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I really enjoy the process of developing new teaching materials for my social studies methods classes and using them in classrooms when I’m out in the schools. I’m a believer that we must be constantly developing our skills and keeping fresh to be effective in all aspects of the ‘teaching game.’ I particularly like it when I can combine important events in history with events in my own life while challenging students to think. It also gives me a chance to make use of primary sources and artifacts—something state and national standards require and is in their textbooks.

I could start my lesson in the traditional manner, asking and reviewing previously taught concepts, but sometimes it is well worth it to jump right in, peak their interest. So, I dive in.

Would you believe me if told you my father’s name is on the moon?

I know what you are thinking. What in the world is this guy talking about? Just go with me. I bet you’re not a harder ‘sell’ than some of the elementary classes in which I ask this question. I continue...

What evidence would I need to show you to convince you that my father’s name is really on the moon?

As you probably guessed, my students are not sure what to think at this point. They suggest evidence such as photographs or written evidence such as newspaper articles or letters from important people as proof.

If it is proof they want, then it is proof they shall get! I explain that I’ll give them some primary sources, some artifacts to examine to see if I’m telling the truth. After my students correctly respond to my question about where the Apollo program rockets were launched and plot it on the map, we move into looking at rocket photos from Cape Canaveral.

Is this adequate proof?

Students immediately indicate "NO" because anyone could have taken the Cape Canaveral photo and it doesn’t prove that my father’s name is on the moon. Next, I show them a picture of my father at Cape Canaveral looking at a rocket in the distance. Many students say that’s not enough because the man might not be my father.

The dance begins. The next phase of questioning focuses on what makes adequate proof. So I ask if they have ever seen a thermostat in school or their classroom. Well, one company that makes thermostats is Honeywell, which is a company that worked on the Apollo space project and for which my father worked. Does this now make for adequate information? Naturally, most students are still skeptical and respond with a resounding "NO". Understanding that I have not actually provided any proof that my father even worked for Honeywell, it is time to push farther.

Have you ever been to a funeral? Or do you know anyone who has died?

I know, where am I going with this? Well, when people die, they are issued a legal document called a death certificate. At this point I present students with a copy of my father's death certificate and begin to examine it to see if we could establish some proof about his name being on the moon. We then systematically look at Donald Akenson’s death certificate and do numerous concrete actions: pointing, circling, and drawing arrows from one item to another. The most significant thing we circle is my father's specific job as Contract Administrator for Avionics/Honeywell.

At this point many students say that its good evidence, but often students say they still aren’t convinced my father’s name is on the moon. So, I show them the NASA photograph and then the letters. The letter from astronaut James Irwin reads:

Dear Honoree:

I deposited a microfilmed copy of the Manned Flight Awarness Apollo 11 booklet on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 15 missions.

It was a pleasure for me to leave the booklet containing the names of the Manned Flight Awareness honorees and coordinators from the beginning of the program through Apollo 11, representing those outstanding employees who contributed to man’s first landing on the moon.

Sincerely,
James B. Irwin
Colonel, USAF
NASA Astronaut

Students who enjoy being skeptical often enjoy saying that I could have taken a moon picture and faked the letters. When asked about the NASA letterhead the skeptics will say I could have found the NASA logo and put it on the letter I fabricated. The final step is to find a name they recognize on the center section. They find D. N. Akenson and identify that it indicates he worked on Apollo 7 for Honeywell.

Throughout the process, I encourage and give positive comments to students who want to be skeptical. Even in rural middle Tennessee it isn’t hard to find students in each class who like to play the skeptic role! I relate being skeptical to the need of citizens to ask questions on every issue they study and to learn to question the evidence people use to convince them. We conclude the lesson reminding them that studying artifacts, primary, and secondary sources are an important part of history as stated in their text. What a fun gig! Social studies should always be intriguing, engaging, encourage higher order thinking and relateable.

I would be interested in hearing from you! What intriguing lessons have you taught with family history artifacts and primary sources? How have you linked your family history to major events, trends, processes you study in the text and standards? How have your students responded? Teach on.

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