The City of Roanoke Planning, Building, and Development Department and the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation (RVPF) have partnered to create a workbook of easily implemented lesson plans related to the teachings of The Little House, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton, for the second grade classroom. The workbook addresses the need to help today’s students understand how the historical and natural aspects of their community have evolved.
The Little House, a 1943 Caldecott Award winner, tells the story of a home’s changing environment as development from a distant city extends to the country over a number of years. The book brings the concept of how and why communities change over time to a child’s level through a compelling story and vivid illustrations.
Two recent studies, the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future project and the Higher Education Research Institute’s American Freshman project, found that, contrary to popular belief, today’s youth are less environmentally conscious and civic-minded than their elders. Many young people have grown up indoors and are often disconnected from their surrounding environment, both built and natural. It is critical to the health of our communities that the
rising generation understands and embraces its role as future stewards of the place they call home.
A committee composed of seven professionals with extensive experience in historic preservation, community planning, and curriculum development developed the workbook, which was tailored to our region to give students real life examples of how their community has evolved. Each lesson plan fulfills Standard of Learning (SOL) Grade 2/History and Social Studies #2.3 (communities); however, many of the lessons cover or can be easily adapted for other standards in history and social sciences as well as English, science, and visual arts. Adaptations for students with special needs have also been incorporated into each plan.
Funded in part by a grant from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, a copy of The Little House and associated workbook were donated to each second grade classroom within the City of Roanoke for the 2014/2015 academic year. The workbook was reviewed by the City of Roanoke Public Schools Administration before being distributed. Dr. Rita Bishop expressed appreciation to the RVPF for its contribution and interest in Roanoke City students.
The intention is that this project will fulfill a number of educational goals for Roanoke area’s students, including improved literacy, attachment to community, and an interest in the preservation of historic and natural resources. In addition, it is intended to show appreciation for the vital work teachers do for the community.
A limited number of hard copies are available to teachers within the RVPF service area of the City of Roanoke, the County of Roanoke, the Town of Vinton, the City of Salem, and the Counties of Botetourt and Franklin. A PDF of the workbook may also be downloaded from the RVPF website at: www.roanokepreservation.org/the-little-house-project.
For more information or to acquire a copy of the workbook, please contact Maribeth Mills in the city’s Department of Planning, Building, and Development at (540) 853-1334 or
[email protected].
