Youth Education

• "A Historic Moment in Arkansas" on Radio Disney
• Free Classroom Presentations
• Lesson Plans
• Preserve our Past Art Invitational
• Home for History Traveling Trunk
• Heritage Month Grants
• Links
• Archived Presentations

One of the AHPP's priorities is to instill a preservation ethic in Arkansas's young people.  In school, students learn about historic sites such as the White House and the Great Wall of China, but little focus has been directed to the historic sites and buildings that surround Arkansas students on a daily basis.  Every Arkansas community possesses landmark structures and sites that make excellent teaching tools. 

Students need to learn the history and importance of local and statewide historic places.  This knowledge will promote civic pride, and open their eyes to the wonders of the built environment. 

By using Arkansas's historic and cultural sites as topics for teaching, students will gain a better understanding of their communities and themselves.

For a list of properties in your community that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, go to the Historic Properties page of this website and click on National Register of Historic Places to search the database by county, town or property name.

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"A Historic Moment in Arkansas" on Radio Disney

The AHPP's Education Outreach Program has collaborated with Radio Disney Little Rock to produce a children's broadcast focusing on historic properties and historic preservation in Arkansas. Listen for A Historic Moment in Arkansas on Radio Disney, KDIS 99.5 FM this school year to learn more about interesting historic places in Arkansas.  

To learn more about the historic sites you hear on A Historic Moment in Arkansas, search the National Register of Historic Places database: http://www.arkansaspreservation.org/historicproperties/national-register/search.asp

Each fall, the AHPP and Radio Disney hosts the A Historic Moment in Arkansas Essay Contest.  Three student are chosen from two grade brackets: 4th-5th grade and 6th-7th grade.  

Students are invited to write a 500 word essay about any historic place in Arkansas that is 50 years or older. The essay must include at least one cite from a source about the structure. Your community's historical society, museum and library are great places to find sources on your selected historic site. Essays will be judged on content, grammar and spelling. 

Students will need to place name, address, contact number, school and grade on the essay or on a cover sheet.  Please make sure that the name of the site, location and age is clearly noted within the essay.

Each first place winner receives 8G Apple IPod Nano and is interviewed about their chosen historic place in Arkansas, which is broadcasted during the month of December on A Historic Moment in Arkansas.  

This fall 2008, 878 students submitted their essays to the A Historic Moment in Arkansas Essay Contest.  The AHPP and Radio Disney are excited to present this year's winners.  Please see below for the winning essays, all are listed by grade bracket.


FOURTH/FIFTH GRADE: 


1st Place: Alyssa Tidwell, 5th grade
The Sager Cabin


2nd Place: Haley Hersant, 5th grade
Little Rock Central High School

3rd Place: Jordan W., 5th grade
The Lyric Theatre 


SIXTH/SEVENTH GRADE:

1st Place: Ethan Robert Fox, 6th grade
Camp Clearfork & Charlton Recreation Area

2nd Place: Morgan Warren, 7th grade
Atkins Pickle Plant

3rd Place: Charity Curlin, 6th grade
Powhatan Jailhouse








  
  

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Free Classroom Presentations

The AHPP Education Outreach Coordinator is available on a limited basis to visit 3rd-12th grade classes, homeschool groups, scout troops and other organizations. Contact us now to reserve your presentation! Call (501) 324-9880 or email educationoutreach@arkansasheritage.org

Take the Last Train to Clarksville: Arkansas's Historic Depots and Railroad History

Arkansas's Haunted Historic Sites (this program is changed every school year)

Equal Education: Historic Sites and Schools in Arkansas Associated with the African American Education Experience.

Historic Architecture in Arkansas

History in Your Backyard  (This program can be tailored to a specific community)

History Happened in Arkansas?  Arkansas's National Historic Landmarks

Law and Order on the Western Frontier: Fort Smith National Historic Site

Mysteries of the Mound Builders: Parkin and Toltec Archeological Sites

Rohwer:  Japanese-American Internment in Arkansas

*In addition to classroom programs, History in Your Downtown Walking Tours for Students are available upon request. 

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Lesson Plans

These lesson plans were written specifically for Arkansas students and are linked to the Arkansas Social Studies Standards, the Arkansas History Guidelines, and the Arkansas Visual Arts Curriculum Framework. More lesson plans will be added, so check back regularly!

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read these lesson plans. If you do not have Adobe, please click here to download the software.

If you have trouble downloading these lesson plans and would like a copy mailed to you, please contact the AHPP Education Outreach Coordinator at (501) 324-9880 or educationoutreach@arkansasheritage.org.
Many of these plans contain historic photos and images. For easy classroom viewing, print those pages onto transparency paper.

Home on the Arkansas Range: Homes of the Early Arkansas Pioneers (2.1 mb)

Take the Last Train to Clarksville: Arkansas's Historic Depots and Railroad History (5.27 mb)

Hallowed Ground: Preserving Arkansas's Civil War Battlefields (2,638 K)

Preserving the Past with Oral History (202 K)

Be a Building Detective! (1,130 K)

Historic Cemeteries: "History Written in Stone" (1,316 K)

Historic Architectural Styles (4,608 K)

"Construction Work" Activity (959 K)

Life in a One-Room Arkansas Schoolhouse (2,656 K)

See a list the AHPP developed of more than 100 activities that can be conducted in a historic cemetery. These activities can be adapted for use with other historic properties.

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Preserve our Past Art Invitational

This spring, the AHPP will conduct the new Preserve our Past Historic Preservation Art Invitational in celebration of National Historic Preservation Week. The winners receive trophies, and each participant receives a personalized certificate. Winning entries are exhibited at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock during May, Arkansas Heritage Month. 

The contest is open to all Arkansas 5th and 7th graders. Submissions must relate to a historic Arkansas property that is 50 years or older.

In the past, art and essay entries were accepted, but this year, the entries have been changed to include art only.

The following are the winners of the 2008 Preserve our Past Art Invitational:

ART WINNERS   

1st Place, 5th Grade St. Paul School, 1939, WPA Ashley Ogden St. Paul Elementary, St. Paul 1st Place, 7th Grade Bradley County Courthouse, Warren Arhita Dasyupta LISA Academy, Little Rock

2nd Place, 5th Grade St. Paul School, 1939, WPA Briann Blanchard St.Paul Elementary, St. Paul 2nd Place, 7th Grade Toltec Mounds, Lonoke County Mark Cox Arkansas Baptist School, Little Rock

3rd Place, 5th Grade Eagle Hotel, Bentonville Skye Miller Heber Springs Elementary, Heber Springs 3rd Place, 7th Grade Old Mill, North Little Rock Brady Condren Arkansas Baptist School, Little Rock

Honorable Mentions For 5th Grade:                                                     Honorable Mentions for 7th Grade:  St. Mary's Convent, Rogers                                                                              Old Main Building, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville            Sarah Ashley Bryant                                                                                          Austin Zimmerman  Spring Hill Elementary, Bryant                                                                             Feriba McNair Middle School, Fayetteville                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Randolph County Courthouse                                                                                                       War Eagle Mill, War Eagle Autumn Dildine                                                                                                  McKinley Donner Black Rock School, Black Rock                                                                               LISA Academy, Little Rock

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Home for History Traveling Trunk

The Home for History Traveling Trunk is available for 2nd - 6th grade classes. The trunk contains picture and story books about architecture and historic preservation, an architectural "Go Fish" game, building blocks, a scavenger hunt, lesson plans, a grab-bag of architectural items, overhead transparencies and lesson plans.

Classrooms may keep the trunk for one month free of charge. We will deliver or ship the trunk to you. Teachers are responsible for returning the trunk to our office. Contact the AHPP Education Outreach Coordinator for more information.

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Heritage Month Grants

The Department of Arkansas Heritage distributes Heritage Month grants to schools, museums and non-profit organizations. Grants up to $5,000 are available for projects held in May of each year that relate to the annual Heritage Month theme. Projects include student field trips, special events, lectures and the production of educational materials.

Applications are accepted from October through mid-December. Please contact info@arkansasheritage.com for guidelines and applications.

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Links

Arkansas Sites:

1. Arkansas Archaeological Survey: Archaeology and architecture go hand in hand. This site is a great resource for Arkansas archaeology education.
2. Arkansas Department of Education Helpful Internet Sites - Explore links to Arkansas History sites, Social Studies sites, and sites relating to other school subjects.
3. Arkansas History Commission: Contains Arkansas history databases, facts, and downloadable historic photos
4. Arkansas Humanities Council: This agency has an impressive collection of videos and exhibits that are available for Arkansas educators to borrow. You can also read about their grants program.
5. Arkansas Memory Project: A digital archive of primary source materials designed for use by students and teachers in Arkansas classrooms.
6. Arkansas Post Office Mural Project: This website displays murals that were painted in Arkansas post offices as part of a WPA program. These murals, which depict Arkansas life, are very interesting from both an art and a historical perspective.
7. Arkansas State Parks: Some of Arkansas's state parks are historic sites.
8. Department of Arkansas Heritage Contains links to the Old State House Museum, Historic Arkansas Museum, the Delta Cultural Center, the Natural Heritage Commission and the Arkansas Arts Council and the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.
9. Richard C. Bulter Center for Arkansas Studies: Includes historical documents, maps, photographs and lesson plans.

Architecture and History Education Sites:

1. ArchKIDecture: A fun, educational website just for kids.
2. Art of Construction: This interactive website teaches kids engineering principles in seven short lessons.
3. Art on the Web: Architecture Links: A large compilation of architecture-related websites, divided into categories.
4. Center for Understanding the Built Environment: The AHPP recommends CUBE's offers time-tested curriculums Box City, Walk Around the Block, Picture This and Community Connections: 10 Things YOU Can Do.
5. Co-Op City: This curriculum teaches you how to use architecture, design, scale drawings, and city planning in your classroom.
6. Heritage Education in the Social Studies: Discusses the importance of heritage education and its curriculum connections.
7. Great Buildings Online: A searchable database of architects, buildings, and styles around the world. Contains 3-D architectural models.
8. Library of Congress Learning Page: Features lesson plans and activities based on primary sources found in the Library of Congress.
9. Mathline: Building Materials: Students use math to make decisions about building a house.
10. Mathline: Math in the Park or City: A mathematical look at bricks, fountains, and shadows.
11. Mathline: Math at the Mall: Students use math in a number of mall-related exercises.
12. National Archives Digital Classroom - Learn about teaching with primary sources and download "Teaching with Documents" lesson plans.
13. National Council for the Social Studies: An information service for Social Studies educators.
14. National History Day- Learn how to enter your students in this nationwide history contest, and visit the "Educators" Lounge" for links and resources.
15. National Park Service's The Learning Place- Find out about teaching resources relating to America's national parks, including the Junior Ranger Program.
16. Need a House, Ask Ms. Mouse: Architectural activities for young students.
17. Teaching with Historic Places: Download interesting and informative lesson plans about historic American places, along with a blueprint for creating your own lesson plans.
18. The Heritage Education Network: Sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University, this site has great resources for using architecture, farms, archaeology, cemeteries, found objects, oral history, photographs and family history in the classroom
19. The History Net - This website contains features and articles on interesting historical topics.

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Archived Presentations

The following programs are all available from the Education Outreach Presentation Archive. To receive instructions on how to download the programs or to request a copy, please contact the AHPP Education Outreach Coordinator at educationoutreach@arkansasheritage.org 

Arkansas's Civil War Sites and Battlefields

Historic Sites of Hot Springs and Garland County

Northwest Arkansas's Haunted Historic Sites

Urban Sprawl: Causes and Solutions

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