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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1969-04-17, Page 11y f4 4 t 200 Kits distributed in Ontario "Box from the Aific" p rovides history. students with sights and sounds of the years of Great Depression BY CATHY W ENGER Last week when I walked into one of Mrs. Campbell's Grade 13 - history classes 1 was, rather start- led to find what 'appeared to ,be students on a mad rampage! Ac- tually, matters weren't quite that bad, -but it certainly was a far cry from our conventional idea of the class 'in which the trim rows of obedient students are copying the .day's lesson from the blackboard. These "ram- paging students" were in fact, about fifteen somewhat defud• - Group II, Grade XIII history students during unstructured time. Gertie is read- Linda Hastings, Kathy Kaschenko and Ger- ing a pamphlet, "The Bitter Years," which tie Van Beer talk with Mrs.. Campbell deals with the Depression. COMEON IN SEE OUR COLLECTION DRESSES Juniors, Misses up to size 20 Half -sizes up to 26'/2. SLACKS—Size 10 up to ' over -size. SLIPS AND PANTIES-- • •Smalh size yup `yjto over -size;' FOUNDATION GARMENTS— -' By Gothic - Daisy - Sarong = Nuback FASHION can 4 SHOPPE Located on Highway 87 at WROXETER MRS. CRAWFORD GIBSON, Prop.. HOURS: TtJESDAY-FRIDAY-1:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. ,e SATURDAY -10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. CLOSED y t DAYS 3-10b dled pupils beginning their first, unstructured class in the new experimental programme which has been referred to as "Box from the Attic", Perhaps I had better fill you' in on the backgiound of such a • programme. It is an experi- ment from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and Ed- ucational Television. The aim is to excite curiosity and inter est in the students -and to give them some idea of what it felt like to.live in the 1930's --dur- ing the Great Depression. It is hoped that this me t h o d of "teaching" will be more suc- cessful than the old method of "chalk and talk". W . call it Box From the Attic Two hundred kits called "Ten Years in One Box" have been distributed in Ontario schools. These multi -media kits contain 1, 000 pieces of raw data items which are equivalent oddments of family photos, let- ters, postcards, souvenirs, re- productions of art, newspapers, posters, postage stamps, etc. , all from the era of the G re a t Depression. Records, tapes, slides and film strips are also included. Deliberately mixed' together are a collage of the Thirties from filmstrips of dust swept prairies, tapes of politi - cal speeches, relief camp post- ers, records of Fats Waller jazz, 'Hitler and Shirley Temple, to reproductions of Picasso. One Grade 13 history form is "structured" for the project, that is, the aims of the topic are discussed, and sods the plan of approach, withthe teacher. The second form is "unstructur- ed "; simply given the materials, unguided -in how they.workwi-J5 them: It is hoped' that e a. L h student will want to pursue in greater depth some aspect of - the period and maybe produce 004 Mvaacc-Times, II 1909,..* PHOTOGRA r- PHOTOGRAPHER, $tucky Jm EDITORS. Cathy Wenger - John Deneciu Bob Worrell and Kathy Kaschenko make use of a tape recorder in unstructured time. Newt Richardson, Judy McDowel and Bob Tiffin look over some of the pamphlets which have been made available - to the history class. a research essay, lecture, tape, or kit of his own. Four E. T. V. ' programs have been taped by Mr. Wraith. One is on the novel "The Grapes of Wrath", and one is on James. Gray's recent book, " T h e Winter Years", about the de- pression on the prairies. CKNX is co-operating. with the project by showing fuovies about the Thirties. "Country Doctor" was , on last FridayY,, and "A Tree Grows�in�Brc�'rlif' mill be` shownp, this Friday, -April 18, at 11:30 m. .This experiment will show AUDREY COUITTES looks through paper. clippings in Group. II .history. IF YOU JUST WANT SOMETHING TQWEAR-- BUY A BURLAP SACK OR - TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE. SEWING CAN BE FUN AND VERY REWARDING TOO! COTTONS rate high above all spring fabrics. There's Plain or Printed Sailcloth and Printed Duck—$1.49 yd. Tough Wearing Printed Canvas—$2.29 yd. Pretty Cotton Jacquards in Pink, Blue or Navy -41.98 yd. Don't overlook Dacron and Cotton Prints for easy to work with fabric -42.69 yd. • Plain Linens are among the leader—S1.198 yd. Yes, there are those Luxury Fabrics too for better dresses: Printed Nylon Sheer—$1.79 yd. "Morning Glory" —$2.29 yd. Shandora =—$2.69 yd. Those all important accessories are -essential and you'll find a complete line of. NOTIONS, TRIMMINGS and BUTTONS in our Fabric . Department. ED1GH FFERS (Wingham) Limited THE FRIENDLY STORE Actually, Andy Rathbun doesn't spend unstructured time this way. He just couldn't resist the camera. JUDY McDQWELL places slides in the viewer as Grade Xllls get a glimpse of what life was really like dur- ing the Depression. MRS. CAMPBELL addresses the Grade. XIII class, Group I history class. Jane Adams and Marilyn M'aclntyre Kook over material in structured history class. what kind of real questioning . . and probing could be generated into a history "class", and the variety of spin-off topics pos- sible. The project is being evaluated by the teachers using it and the opinions of the stu- dents .are requested. Perhaps, with this background information, you will under- stand why my visit to the un- structured class found the stu- dents somewhat confused. gvlrs. Campbell opened the box, and followed the rules, "Let them at it --on their own F r o m what' I.saw during my forty-five minutes'. visit, it appears that ' • the project will prove highly exciting and interesting to the students. When they were "let loose" they broke ,off into little groups and persued their own specific interests in the kit's data: From one part of the room I. • saw a student listening•to a tape entitled "Land of the Free" in which an interview was. being conducted with a Canadian pol- itician of that era. A few stu- dents were watching a series of unlabeled film strips which show- ed shots " revealing the pover- ty of the cotton farmers, the . hardships of the negros, the des- peration of the common person struggling through these years. Thumbing through a photo book entitled, "The Bitter Years", I saw pictures of the rural Ameri- cans. There were sounds com- ing from the front of the class of Jazz records from the 1930's. One student was reading ;some reproductions of old.newspapers, among them the Daily Oklaho- man and the San Francisco News dated 1933. The predominant headlines were those of the vast unemployment at the time. Numerous postcards of various types were being circulated among• the students. By the end of my visit the students 4a d barely begun to scratch the sur • - face of the "Box from the Attic': It looks as if they have an ex-. Linda Hastings and Phyllis McKague view slides during unstructured time in. Grade XIII history. citing two or three weeks ahead of them! Its just as exciting to be a part of a school that has been fortunate enough to be included in this, which we hope will be a revolutionary experiment. W. R. 11AMILTON OPTOMETRIST Josephine Street WINGHAM FOR APPOINTMENT Phone 357-1361 NEIL RENWICK uses the tape recorder in the Grade XIII history study in structured time. SFTH OTWTG IS COMING!! May 1 and 2 PAPER DRIVE Saturday,Ap.r. 19 PLEASE HAVE PAPERS BUNDLED AND AT CURB, FOR 12 NOON COLLECTION. PARENTS PLEASE HELP! PICK-UP ALSO MADE AT --- •WNITECHURCH BELGRAVE • BLUEVALE 1 NIv " '.111 \'