE Office of Arts and Special Projects, which is a component of the Office of School Programs and Partnerships

One way NYCMER looked to connect this event to the national dialogue about the Common Core (which has been adopted by all but two states) was to live tweet the event. You don’t have to be signed up for twitter to see that the hashtag “#CommonCore” is replete with links to rich resources for educators.

NYCMER Intern Rebecca Mir Live Tweeting the Event from the Back Row

Throughout the night, Rhonda had us break into pairs or small groups to work through some of the tough concepts around the implementation of the Common Core. What follows are some of the ideas that were shared out by those groups.

Museum visits would build the seven attributes of college and career readiness.
Museums are a great resource for “stuff” that can be the basis for inquiry education
Museum educators can adopt a shared responsibility for students’ literacy with classroom teachers across grade levels and subject areas.
Museums can allow students the opportunities to make a claim about history, art, science, etc., find evidence to back it up, and share their reasoning.
Museums can be part of in-depth, project-based learning that draws on the classroom experience, independent conclusions, and the museum visit experience.

In support of teachers adopting Common Core, museums provide social spaces and broader settings for all learners, especially independent, inquiry-driven investigation.
Museums can support common core by encouraging critical thinking through inquiry-based learning, providing pre and post visit curriculum materials that build skills to support common core and encourage classroom support for on-site museum programs, and create interdisciplinary programs drawing on and incorporating multiple subject areas.

The Common Core is a great way to instigate better use of museum environments and encourage museum and school educators to take advantage of the content rich resources that support development of observation, questioning, research, synthesis and analysis, presentations skills, and multiple perspectives and help build deep understanding.
Inquiry-based learning leads to deeper and more complex understanding, critical thinking, and observational skills.
Common Core is about understanding versus just knowing.
Museum educators can help make the connections between our museum collections and the classroom.

Through professional development activities, museums can introduce curriculum materials and test them on teachers to help ensure that teachers understand how to use them.
Literacy is everyone’s responsibility; museums can help students construct meaning rather than absorb information.
Museums can collaborate with teachers, inquiry teams, and school communities to be a part of (and contributor to) common core’s implementation.
Museums provide a forum to apply the Common Core Standards in multiple literacies.

Different Perspectives from the Panelists Helped Contextualize the Common Core - (L to R) Karen Rosner (NYCDOE); James Short (AMNH); Jodi Madell (Lyons Community School); Cynthia Harris-Frederick (NYCDOE)

Finally, BHS Education Assistant Samantha Gibson took a stab at combining all of these great ideas into one “elevator speech” about museums educators role(s) in helping ensure that the implementation of the Common Core is a success:

As museum educators, our role in the implementation of the Common Core Standards is to adopt a shared responsibility for students’ literacy and education with classroom teachers across grade levels and subject areas. Museum visits and museum-based classroom activities can be a vital part of in-depth, project-based learning that draws on the classroom curriculum, students’ independent conclusions, and the museum visit experience.

Museums can also support common core by continually encouraging critical thinking skills through inquiry-based learning, developing pre- and post-visit curriculum materials that build skills to support Common Core and encourage classroom support for museum tours and programs. Finally, museum educators can continue to help make connections between our museum collections and the classroom to promote optimal use of these resources by students and teachers.

Special thanks to Rhonda Bondie and all of the panelists who generously volunteered their time to advance the field. Extra special thanks to BHS Education Intern Alex Kenyon who ran AV throughout the evening all of the great NYCMER board members who helped put the event together.

Posted in Education, Events | No Responses »
Tags: CCLS, CCSS, Common Core, Education, Museum Education, NYCMER

Cropsey’s Cap: Discovering Brooklyn’s Civil War History

Written by Samantha Gibson on September 2nd, 2011

Each semester, the BHS Education Department asks our interns to research at least one object on display and present their findings. I’m very pleased to introduce the following post by guest blogger, Chelsea Trembly, and her excellent research on “Cropsey’s Cap,” now on display in Inventing Brooklyn.

Thanks, Chelsea!

Cropsey’s Cap: Discovering Brooklyn’s Civil War History

Col. William J. Cropsey's cap on display in Inventing Brooklyn. Photo by Chelsea Trembly, 2011.

Sometimes a hat is just a hat – this is not the case, however, for the Union Army Civil War forage cap that is on display in our newest exhibition Inventing Brooklyn. As part of my ongoing Intern Research Project, I delved into the archives to discover more about this particular chapeau. Tucked in a shadowed corner of a display box, this felt and leather hat (ca. 1860 – 1869), belonged to a reluctant Union Army soldier who began his military career as a private in the Federal army in 1851 and eventually rose through the ranks in the military to the position of Colonel during the Civil War.

This soldier was New Utrecht native Colonel William J. Cropsey. In a re-telling of his military career in 1912 he presents himself as a haphazard, ambivalent soldier. According to the elderly Colonel Cropsey (who, incidentally, told his story while seated next to another well known Brooklynite, Peter Wyckoff), Cropsey only joined the military to escape the inevitable doom of jury duty. This headstrong 25 year-old was so desperate to escape a potential “six weeks” of sitting in court that he traded his life of fishing at the Narrows every day for a daily life filled with discipline and military order.

Cropsey’s New York Times obituary states that he served in the 71^st Regiment of New York, which was combined with the 2^nd Regiment of General Sickle’s Brigade. His hat imparts a great deal of information about his status. For example, we know that the number “2” on it represents his Regiment number. From looking at various illustrated Civil War uniform guides, we also know that the insignia on the front (two swords with blades faced upwards) identify this hat as a Colonel’s cap in the Calvary. Cropsey’s Regiment was mustered in between June 20 and July 18, 1861 and mustered out on July 30, 1864. They fought in battles such as Bull Run and Gettysburg. In fact, given when Cropsey was commissioned Colonel (February 1863), he may have worn this hat during the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863).

We can also learn a great deal from the physical dimensions of the hat – it’s 6 ½ inches tall in the back, and 4 ½ inches tall in the front. These proportions indicate the hat was of the unique “McClellan” style, named after General George B. McClellan who was a West Point graduate, veteran of the Mexican-American War and mythologized Civil War general who led troops into famous battles in the peninsula of Virginia, as well as Gettysburg and Bull Run. McClellan was probably first issued this particular style of hat while at West Point, where it was distributed in the 1830s. This style was not distributed among soldiers in the Federal Army until 1851, the first year of Cropsey’s enlistment. (Remember: Cropsey would not have received this hat until 1863 because that’s when he became Colonel, and the hat’s insignia indicates that it was a Colonel’s cap).

Also, this hat can teach us about patterns of American consumption and taste during the American Civil War. For example, we can tell from the style of this hat that it was modeled after the French forage cap or “kepi.” In fact, French military dress inspired a number of uniform styles we see in the American military, especially in the early years of the Civil War.

This Civil War envelope shows an example of a "Zouave" uniform, ca. 1861-1865, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs, Call Number LOT 14043-6, no. 20.

Perhaps the most striking example was the 5^th New York Volunteer Infantry, which wore Zouave-style French uniforms, originally modeled after North African dress (read: red, M.C. Hammer-style, parachute pants). In the early years of the war the Union Army ordered 10,000 uniforms from France and also imported uniforms from other places in Europe, a decision that cost a cool $800,000.

The Union Army accumulated quite a few uniforms throughout the early years of the war. By 1862 it is documented that the Union Army had over 500,000 pairs of shoes and 600,000 overcoats to its name. When I stumbled upon this statistic, I immediately thought that it was wrong. My limited understanding of military dress during the Civil War (prior to this research project) was that soldiers were often inappropriately dressed or shoe-less. Why, I thought, is there a myth that Civil War soldiers were poorly dressed if there was so much clothing? After some research, I discovered that these uniforms were not distributed because the Union Army was so disorganized. Once the Union Army did figure out how to distribute the clothing, the soldiers found that the materials were so “shoddy” that they often fell apart after weeks. To add insult to injury, the uniforms’ materials were so difficult to clean that often vermin and insects would embed themselves in the fabric, and infest the soldier’s clothing. To remedy this enormous problem, soldiers often burned their uniforms after being issued a new set of fatigues (an occasion that only occurred once a year; new hats were only issued once every five years). Luckily for the soldiers, mid-way through the war the Union began manufacturing their uniforms domestically, and apparently the quality of the uniforms improved.

Wondering what happened to Colonel Cropsey? He retired from the Army during the 1870s and went on to serve in local government in Brooklyn and New Utrecht.

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Education, Exhibitions | 1 Response »

Introducing College Students to the Joys of Archival Research

Written by Julie Golia on June 29th, 2011

Faculty learning about library policies. Photo taken by SAFA Intern Alison Bunis

This past week, Brooklyn Historical Society hosted a week-long institute for eighteen college professors participating in the Students and Faculty in the Archives project (SAFA).

As regular readers may remember, this spring BHS commenced the SAFA project, thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE). For the next five semesters, SAFA partner faculty from St. Francis College, Long Island University Brooklyn Campus, and New York City College of Technology will bring their first year students to BHS’s Othmer Library to immerse them in our rich historical collections. This upcoming year alone, over 800 students will hone their research and critical thinking skills by working with newspapers, broadsides, slave indentures, maps, atlases, pamphlets, correspondence, diaries, and many other archival materials housed here at BHS.

At the end of the three-year project, BHS will have created a replicable pedagogical model for collaboration between archives and institutions of higher learning. We’ll also have exposed thousands of first-year college students to the joys of archival research.

Before these students descend upon BHS, the SAFA staff (Outreach and Public Services Archivist Robin M. Katz and me, BHS Public Historian Julie Golia) wanted to give partner faculty some time to design their classes and to get to know our collections. During the Summer Institute, we gave faculty ample research time in Othmer Library. There they pored over hundreds of different documents. We were blown away by their ideas, and by the creative ways they are using our collections.

Archivist Matthew Gorham teaches SAFA faculty about searching our catalogs. Photo taken by Robin Katz.

St. Francis College professor Athena Devlin, for example, is using the decade of the 1860s as a lens to introduce her American Studies students to a myriad of materials: diaries, personal correspondence, political broadsides, and much more. Professor Devlin found our recently published Civil War Subject Guide a great help. In particular, the correspondences between Brooklyn soldiers and their families in collections like the Cranston Papers will allow students a personal glimpse into life in camp and on the home front.

City Tech professor Peter Catapano, teaching American History since 1877, has a long list of subjects that he needs to address in his survey course. He decided to focus on the history of theater in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Brooklyn. During their visit, Professor Catapano and his students will examine issues of the turn-of-the-century theater periodical The Opera Glass and contextualize the locations of theaters with our rich map collection.

Leah Dilworth, professor of English at LIU Brooklyn, is teaching Rubbish!, a course that will chronicle the cultural and material history of garbage. One of the collections that Professor Dilworth and her students will use this fall is the Arnie Goldwag Brooklyn Congress of Racial Equality Collection. When we think of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, our minds go to segregation and sit-ins before they go to garbage. But the inequitable collection of waste in neighborhoods with large non-white populations was a key issue championed by Brooklyn CORE.

These are just three of the inventive courses that our faculty began designing during our SAFA Summer Institute. As the students visit our archive in the fall, we’ll report back about their experiences. In the meantime, we hope you’ll be inspired by the SAFA experience and visit Othmer Library to do some archival research of your own.

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Education, Library & Archives, Oral History | No Responses »
Tags: Archives, FIPSE, SAFA, students, Students and Faculty in the Archives, teachers, universities

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