This week at the Ohio History Connection was a peaceful one with no facilitations scheduled with summer programs. Instead, I got the pleasure of working closely with my department (School & Teacher Support) on their summer projects, specifically their blog and Core Conversations lesson plans.

The Education department’s blog posts consist of different lessons and activities that are presented to other teachers and parents looking for ideas within their classroom. There has been a multitude of blog subjects, including tips for creating conversations about current events and the importance of advocacy through outwork in today’s society. My favorite posts shared the goal of shedding light on Ohio’s minority history, but also explored the importance of minorities to the United States. Some of the posts were very simple, but others were complex and informative. Seeing these resources available for our teachers and families not only excited me, it opened up my eyes to all the possibilities for obtaining knowledge within my city. Even when my internship at the Ohio History Connection ends, I’ll still be able to learn from them and their expertise on education and our city’s background.

My first blog post centered around object-based learning activities and different ways to implement them in the classroom. Since my facilitations are not usually within a traditional classroom, I explained some of the activities that could be done based on certain items. I created activity outlines for each activity, detailing each step for the activity as well as possible materials and questions for the students. This was my first time creating such an in-depth sketch of activity, so it was slightly out of my comfort zone. Initially, it was difficult to transfer much of my activity process into an outline without being too in-depth or vague. On the other hand, I was pushed to develop a more meticulous outlook when developing an outline that others have the opportunity to recreate. In the end, I put together a decent first post with the help of my editors – not to mention the weeks of practice I had writing for this bog, of course.

My other assignment consisted of developing a lesson activity for the Ohio History Connection’s social studies curriculum, Ohio as America. This educational program includes an area called “Core Conversations” where important aspects of American history are elaborated upon. I worked on the Foreign Relations Core Conversations, an activity expanding on the complicated chronology of U.S. Foreign Policy. This was my sweet spot, so to speak. Not only did I get the chance to research and propose different educational resources for the activity, but I also got the opportunity to create follow-up questions based on the historical sources. This was unlike the other lessons I’ve created before which were solely either centered around the students or teachers (for the students). Instead, these kinds of activities have resources and questions that can be explored by students, teachers, and their families!

All in all, this week was one of my favorites. Working so closely with my colleagues was very fulfilling, as well as implementing my knowledge into the programs. I can’t wait to see how my projects develop throughout the weeks to come!