I did my lesson on Constitution Day. I developed the lesson into a grade level go around. Each teacher took a topic and taught a lesson then we circulated the classes so each 2nd grade class would have an opportunity to explore each lesson.
The biggest benefit of the treasure box is it gives you tools to use with the students. I included many of the items that were supplied to us in June. The students really enjoyed all the hands-on activities such as looking at the tea bars. I also supplied the students with feathers so they could understand how difficult it is to use. I had the students write one sentence about why freedom is important to them and sign their name. The students had made numerous comments about how difficult it must have been to write items like the constitution using a quill. I also had the play games from colonial times and they really enjoyed that.
I would say my biggest obstacle with treasure boxes is spacing. I don't have a lot of space to store things so that is a challenge. I think you could use them in many subjects but, I would be afraid of not having any place to keep them.
When I read excerpts from books like Signing their Lives Away and Signing their Rights Away, I tried to emphasize the fact that many of the men who were involved with these moments were just average men. They were not perfect and they had flaws. I do believe that many children think that major impacts on the world were created by perfect human beings. It gave my students an opportunity to have some connection with these men. Since I teach 2nd grade I was very careful what information I gave to the students. For example, I did tell the students that Benjamin Franklin was the son of a candlestick maker however, I did not point out his experience with women. There were many topics that were not suitable for a second grader however, there was also a lot of information that was suitable and I used that.
The National Archives site was interesting even though I found it difficult to use with this age. Much of the information was above them and the writing from Colonial times was difficult for them to understand. The pictures were very helpful and I did use many pictures in the presentation.
Finally, I would have to say that I felt the lessons helped the students connect with a time that has been long gone. I do think it gave them connections and allowed them to feel like they were part of that timeframe, if even for just a little while.
