HomeTools for Teachers

Tools for Teachers

There are many ways to incorporate the Celebrating Simms exhibit and companion materials into your classroom. Below, you will find various activities written by College of Education students involved in the original Celebrating Simms class. These activities invite K-12 students to engage with the Celebrating Simms exhibit, interactive media, and archival materials housed on this website and work well with the Virginia Standards of Learning at various grade levels. Feel free to use or modify these activities however you see fit.

The Celebrating Simms project is currently working in collaboration with James Madison University College of Education faculty and graduate students as well as local K-12 educators to create additional curricular materials such as oral history collection and related activities. The goal is for these new projects and materials to be easy to incorporate into the newly launched African American History course (9th-12th grade) now being offered throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Check back soon for more updates!

Virginia Studies (4th-5th grade):

​​Life After Reconstruction Activity

This activity works well with SOL VS.8. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the reconstruction of Virginia following the Civil War by identifying the effects of Reconstruction on life in Virginia. Students will engage in a simulation activity, adopting identities of people alive in Harrisonburg after reconstruction, during the opening of Effinger Street school.

US History 1865 to Present (6th-7th grade):

Celebrating Simms Historical Analysis Activities

This activity works well with SOL USII.1a-d. The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and responsible citizenship, including the ability to analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history from 1865 to the present; make connections between the past and the present; sequence events in United States history from 1865 to the present; and interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. In this activity, students will read an essay that outlines the entire storyline of the Celebrating Simms exhibit. Following the essay, there is a worksheet containing three sections of activities, including a key terms activity, a timeline activity, and several creative project ideas.

Virginia and United States History (9th-12th grade):

Primary and Secondary Sources in Celebrating Simms Activity

This activity works well with SOL VUS.1a. The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and responsible citizenship, including the ability to identify, analyze, and interpret primary and secondary source documents, records, and data, including artifacts, diaries, letters, photographs, journals, newspapers, historical accounts, and art, to increase understanding of events and life in the United States. In this activity, students will identify examples of primary and secondary sources on the Celebrating Simms website and will analyze those sources to increase their understanding of events and life in Harrisonburg, Virginia. 

Celebrating Simms RAFT Activity

This activity works well with SOL VUS.1a. The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and responsible citizenship, including the ability to identify, analyze, and interpret primary and secondary source documents, records, and data, including artifacts, diaries, letters, photographs, journals, newspapers, historical accounts, and art, to increase understanding of events and life in the United States. In this activity, students use the primary and secondary documents within the Celebrating Simms exhibit and website as well as other resources to gather information and then discuss and share their findings.

Celebrating Simms Map Quest Activity

This activity works well with SOL VUS.1d. The student will develop perspectives of time and place, including the construction of maps and various timelines of events, periods, and personalities in American history. In this activity, students will use the Celebrating Simms exhibit and other websites and resources to locate and describe specific places on a map of Harrisonburg that are important when learning about African American history in Harrisonburg.

Key Terms for Understanding Celebrating Simms Activity

This activity works well with SOL VUS.7, VUS.8, VUS.14. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the Civil War and Reconstruction Era and their importance as major turning points in American history, how the nation grew and changed from the end of Reconstruction through the early twentieth century, and the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. In this activity, students will use a guided list of key historical terms to engage with and reflect on the Celebrating Simms exhibit.