Moravian Migration: Before a Visit to Bethabara

Students investigate NCECHO site to "read all about" the 1753 Moravian settlement of Bethabara within our social studies curriculum topic on Life Long Ago. The Historic Bethabara Park website has historic background in narrative and diary form. After reading and discussing this information in teams with the teacher, student teams present information to classmates in some visual product in one of five categories. Students also will visit the photos on NCECHO and answer analytical questions to increase understanding of the past as compared to today.

A lesson plan for grade 2 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Social Studies

Learn more

Related pages

• Jonathan Edwards and the art of persuasion: In this lesson, students will study the elements of persuasive writing in Jonathan Edward's “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” according to the following criteria: speaker, audience, occasion, and means of persuasion, and then analyze a contemporary piece of writing, such as an advertisement, for similar elements.
• Postcards of the Past: Students will participate in Heritage Day activities that will enhance students' awareness of their heritage. They will take digital pictures of activities to include on a web page, and research and report on information gathered. Students will create a web page to present their information.
• Folklife: Students will learn North Carolina folklore, traditions, war activities, local legends, superstitions, food preparation traditions, art, songs and dances which are unique to the area.

Related topics

• Learn more about English language arts and social studies.

Legal

Learning outcomes

Goals:

• Students will summarize historic background from an 18th century community in our area.
• Students will compare/contrast life today with the past community.
• Students will analyze pictures to answer questions about Bethabara.

Objectives:

• Students will work cooperatively on an assigned topic to gather information from a website.
• Students will design a visual presentation for classmates to learn the information from each topic.
• Students will answer questions about pictures taken and published online by NCECHO.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

3 Days

Materials/resources

Materials

• Internet access to NCECHO on computer
• Paper, pencil for notetaking
• Assigned topics for research
• Art materials for creating visual presentation

Classroom environment

• Room for small team of students to sit to work with teacher on computer
• Other assignments/centers for rest of class until time to work with teacher

Set-up

• Drawing materials for students to create visual presentation
• Teacher should post list of topics and student-generated list of ideas for project

Technology resources

Internet connection to NCECHO with color monitor to view Historic Bethabara Park website and NCECHO pictures

Pre-activities

Students have previous experience with Picture Walks through reading selections and nonfiction science/social studies lessons. Check out the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory LEARNS tutorial for more information about how to do a Picture Walk.

Activities

Day 1

1. Introduce Bethabara unit as a site of local interest and example of Life Long Ago. Check for any prior knowledge in discussion.
2. Set up centers for student participation when not working with teacher (I use computer touch typing and math drill activities with Math Blaster because I have 17 computers in my classroom) Other possibilities: silent reading, handwriting practice, partner reading of weekly selection, puzzles, matching games for math concepts, etc.
3. Explain task on website by listing topics for research:
   
   • Background of Moravians before America
   • First emigrants to Bethabara with details
   • Difficulties with environment and inhabitants
   • What happened to Bethabara?
4. Student groups are given the assignment to “teach” the rest of the class about each of the above topics through some form of “visual” presentation. Brainstorm possibilities.

Once everyone understands requirements for each 20-minute center, move teams into the activitiesTeacher (with one team prepared to take notes at computer) opens NCECHO, Forsyth county, Historic Bethabara Park website:

1. Play Moravian hymn on website
2. Open History
3. Begin reading through information (about 4-7 sections of information for each team), explaining terms and background.
4. Note “diary” form which makes Moravian history so “well-documented”
5. Focus on topic assigned to the team, agree on items which could be used to “show” the rest of the class the important information (this serves as a “plan” for their presentation)
6. Switch groups until everyone has completed the research (about 90 minutes)

Day 2

1. Discuss ways to present information after teams review notes
2. Allow students to work on presentations (30 minutes or as long as they are productive!)
3. Teams present projects and allow for questions from classmates (10 minutes each?!)
4. Post student work for reference throughout unit as students begin to recognize differences between Bethabara of long ago and today (this will become clearer after the photo analysis on the next day and the field trip to the park)

Day 3

Set up centers

Teacher provides list of questions to answer about photos on NCECHO site

1. Look at the Gemeinhaus photo. How was the building used by the Moravians? How is this different from YOUR church, school, meeting places? Why is this a “smart” idea?
2. Draw a picture of the palisades. Why did the Moravians build a fence? Notice that the fence is made of wood and has been rebuilt. Why wouldn’t the original fence still be in place? What would we use today?
3. Examine the materials used to line the cellar. Think of ways this might have been built then and now.
4. 4. Look at the garden (lots of pictures). Explain “reconstructed”, well-documented”, “colonial”, “medicinal”. Identify at least two plants we grow today that were also grown in 1759.
5. How do we know about the Bethabara Tavern? What services did this business offer? How would these services be provided today?
6. If the eighth grade mural is an accurate depiction of life in Bethabara, what do we know about how the Indians and Moravians got along? What other stories of Indians and settlers do we know?

Assessment

Team visual presentations

• 4 = Basic information is clear, project shows that students worked successfully together to make an appealing, creative, detailed “piece”; student explanation is interesting, clear, shared, and engaging
• 3 = Basic information is clear, project showed students worked together to make an appealing piece; explanation is interesting and clear but may not demonstrate that work is shared or is not engaging for audience
• 2 = Some aspects of information are lacking or unclear, project shows lack of cooperation or is incomplete, student explanation lacks clear focus and details and does not demonstrate sharing and lacks qualities to engage audience
• 1 = Incomplete information, unclear visual items, project suggests lack of cohesion and cooperation, student explanation does not “teach” material or answer student questions

Class/Team discussion

• Answers to questions from photo analysis
• Venn diagram of THEN and NOW

Supplemental information

Contact Historic Bethabara Park (see website) for information they send to schools prior to field trips

Related websites

NCECHO: http://www.ncecho.org
Click on County
Click on Forsyth
Click on Historic Bethabara Park

Comments

This lesson was created at an NCCAT seminar at The Trinity Center at Pine Knoll Shores (04/03)to introduce classroom teachers to NCECHO with the cooperation and guidance of LEARNNC. It serves as a technology enrichment activity to improve student computer literacy and ability to search for and use primary sources.