The 8th-grade team seeks to establish an annual experiential learning initiative centered on the Stewart Indian School in Carson City. This program bridges the gap between Social Science curriculum and local history by providing students with a primary-source encounter with the Great Basin tribes’ experiences in the late 19th century. According to the Stewart Museum website, “ The museum is a place of living heritage through exhibits of contemporary Native art, storytelling, arts and crafts demonstrations, lectures, public programming, and educational activities” through a cross curricular study. This physical exploration is paired with a literary analysis of My Name Is Seepeetza by Shirley Sterling, allowing students to synthesize historical data with the personal, lived narratives of the Native boarding school system.
Experiential learning is most impactful when local history bridges the gap between classroom theory and real-world application. By visiting the Stewart Indian School in Carson City, located less than an hour from our campus, students will engage directly with the complex legacy of Westward expansion and the federal Indian boarding school system. This excursion, paired with a novel study of the Indigenous boarding school experience, allows students to synthesize historical narratives with the physical reality of the Great Basin tribal community. This integrated approach empowers students to analyze the lasting effects of history on our local community.
Social Studies Standards Addressed:
8.8 Students analyze the divergent paths of the American people in the West from 1800 to the mid-1800s and the challenges they faced.
1. Discuss the election of Andrew Jackson as president in 1828, the importance of Jacksonian democracy, and his actions as president (e.g., the spoils system, veto of the National Bank, policy of Indian removal, opposition to the Supreme Court).
2. Describe the purpose, challenges, and economic incentives associated with westward expansion, including the concept of Manifest Destiny (e.g., the Lewis and Clark expedition, accounts of the removal of Indians, the Cherokees’ “Trail of Tears,” settlement of the Great Plains) and the territorial acquisitions that spanned numerous decades.
ELA Standard Addressed:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
This will be the first year that we will implement this program, but discussing with other teachers that have taken students on this field trip, it was an enriching and engaging experience for students. Also, this field trip can be done within school hours, not affecting bus schedules and other extracurricular activities. The books purchased can be reused each year.
Prior to the field trip, students will learn about the Native American Boarding Schools and the impact on the native communities in Social Studies Class. Through guided reading, 8th grade students will read the book My Name Is Seepeetza by Shirley Stirling to explore the experience of a student at a Native boarding School. This will be connected into social studies and ELA standards through journaling, partner and group discussions, and a cumulative CER text analysis addressing the main idea.
Day of Field Trip (will change according to bus availability):
9:15 Students will load buses after attendance and breakfast
10:30 Arrive at the facility
10:45-12:45 pm Students will be taken on a guided educational tour focusing on NABS Curriculum
12:45-1:20 Lunch
1:30 Load buses
3:00 Return to School
Following the field trip, students will reflect on their learning by completing an assignment about Native Boarding Schools and the lasting impact on that population. This is also connected to a spring 8th grade trip at NTS at Meeks Bay, learning about the Washoe People in the Tahoe Basin and their summer vs winter migrations.
This grant includes all 8th grade students and teachers. ELA will collaborate on the literacy side of the field trip.
Number of students will be adjusted based on enrollment and adults needed.