Conclusion
Has your hometown changed over the years or are
people still doing the same things they did 50 years ago? This project was
written to show that, even in small towns, history, as well as people, change
over time and to show that towns, cities, and even states have different
perspectives on things. For example, the perspectives of the north and the
south have different views on religion. Growing up in Berkshire, Sunday church
services weren’t popular when I was teenager (Clark S., 2012). Since I have
moved down to Concord, it seems that everyone goes to church all the time down
here (Clark S., 2012).
Researching my hometown was more difficult than I thought it would be. Berkshire is a small town and not very well known, so most of information I gathered was from books that my grandmother had. There weren’t many reliable sources that I found on the internet. If I was still living in Berkshire, I would have been able to go look up information in the town’s free library.
Berkshire has been my family’s home for many generations. There is a lot of history that has been recorded here and is still happening. It might be rural and secluded from the cities surrounding it, but it still prospers with the people that still reside there.
Researching my hometown was more difficult than I thought it would be. Berkshire is a small town and not very well known, so most of information I gathered was from books that my grandmother had. There weren’t many reliable sources that I found on the internet. If I was still living in Berkshire, I would have been able to go look up information in the town’s free library.
Berkshire has been my family’s home for many generations. There is a lot of history that has been recorded here and is still happening. It might be rural and secluded from the cities surrounding it, but it still prospers with the people that still reside there.
Reflection
(A) There
were many things that I have learned during this experience in writing about my
hometown. One of things I found interesting is that the Berkshire community
always came together to celebrate something. When I was living in NY, the only
community thing that I remember was the thanksgiving dinner at the church down
the road, in East Berkshire. The Berkshire community still exists but not like
it use to back in the 1970’s.
The other things that I found interesting were that there are farms in Berkshire that are still producing profit to this day. I thought that the families that live on the old farms just kept the barn for decoration or that they didn’t want to lose something that has been in their family for years. I also learned that, during the early to mid 1900’s, there were a lot of businesses in this small town. When I was growing up, there was only a gas station, a feed store and a family owned mechanic shop. It was interesting to learn about all the different kinds of businesses that were opened during the childhood of my grandmother and father.
(B) Some of the details that I contributed to this project were based on my perspective of Berkshire. I added my own personal experiences from when I lived in Berkshire. My perspective is so much different than both my grandmother and father. During their childhood, they did things together with other families. Where when I was a child, there was only one family get- together and that was our family reunion, which was a long weekend event on Cayuga Lake. So by adding my own perspective, I was able share what Berkshire was like when I was a child.
(C) What I have learned from this project that I could use as an elementary social studies teacher, is that it is important to teach students about the community around them. It is also important to show students how things (people and their ideas) change over time. I would teach about the different qualities that places have and compare them to other places. For example, I would tell them about the key characteristics of my hometown and have them compare it to their hometown. It is important for them to know the history of the their hometown and that I why I chose to do my project on Berkshire.
The other things that I found interesting were that there are farms in Berkshire that are still producing profit to this day. I thought that the families that live on the old farms just kept the barn for decoration or that they didn’t want to lose something that has been in their family for years. I also learned that, during the early to mid 1900’s, there were a lot of businesses in this small town. When I was growing up, there was only a gas station, a feed store and a family owned mechanic shop. It was interesting to learn about all the different kinds of businesses that were opened during the childhood of my grandmother and father.
(B) Some of the details that I contributed to this project were based on my perspective of Berkshire. I added my own personal experiences from when I lived in Berkshire. My perspective is so much different than both my grandmother and father. During their childhood, they did things together with other families. Where when I was a child, there was only one family get- together and that was our family reunion, which was a long weekend event on Cayuga Lake. So by adding my own perspective, I was able share what Berkshire was like when I was a child.
(C) What I have learned from this project that I could use as an elementary social studies teacher, is that it is important to teach students about the community around them. It is also important to show students how things (people and their ideas) change over time. I would teach about the different qualities that places have and compare them to other places. For example, I would tell them about the key characteristics of my hometown and have them compare it to their hometown. It is important for them to know the history of the their hometown and that I why I chose to do my project on Berkshire.
North Carolina Essential Standards
3.G.1.2 Compare the human and physical characteristics of places (Essential State Standards, 2010).
3.G.1.3 Exemplify how people adapt to, change and protect the environment to meet their needs (Essential State Standards, 2010).
3.G.1.4 Explain how movement of goods, people and ideas impact the community (Essential State Standards, 2010).
3.G.1.3 Exemplify how people adapt to, change and protect the environment to meet their needs (Essential State Standards, 2010).
3.G.1.4 Explain how movement of goods, people and ideas impact the community (Essential State Standards, 2010).
