Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Virtual Field Trips

As you may have guessed by my posted video, I visited the Anne Frank house for my virtual field trip.  I have always been deeply moved, disturbed and intrigued by the true stories of Holocaust victims and survivors.  Whether or not you have heard of Anne Frank before or even read her story, after taking this virtual field trip she crawls into your heart to stay along with the kind and brave people that were part of her journey.  As a performing arts teacher I would naturally be drawn to some sort of dramatization of Anne Frank's story ( there is a well known play that I have seen) but not all children are comfortable with acting.  This virtual field trip could bring the lesson to life in a different way for them; still interactive and still adding a new dimension to the typical read and discuss lesson plan.  I was deeply interested in and moved by this experience.  It lead me down a road of wanting to know more and that is where I stumbled upon the beautiful musical tribute that I posted above.  It won't matter what order you show these two things in.  One thing is for certain; your students will never forget the name or experience of Anne Frank and they will inevitably want to know more.  What more could you ask from a lesson?  I highly recommend this site to all and will do so at my schools as well.
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4 comments:

  1. Lori SchmidtMarch 25, 2011 at 7:59 AM

    Excellent choice! Love, love, LOVE this VFT! I love how you found that video and posted it too. Well done! I saw that you are still having some trouble commenting, that just stinks! Thanks for letting me know.

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  2. RosannaMarch 25, 2011 at 9:32 AM

    Hi Shari,

    I too am intrigued with the Holocaust and WWWII. I love to read fiction based on this period and the Diary of Anne Frank ripped my heart out. To thins day when I read stories I crumble and literally cry like a child. I am waiting my boys to get a bit older to read this with them.

    I think all children need try performing in some way. I was and still am terrified of doing anything in front of an audience. I try to expose my children. They performed in their first talent show last October. They sang, danced and played a little piano. I was so proud of them because I would never have had the courage to that. I hope to push them to continue get up and speak.

    Oh and as far as posting, (in case you have not encountered this) unless I verify my post with tying in a verification word, the post will not go through. Not sure if that helps.

    Rosanna

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  3. Nicole Goscienski-LynchMarch 25, 2011 at 9:35 AM

    I wish I knew about this site while reading The Wave with my 7th graders. The students didn't really grasp the reality and sadness of the Holocaust. We showed them films, but this site would have been a great supplement prior to reading the book. I guess there's always next year! I will also pass along this site to the 8th grade teachers who read Anne Frank.

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  4. Dany TunqueApril 30, 2011 at 6:38 PM

    I found another great site to go along with your post. I agree with Nicole, using these VFTs can really bring a clear picture and better understanding to our lessons.

    http://fcit.usf.edu/Holocaust/resource/VR.htm

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