Washington fifth graders step into the past

By GUY PRIEL

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- With the world poised on the brink of the 21st century, fifth grade students at Washington Elementary School stepped back in time Friday as they demonstrated life in Colonial America.

As parents and school board members visited the classrooms of Ann Simmet and Barb Fenske, students demonstrated their scale-model Colonial houses and businesses.

From water-powered grain mills to candle stores, wooden churches to pottery shops, the students introduced others to their village.

The project is part of a social studies unit on American history, which begins with a study of the settlement and early Colonial days, teacher Ann Simmet said.

"We've been doing this project for about four years now," she said. "That developed into an open house last year, so we could introduce the community to our work. The students have really enjoyed working on this."

The project was designed as an individual project, with all the research being done as a class.

After spending about a week doing research on the types of businesses and houses that might have existed in Colonial days, the students developed their ideas and worked on the projects with items found at home, she said.

"It is a nice way to help get several family members involved in school projects," she said.

The students had a wide range of choices when it came to not only deciding what type of building they wanted, but also what type of materials would be used to construct their project, Simmet said.

Silversmiths, gunsmiths, blacksmiths, covered bridges, and country inns were all part of the village. The students used everything from dollhouse furniture to coffee grounds for their village.

Some students had simple structures designed with cardboard and crayons, while others had more elaborate structures made of wood and stone.

One piece resembled something from frontier days, but seemed to fit the theme as well as the other buildings.

One student, Kortney Peterson, dressed like Laura Ingalls, complete with the braided hair. Another one, Joshua Friesner, used pieces of roofing from his uncle's barn, which is over 100 years old, adding a little bit of historical authenticity to the project. Some even had real cookies as part of the design.

"The students also had to write a one page report about life in Colonial times as part of the project," Simmet said. "The research was done on the Internet, meaning students have more information available than some of their predecessors did."

The unit took about a month to complete, including research, the summary, and the construction project, she said.

The idea developed from the social studies book, which suggested that the class create a mural with pictures. Simmet took that one step further and decided the three-dimensional project was better for the students.

"This way they can use people and animals as part of the project, creating a working model that is more lifelike and more real for them," she said. "The students are real proud of what they've done, including one (special education) student who never completes other work."

The students are wanting to do something similar when they learn about Southern plantations, but Simmet said they probably won't do another project of this scale for the rest of the year.