Mrs. Slaviero's Blog

Students used their understanding of the events surrounding the Battle of Trenton today and "stepped inside" an iconic painting of George Washington. Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851) by Emanuel Leutz is one of the most famous images of George Washington and a wonderful subject for my fellow historians to analyze in class. Students thought about the beliefs and concerns of the people (or even objects!) in the painting and this examination deepened their knowledge of  the importance of the battle and of Washington's leadership. I am looking forward to our discussion of this activity next week. (Students: share the "triangles" with your parents!) :)     For more information: http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/11417

Historical documents are one of the most important resources for learning History. The complex language in many of these documents can make understanding them a challenge, however. The historians in my 8th Grade US History classes have done several activities with two very important documents, with success.  My students have studied Thomas Paine's "Common Sense", one of the most persuasive writings for the fight for American freedom and the Declaration of Independence, a document that formally stated the colonists' move to separate themselves from England. These documents are complex but we studied them and wrote parts of both in modern language. Processing activities allowed students to analyze the works, as well.