It's the final day of summer vacation. How did your #MNstudies Summer Bingo go?
Can I visit a state park in North Dakota, or California, or Missouri? Does the historic site have to be IN Minnesota. Gosh, no! I'm just happy you are out and about trying to accomplish different things!
Visit a statue of a person or animal ✔️
Why not visit a statue of a person AND an animal!?! St. Urho the Grasshopper Vanquisher in Menahga, Minnesota.
#MNstudies Summer Bingo
I really like the creativity my #SSPMSpackers #MNstudies students had! One design has two hands (Dakota and German immigrants) holding each other in a sign of reconciliation. Another has a compass/wind come feature using medicine wheel colors. Reconciliation Park redesign.
Eagle feathers were common in many Reconciliation Park redesigns as well. Several students included a statute to Little Crow or borrowed the Winter Warrior statue from across the street at the Blue Earth County Library. #SSPMSpackers #MNstudies
Fire pits were also a common addition for many #SSPMSpackers #MNstudies students as part of their Reconciliation Park redesign.
Keeping the buffalo, which was dedicated at Reconciliation Park in 1997, was also a popular design element for my #SSPMSpackers #MNstudies students.
The medicine wheel was also a favorite for most of my #SSPMSpackers #MNstudies students in their Reconciliation Park redesign. Nearly all designs incorporated one in some way or another.
Multiple students this year incorporated some sort of stage or amphitheater so the Dakota could hold ceremonies and the community could hold some sort of "history lesson gatherings" as several students phrased it. #SSPMSpackers #MNstudies
Here's another #SSPMSpackers #MNstudies student design. Again, the symbolism and reasoning with these Reconciliation Park redesign were very thoughtful.
Some of the Reconciliation Park student redesigns where amazing! I was blown away with the creativity and symbolism. #SSPMSpackers #MNstudies
My 6th hour design included an unfinished tipi w/lights that would shine at night inward towards the tipi. Memorial benches near the giant buffalo hide (that honors the Dakota 38) around the medicine wheel would recognize the 500+ settlers that died. #MNstudies #SSPMSpackers
Here's what I created for 4th period after an #MNstudies student wanted to somehow incorporate the internment site near Fort Snelling at Bdote. Another student suggested 19 lights (1 light for 2 of the Dakota that were hanged in Mankato.) I incorporate them in the island.
Here is my design for 2nd period. Again, my designs were based off of my #MNstudies students' suggestions for what Reconciliation Park's redesign should incorporate.
Long Thread 🧵
We spent a lot of time learning about the U.S. - Dakota War in our #SSPMSpackers #MNstudies class before talking about monuments, memorials & commemorations. One of our goals was to redesign Reconciliation Park in Mankato, MN. We needed to learn what was there & why.
Tomorrow, my #MNstudies students will be listening to Little War on the Prairie from This American Life and Scene on Radio as we set up our culminating project. If you don't know much about the Dakota 38+2, the U.S. Dakota War, &/or how I build the unit in my classroom, this is a good starting point
I drove up to the outside, was taking pictures, and a worker asked what I was doing. I told him I wanted to take a few pictures to show my #MNstudies students.
The guy walkied down to his supervisor and the supervisor said back, "Let him in so he can take a look around."
It was surreal.
We'll be working on treaties in #MNstudies this week. A couple years ago, I mentioned that Alexander Ramsey looks an awful lot like McConaughey. Most of my students didn't know who he was (😢), and most of the others didn't see the resemblance.
How about old Alexander Ramsey and Alec Baldwin?
