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Four Freedoms |
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During
the spring, 2001, semester, Sidney Grade School became Spurlock Museum
South. In a semester-long museum/school collaboration, nearly 200
students, grades K-3, filled their gymnasium--twice--with class-created
museums. Each museum was filled with opportunities for interaction.
Visitors could inspect owl pellets, vote on their favorite brand of
fast food french fries, or make shadow animals on a projection screen.
Exhibition day was celebrated with a family picnic on the school grounds
and an evening concert of patriotic music.
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The
students began with a practice museum that informed visitors about
units each class had covered the previous semester. Exhibits taught
information on eight different subjects ranging from Native Americans
to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
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Kim
teaching children about museum exhibit creation
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The
final museum honored the Four Freedoms (Freedom from Want, Freedom
of Worship, Freedom from Fear, and Freedom of Speech), as expressed
by President Franklin Roosevelt and illustrated by artist Norman Rockwell.
For example, The Freedom from Fear exhibit featured a Bravery Museum.
There visitors faced such challenges as tasting food that was not
its usual color and holding a hissing cockroach.
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The
Freedom from Want Exhibit
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The
Bravery Museum
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The
project was supported by a grant from the Illinois State Board of
Education, which allowed for a strong, well-developed collaboration
between the school staff and Kim Sheahan, the Museum's assistant director
of education. Through a series of meetings, the team designed lesson
plans and arranged times when Kim would teach exhibit creation in
the classroom. It was a wonderful learning experience for everyone
involved.
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Several
happy program participants
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