[ Education ] Dakota County Historical Society

Thank you for accessing our education pages. The activities and programs available on our website were developed specifically for teachers and students in Dakota County, though teachers elsewhere may also find them useful when teaching history. Over 60 educators representing nine area school districts and several private schools graciously offered their perspectives to make this initiative possible. We hope our efforts will help make local history resources more accessible to schools in and around Dakota County. These materials and activities are designed (generally) for students in second through sixth grade. In recognition of the fact that not every student or classroom has access to a computer this section also presents "offline" versions that may be printed as handouts or activities of some of the online content in the "For Kids" portion of this Education section. These materials for educators can also be used to expand on the online content.

Many of these materials for teachers are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. You will need the FREE Acrobat Reader program to view and/or print these items. You can download Reader from Adobe Software.

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

Photographs help us understand the past by giving us a visual (albeit limited) context within which to interpret historical people, places, and events. In his book entitled History By Design, Patrick Norris suggests: "Like paintings and drawings, photographs seize time and hold a moment for close scrutiny. Because a camera seems to work like the human eye, photographs compel our attention. Because they seem truer-to-life than other visual images, photographs are capable of creating an emotional engagement similar to that aroused by real events. Because they seem to freeze the moment, they convey detailed information about an event and an environment" (page 32).

Every Picture Tells A Story is designed for teachers and students interested in using images from Dakota County's past as learning tools. These classroom materials may be used in conjunction with "Shutterbug's Photo Gallery" in the "For Kids" section.

Tips for Teachers

This HTML document gives teachers suggestions and ideas of how to use photos in the classroom. May be used in conjunction with the DCHS Photos throughout this web site.

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File Size: 5 kilobytes

Printer Friendly Photo Gallery

PDF Printable Version of the Photo Gallery for use as a classroom handout. Click on the link above to preview in a new window.

[Mac: Hold+click / Windows: Right+click]
Select "Save Target As"

File Size: 3,822 kilobytes

Immigration is as central to our nation's history - and the history of Dakota County - as any theme or topic could claim to be. It shapes our political, economic, and cultural disposition while redefining from generation to generation what it means to be "American." It requires the use of historical generalizations to determine why, when, how, and from where people have typically migrated to the United States. But at the same time, it provides a framework for uncovering the individual stories, photographs, letters, and artifacts that collectively tell the tale of our local immigrant origins. Furthermore, it presupposes a willingness to investigate different cultures while recognizing the richness which diversity brings to our society.

The following statement represents just one of many potential starting points for dealing with immigration. "For Europeans, as one historian has noted, 'America was rich, America was good, America was hope, America was the future.'" Students can learn a great deal about their heritage from exploring how these lofty expectations developed and whether or not they proved true to the millions who made and continue to make America their new home. These are the key questions we seek to answer for you and your students:

Who were the immigrants?
Where did they come from?
Why did they leave home?
How did they get to their destinations?
Where did they go?
What did they do when they got there?

IMMIGRATION STATION* DESTINATION USA offers a comprehensive resource center for teachers who are looking to incorporate local immigration history into their curriculum. Classroom materials, web-based activities, and field trips can combine to provide students in grades two to six with many unique learning opportunities. We hope our site will help your students understand and appreciate the diverse blend of people who have left their imprint on Dakota County. The ONLINE VERSION is available in the "For Kids" section. An OFFLINE version for use as classroom handouts is available for download below.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

This HTML document contains questions that can be used in conjunction with the online or offline Immigration Station*Destination USA activity

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File Size: 2 kilobytes

Printer Friendly Booklet

PDF Printable Version for use as a classroom handout. Click on the link above to preview in a new window. Includes Review Questions.

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File Size: 1,455 kilobytes

This is another activity that is available in the "For Kids" section. It features pictures and information on buildings one would have found common in many Minnesota towns around 100 years ago. Incidenlty, all of the buildings featured are actual structures preserved today. The same content is also provided in a printer friendly PDF format for use as classroom handouts.

Both the handouts and online version feature thought provoking questions about the buildings and life in a Minnesota town a century ago.

Printer Friendly Handouts

PDF Printable Version for use as a classroom handout. Click on the link above to preview in a new window.

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File Size: 512 kilobytes

Bring your class to the Dakota County Historical Society to learn much more about their surrounding communities. This self-guided, interactive tour is designed for students in grades 3 to 6. It features the world's largest map of Dakota County (41' x 46')!

Other featured activities include:

Learning about several prominent historic sites in the county
Playing “Star Search” to understand the county’s development
Comparing population distribution in different parts of the coun
Playing “Name That ArtiFACT” to make connections with the past
Making discoveries in the “Old Town History Hunt”

To schedule a visit or for more information, call (651) 552-7548 or e-mail us at dakotahistory@co.dakota.mn.us.

Printer Friendly Map Activity

PDF Printable Version for use as a fieldtrip handout. Click on the link above to preview in a new window.

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Select "Save Target As"

File Size: 800 kilobytes

Here are three more activities for teachers to print out and use in the classroom. These are available both in PDF and HTML formats. Simply select whichever one you prefer to print. For the PDF files Hold+Click on Mac or Right+Click on Windows and select "Save Target As" to download. All items will preview in a new browser window.
DESCRIPTION	PDF	HTML
"The History of Me: Getting to the Roots of My Family Tree"	DOWNLOAD	VIEW & PRINT
"A Day in the Life of ME One Hundred Years Ago"	DOWNLOAD	VIEW & PRINT
"Immigration Terms: Word Search & Fill in the Blanks"	DOWNLOAD	VIEW & PRINT

We would love to hear from you. Feel free to contact us with comments or suggestions regarding this site. And if you have innovative ideas, lesson plans or teaching activities related to the history of Dakota County, we would welcome the opportunity to share them with other educators via this website. Call us at 651-552-7548. You can also e-mail us at dakotahistory@co.dakota.mn.us.

Thank you for your time and continued interest in local history!