In summer 2008, Massachusetts 2020 collaborated with The Boston Museum, a new cultural landmark slated for the Rose Kennedy Greenway, on their 2nd annual summer institute for teachers from Expanded Learning Time schools entitled “People of the Bay”. The Boston Museum created the institute in collaboration with cultural institutions, historic sites and educators, around a series of historic encounters between the peoples of Massachusetts Bay. To see the full institute schedule and the collaborating partners, click here.

The three primary goals of the summer institute were to:

1) Give teachers from ELT schools the chance to explore the shared histories of different ethnic and cultural groups in Massachusetts Bay;

2) Help the teachers incorporate institute content and methodologies into their teaching practice and their schools’ expanded schedules; and

3) Solicit ideas and feedback from the teachers to inform The Boston Museum’s future education programming and gallery design.

Because of the increased opportunities Expanded Learning Time presents for project-based, experiential, and interdisciplinary curricula, as well as for engaging communities as partners in teaching and learning, The Boston Museum designed this 2nd Summer Institute exclusively for teachers from ELT schools. By working with Massachusetts 2020, they were able to tap into the network of existing ELT schools in Massachusetts. A diverse group of teachers signed on to participate, representing seven ELT schools – Edwards, Timilty and Umana Middle Schools (Boston); Martin Luther King, Jr. K-8 School (Cambridge); Whelan Elementary School (Revere); and the Ferryway and Salemwood K-8 Schools (Malden). The participating teachers all work with grades 3-8, but teach different subjects ranging from English Language Arts to Science to Art, as well as Special Education.

The institute was an overwhelming success. Teachers remarked throughout the week-long institute that it was one of the best professional development experiences of their career, and that they were returning to their schools with concrete ideas on how to bring institute content and instructional strategies into their classrooms. As one teacher explained, “People of the Bay was an extremely valuable experience from the ELT perspective. The extra teaching time afforded by ELT will allow teachers to bring back many of the creative projects that have been put aside due to time constraints. The key to making creative projects worthwhile for both teacher and students is finding interesting ways to tie them in with the frameworks. The “People of the Bay” gave us numerous ideas on just how to do this.”

All participating teachers returned to their respective schools in September and, energized by the summer institute, began to design and implement projects based on what they had learned. The group reconvened on March 19th to share what they’ve been working on with their students over the past six months. Their projects build on various themes from the institute such as neighborhood history; individual, family, and community identity; and cultural encounters and conflicts. To date, projects include:

Malden Unites Us (Ferryway K-8 School, Malden): Art teacher Courtney Kiley and Music teacher Jaclyn Soep collaborated to design and implement concurrent projects with their 4th grade classes. Courtney’s project, which combined writing and visual arts, had students and their parents discuss and write about their family’s cultural heritage. Students then created self-portrait dolls that represent their unique backgrounds. Jaclyn’s project involved identifying and teaching the 4th grade songs from countries that represent the diversity of Ferryway families. Students performed these songs at the PTA’s annual International Food Festival on March 27, where the self-portrait dolls were also on display.

Eastie History Hounds (Umana Middle School Academy, East Boston): Civics teacher Julia Brasser designed and implemented this year-long 8th grade elective, in which students explore and document East Boston’s history. Students split their time between the classroom and the community, taking walking field trips to investigate important sites in the history of their neighborhoods. In pairs/small groups, students recently picked a topic for further research including “Eastie Firsts” and “East Boston Architecture”. They are currently digging deeper into their topics and creating final projects (posters, dioramas, books) demonstrating what they have learned.

So You Think You Know Revere (Whelan Elementary School, Revere): 5th grade teachers Lucille Ferragamo and Lenore DiLiegro created this elective for 4th and 5th graders, similar to Eastie History Hounds, which brings students out of the classroom and into the community to learn more about Revere’s storied history. Explorations included Rumney Marsh Burial Ground, Revere City Hall (including a tour from Mayor Tom Ambrosino), and Revere Beach. Students researched the sites before and after visiting them, and have created a video tour of their city.

Scientists of the Bay (Edwards Middle School, Charlestown): Science teachers Jeanne McCabe and Helen McNichols created a curriculum resource that links local scientists and inventors – both living and long gone – to the Boston Public Schools science curriculum. Jeanne and Helen plan to have their 6th and 7th grade students research these local pioneers this June as an end-of-the-year project.

Non-Fiction Writing Project: Boston’s Neighborhoods (Edwards Middle School, Charlestown): ELA teacher Sheila Levine introduced a People of the Bay-inspired twist to her non-fiction writing unit this year: all of her 7th graders wrote, edited and illustrated a non-fiction children’s book or guide featuring a Boston neighborhood of their choice. Working independently or in pairs, students researched (and in some cases, visited) a Boston neighborhood like Fenway, Copley, Orient Heights, or Mission Hill and incorporated this research into their book. Later this month, her students will host a book party and read their books to elementary school students and community members.

Historians in the Classroom: Urban Archeology and the Wampanoag Tribe (Salemwood K-8 School, Malden): 5th grade teachers Kathy Sullivan and Sandy Carreiro were especially struck by two historians they met during the summer institute, so they then invited them to visit every 5th grade classroom at Salemwood this year. In October, City of Boston Archaeologist Ellen Berklund met with students to share artifacts and stories from Boston’s revolutionary and colonial periods. In December, Wampanoag educators from Plimoth Plantation met with students to talk about their tribe’s history and culture in Southeastern Massachusetts and share some of their cultural artifacts.

Memoirs, Poetry, and Pen Pals: Where I’m From, Where You’re From (Timilty Middle School, Boston): When she returned to school in September, 7th Grade ELA teacher Beverly Williams presented ideas on how to incorporate writing strategies she learned about during the summer institute to the entire Timilty faculty. She and her colleagues have since incorporated multiple projects inspired by the summer institute, including classroom visits from Grub Street memoirists, a pen-pal initiative with the City of Boston Elder Commission (which complements Timilty’s long-running, school-wide “Promising Pals” pen-pal program), and a “Where I’m From” writing project where students explore their self-identity through poetry.