Publication select ▼
During the students’ tour, they get to see original toys that were once used by people in Birmingham.
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
BIRMINGHAM — With the help of the Birmingham Museum, Birmingham Public Schools second graders will now be taught a more customized and engaging curriculum about local history. The museum has provided updated curriculum-based resource materials.
Local history has been integrated into the second-grade curriculum for years. The program was redesigned after the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance the experience for students.
During the tour, they spend time in small groups in the Hunter House, participate in a fun and interactive activity in the Allen House and go on a walking tour through Birmingham.
Sara Cibor, who is the curriculum coordinator, said this trip is always a highlight in May. The resources provided by museum staff help teachers prepare students for this field trip.
“When students go to the museum, they’re able to have some background knowledge and really connect with things that they’ve already learned about,” Cibor said.
While creating these free materials, Caitlin Donnelly, museum specialist, said museum staff took “a deep dive” into their collection and found ways to integrate their resources with the current curriculum for the second graders.
“We identified three main points from the social studies curriculum that we thought we could do a really good job with, and those were looking at geography and changes to the environment, diverse people and their contributions, and family life,” Donnelly said.
They found eight to 10 periods of time from Birmingham’s history that they thought would be engaging for second graders and provided maps, photos and objects from their collection.
“We wanted to give them more and better resources that are easy to access, easy to work in your curriculum plans and are tailored to the current curriculum,” Donnelly said.
“The Birmingham historical staff is super collaborative and interested in connecting with the school,” Cibor said. “I always appreciate that they are very eager to be partners, and they’re willing to support us with whatever we might need in more ways beyond this.”
