Class Time Capsule Post-Visit Activity for Historic Huguenot Street

Grade Level: 6th- 8th

Rationale: Following this activity, students will understand how primary sources, such as time capsules, can help people gain insight about the past. The activity will enable students to distinguish the time and place that defines their own identities as New Yorkers/American citizens.

Why create a class time capsule? Students will choose historically relevant items from their lifetime in order to reflect the tone and character of their class. The time capsule will be opened by future generations in order for them to look back and see what the past was like. Future generations will be given the opportunity to develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the past through the time capsule and the items inside.

Lesson Implementation Directions: As a class, create a unique time capsule that reflects the character of the class and all the students in it.

Note: Before starting the time capsule project, the teacher, or class, should decide on a date for opening the capsule. This might be the last day of the school year, a reunion date relating to their graduation from that school, a date a few years into the future and a plan to meet at that time, or the time capsule could be placed in a location so that a class 50 or 100 years from now will be able to open it. What you need Choosing a Time Capsule: Create a few options for the students to choose what type of container they would like their time capsule to be. Remind the students of the types of capsules they saw at Historic Huguenot Street. Make sure to emphasize how these capsules reflected the lives of the people who created them and what was available to them when they were alive. Time capsules should be personal and meaningful. Time capsules are, by design, a window into the past, so students should keep in mind that their time capsules will represent part of their own history.

What to include in the Time Capsule: Since this is a class time capsule there are a variety of ways to include items. The first option is for the students to include a drawing and explanation of what they think the future will look like. Secondly, you could have the students fill out the worksheet we have included with our post-visit lesson. Lastly, you can include items like photos, movies, books, or a newspaper with an article that pertains to an important event. Each capsule should represent the students and the class as a whole. Teachers can set out categories for the items to fit into. These categories can include; You, Your School, Your City, Your Country, and Your World. Students may think of other categories.

Connection to Historic Huguenot Street This lesson is a great way to connect the information the students learned at Historic Huguenot Street and connect it to present day. Questions to consider: 1. Ask students about the items they remembered finding in time capsules. Which item or items were the most interesting? Why? 2. Did the items tell a story? Or were they just inanimate objects? 3. What made you feel as though the items told a story? 4. Why do you think those items were chosen by the person? 5. As a class, what items should we choose to leave behind? Why?

Some things to consider: • Following the start of the capsules, teachers should relate the activity back to the Historic Huguenot Street time capsules. The discussion may be focused along the following points:

 A comparison and contrast of the items in the time capsules at Historic Huguenot Street and the students’ items in their own time capsule. How and why do people place importance on particular objects by including them in the capsules? Are the items very different or are there similarities? Why or why not?

 How student location, whether by geographic area, province, or country, might affect the contents of the time capsule. Extension:

 In addition to the personal items students collect for the time capsule, teachers may choose to have their students write a letter to their future selves. The time capsule activity encourages students to choose personal items that are significant and meaningful to themselves and a personal letter such as this would be a fitting addition. Teachers should have the students focus their letters around personal goals for the future and their hopes for what they may accomplish by the time the capsules are opened (it would be helpful to decide on an opening date prior to assigning this activity). If the time capsules are to be opened many years in the future, students may want to include predictions of what society and the world will be like at that time.

NY State Standards and Alignment Social Studies: Standards 1, 3, and 5 Common Core Standards and Alignment Text Types and Purposes W.CCR.1 Production and Distribution W.CCR.4