5th Grade Social Studies Tour

Fifth Grade Field Trip

Notes to the Teacher

There are many ways to tap into the treasures of a museum:

• The teacher knows the class curriculum and is familiar with the students’ abilities.
• The staff of the museum, whether they are paid staff or trained volunteer/docents, knows the objects and stories told by the exhibits.

The exhibits selected for your fifth graders lead to the understanding of Standard 1 of the state’s Social Studies Curriculum. Specifically, the questions and character lead to increased understanding of the various cultural and ethnic groups found in the Casa Grande Valley, the social and economic issues that affected these people, and help students understand how politics and religion provide a framework for Arizona. Objective 1.4.3 is the strategy we use. The boys and girls build stories about fictitious people who bring the cultural, ethnic and economic contributions of settlers of the Casa Grande Valley to life.

Why we group fourth graders who visit the Museum

We know that 9-12 year olds are curious and exuberant, understand how to work in small groups and enjoy team effort, and love to talk about their personal experiences. Their attention span is longer than that of younger children so they can stay on task better.

Because children at this age tend to be competitive, it is important to set up their learning experience so that each group tries to be as good as they can. At the end, each group has a piece of the puzzle. The groups are able to see how each story helps to make a whole community.

Using this model, the fourth graders work in small groups (3-4 people). Each group is given a specific character and a series of questions. By carefully observing specific exhibits and reading text on photographs and objects, the children answer the questions. The teacher, parent chaperones, and docents are present to assist the groups and to assure that they stay on task and well behaved.

Areas of the Museum to be covered

Topographical map of Arizona
Hohokam and Native peoples
Father Kino and other early arrivals
Agriculture
Railroads
Mines
Homes
Stores, Schools, and Medical Practices
Farm/Ranch Life

FIFTH GRADE VISIT – AGENDA

First ten minutes of the visit

After arriving in the Dallis Schoolhouse, the children are introduced to the Museum Administrator who provides an overview of purpose of this museum, explains the rules of behavior in the Museum, and introduces the docents who will help with the visit. The students are divided into groups of 3 or 4. The children in each group have jobs. One is the storyteller selected to tell the story when everyone returns to the Dallis Schoolhouse. One is the reader, the person who reads the description of the character and the questions that follow. One (or two) are the writer(s).

Meanwhile, another docent takes the teacher and each adult chaperone aside. Each person receives a packet for use with the children and a clipboard. The story-building activity is shared. Learning from Exhibits is explained. The responsibility of the adult is to guide and assist the group. He/she remains with those children throughout the exercise. The group number on the packet corresponds to a location in the Museum. It tells the guide where to begin.

Second ten-fifteen minutes of the visit

An overview or brief tour of the Museum comes first. Starting in the Dallis Schoolhouse, a docent leads everyone into the Museum and walks through it as she describes the main purpose of each area. They are then taken to the Trekell Barn so they can see the subject of the exhibits there. With this basic understanding of the layout of the Museum, the adult and children in each group will be able to find the exhibits where the answers to their questions are located.

Third five minutes of the visit

Each adult now leads his/her group of students to the number/location where that group begins. Using Learning from Exhibits, the adult models the questioning behaviors that will help the children look more carefully at exhibits as they search for information.

Next twenty-thirty minutes of the visit

The reader is given the first card describing the character. He/she reads the first question. The children try to answer the question as best they can. The adult helps but does not “give” the answers. The writer(s) put the information on the question card. They move about the Museum until they have answered all the questions or the time allowed is up.

Last thirty minutes of the visit

Each group sits at its table and works on preparing their storyteller. When their group is called upon, the reader reads the description of their person for everyone. The writer(s) help by making sure the storyteller can read what has been written. Everyone is responsible for assuring the story is told correctly. The adult stays with his/her group as they create their story and acts as timekeeper and dispute arbitrator if necessary.

Each group gets 3-5 minutes to share their story with the class. The group may be asked questions by their fellow students or the adults if their story is unclear or not understood. Time permitting, the docents or adults ask questions to bring out similarities or differences between the experiences of the characters or point out interesting or valuable points.

How Exhibits Communicate--Fifth Grade

While specially trained museum personnel or volunteer docents may be extremely effective in leading groups of students through a museum, their availability may be limited. It is important to know that there are many ways to tap into the treasures of a museum. For a teacher, knowledge of the class curriculum and familiarity with the students’ abilities and interests are skills that are unique—not shared with museum staff.

Whether a class is led by a docent, museum staff member, or its own teacher, the objects and phenomena on exhibit are—or should be—the primary means of communication.

The role of the group leader is to facilitate interaction between the students and the exhibits, not substitute for it. To do this well, it helps to understand how exhibits communicate.

Each adult will lead a small group of 5th graders through this exercise. Give the children time to answer these questions and to agree/disagree with one another.
Let them solve it without help unless, after they’ve seriously tried, they are unable to do so.

1. What is the title of the exhibit?
2. What is the first thing you notice in this exhibit? Why?
3. How are the objects grouped in this exhibit?
4. What is the main message of this exhibit?
5. If you could choose one object to illustrate the message of the exhibit, what would it be?

The whole point of an exhibit, of course, is to display objects in a manner that enables those who view it to enjoy them, react to them, think about them, learn from them, and ultimately—want to learn more about them.

Excerpted from Teach the Mind, Touch the Spirit: A Guide to Focused Field Trips
By Helen H. Voris, Maija Sedzielarz, and Carolyn P. Blackmon

My name is Andrew Garth

My name is Andrew Garth. My family came to Casa Grande by accident. One of my great- great- great-grandfathers worked on a train track being laid here long ago. After that, we just stayed. The Casa Grande Valley’s been good to us mostly. I’d like to tell you our story. Answer the questions below.

Railroad Exhibits
Railhead for the Mines Exhibits

1850-1900

1. Why do you think I say my family ended up in Casa Grande by accident? HINT: What unexpected event happened when the railroad got as far as Casa Grande?
2. What was the east end beginning point of the railroad that came to Casa Grande? Where is the west coast end?
3. What kinds of products were brought here by railroad and who were they sold to?
4. What type of communication device is associated with train stations?
   
   Military Exhibits
   
   1850-1900
   
   
5. No one in my family served in the Civil War. We’d already run away from the South and settled in the Arizona Territory. But the war did reach Arizona Territory. People in Tucson and in Phoenix took different sides in the war. Which side was each one on?
6. We saw the soldiers who crossed Arizona Territory on their way to San Diego. What did they call this group of soliders? Why did they have that name?
   
   Harvesting the Desert Exhibit
   
   1880 - 1930
   
   
7. My family homesteaded this Valley. What does that mean?
8. Why do you think people stuck it out when homesteading was so hard?
9. There were a couple of crops that were commonly raised in this Valley. Name those crops.
   
   Front Room Exhibit
   Kitchen Exhibit
   
   1915 – 1940
   
   
10. My mama worked in the kitchen for a lady in town as a child. What jobs might she have had?
11. She was never allowed in the Front Room, but she remembers she heard music coming from there often. What kinds of music did she hear? HINT: There were at least two.
    
    Exhibits in the Trekell Barn
    
    
12. My family used horses and mules for many years on our farm. Describe some of the equipment they used before the first tractor was available.
    
    Dallis Schoolhouse Exhibit
    
    1939-1952
    
    
13. Rebecca Dallis was my teacher from 1940-1947 in this very schoolhouse. What ethnic group do you think I belong to? Why do you think that?

My name is Graciela Lopez

My name is Graciela Lopez. My family is related to the oldest residents of the Casa Grande Valley. I am proud of my heritage. By looking at exhibits in the Museum, tell the story of my ancestors by answering the following questions.

Prehistoric Casa Grande Valley Exhibit

1. What were the earliest names my people called themselves?
2. How did these people live and what did they eat?
3. Do we know what happened to these early people?
   
   Missions, Mining & Military Exhibits
   
   1750-1900
   
   
4. Many of my people were converted from their early religion to a new faith. What were the name of some priests who came here? Where did they establish their mission churches?
   
   Time for Trapping Exhibit
   
   1825-1880s
   
   
5. Early trading with my people was important to us. What would the trader have brought with them? What did we give them in return?
   
   Casa Grande Mining District Exhibit
   
   1880s-1914
   
   
6. What is a railhead? What kinds of things were brought here by railroad?
7. My great great-grandfathers worked in mines located in the Vekol Mountains. What minerals did they mine? What were the miners paid for their labor?
   
   Ramada of Early 20th Century Exhibit
   
   1900- 1930s
   
   
8. My great grandparents lived in ways that were very much like their forefathers. What might their house have been like? What do you think life was like for my great grandparents?
   
   San Carlos Project Exhibit
   
   1925-
   
   
9. Under President Coolidge, a major water project was completed that changed the way we farm in the Casa Grande Valley. What happened?
10. Do you think Gila River Indians’ lives got better? Why? Why not?

My name is John Lehmberg

My name is John Lehmberg. My great grandfather came to Casa Grande to practice medicine. I think he, his son, and my dad have lived very interesting lives. I would like to stay in Casa Grande when I grow up but I don’t know whether I want to be a doctor or a cotton farmer, which is what my Dad does. By answering the following questions you can tell my family’s story.

Care and Concern Exhibit

1903-1946

1. The earliest doctors came to Casa Grande after the turn of the century. Name the first two doctors. How did they travel to visit patients?
2. What year did my great grandfather come to Casa Grande? What kinds of illnesses were common when he began practicing?
3. Did everyone in the community have enough money to call a doctor when they were sick?
   
   Central School and School Days Exhibit
   
   1920-1950
   
   
4. My grandfather, who was born in 1930, went to school in Casa Grande. What elementary school would he have attended? HINT: He started school in 1936. What high school? HINT: He graduated in 1946.
5. What children went to the school where Rebecca Dallis taught? How long did Mrs. Dallis teach in Casa Grande?
6. Name some things in the schools that are the same as you see in your school today.
   
   What’s The Weight Exhibit in Trekell Barn
   
   1920’s and 30’s
7. My grandmother’s family were cotton farmers in the Casa Grande Valley. They homesteaded here. What kinds of skills did her father and mother have?
8. The family used horses and mules to pull the plows for many years. Why would my grandmother’s father have taken the animals to a blacksmith?
9. The family hired migrant workers to help pick the cotton. What is a migrant? Where did many migrants come from?
   Street of Yesteryear Exhibit
   1930-1950
10. My dad remembers shopping with his mother downtown in Casa Grande. What stores would you expect they visited?
11. Name five products that you don’t see in grocery stores today. Why do you think they aren’t around any more?
12. Which—doctor, farmer, or rancher—would you recommend I become when I grow up?

My name is Margaret Cruz

My name is Margaret Cruz. I was born in Casa Grande in 1935, but my family originally came from Mexico many years ago. I’m learning to sew because my mother does it so beautifully. She’s a seamstress in town. My father runs a store. To learn more about me and my family, answer the questions below.

Cruz Trading Post Exhibit
Dry Goods Store Exhibit

1880-1940

1. What state in Mexico did my father come from? What was his first business and what was he doing when he decided to buy it?
2. About 1900, there was one store where the women in my family liked to shop for clothes. What was the name of the store? Describe what is different about the clothes and shoes from what you wear today.
3. Some people shopped by mail. Why do you think they did that?
   
   Major Transportation Routes Exhibit
   Mining Exhibits
   
   1880 – 1900
   
   
4. My father had things shipped to his store from San Francisco, California. How far away is San Francisco? What did a railroad ticket from San Francisco to Casa Grande cost in the late 1880’s?
5. Many people worked as miners. What did they mine? Name four mountain ranges in the Casa Grande Valley where mines were located.
   
   It’s Playtime Exhibit
   
   
6. This exhibit says that children in 2002 still play with toys similar to the ones that I played with. Name three toys you think are like the ones you play with. Name three toys that are not like yours.
7. What piece of equipment is near the toys that my mother the seamstress might have used? If she bought her model before we had electricity in the house, how did she run it?
   
   Bedroom Exhibit
   
   
8. This bedroom is very much like the one my parents slept in. What was the pitcher and bowl used for? What is the pot on the floor next to the bed used for? Why were both of these necessary?
   
   Livestock Exhibit Two Sides of the Law Exhibit
   
   1900-1940
   
   
9. Lots of my father’s customers come off the ranches around town. Name at least one ranch. Tell one interesting fact about ranching.
10. A man named Wes Cates is a rancher and lawman in the Valley. Where did he live before he came to Casa Grande? What did he do there?
    
    Tack Room Exhibit in Trekell Barn
    
    
11. The Aguirre (say A-gear-ay) family are friends of ours. They are ranchers. Draw the brand they put on their cattle.
12. What is the difference between women’s saddles and men’s saddles? Which one do most people use in the year 2000? Why do you suppose there is only one kind used now?

My name is Miguel Hernandez

My name is Miguel Hernandez. I am a 9 year-old boy attending school in Casa Grande. My great, great-grandfather came to the Casa Grande Valley in 1877 where he had desert land on which he grazed cattle. My family still lives on that land. Tell my story by answering the following questions.

Harvesting the Desert Exhibit
Missions, Mining & Military Exhibits

1877 – 1900

1. An act by the United States Congress drew the first Hernandez’s to Arizona Territory. What was the name of that act? How many acres of land did he receive?
2. Who were Hernandez’s neighbors and what did they do?
   
   Harvesting the Desert Exhibit
   
   1912-1917
   
   
3. What resource made it possible for Miguel’s family to farm desert land?
4. Where did this resource come from? Name several sources that might have been available before 1917.
5. What did the San Carlos Project do to help provide more of this resource to farmers? About what year did this happen?
   
   Cruz Trading Post Exhibit Street of Yesteryear Exhibit
   
   190--1930
   
   
6. Before 1915, where would Miguel’s family have gone to buy supplies?
7. In the 1920’s and ‘30s, where would Miguel’s family go to buy food in Casa Grande? Name the partners that ran this store.
8. Tell several differences between the store in #6 and the store in #7. Was there a difference between what the people bought in one store and what the people who shopped in a store later in the century wanted?
   
   Care and Concern Exhibit
   
   1903-1946
   
   
9. Who were the first doctors helping the people of Casa Grande? Did they have a hospital?
10. When was Homako Hospital opened?
    
    Central School and School Days Exhibit
    
    1920-1950
    
    
11. What was the name of the first school in Casa Grande? What kind of building was it?
12. Name some ways the schools were different from your school today. HINT: How might those children have been grouped? What might have kept some kids from attending school regularly?
13. What is the current use of the Casa Grande Union High School building?