Unearthing the Secrets of the Past at Keystone: Grade 6 Student Exhibition
The extensive and storied history of China holds many mysteries and fantastic stories. The artifacts uncovered from ancient China serve as pieces that complete the puzzle of what civilization and culture were like in times long past. Grade 6 students have spent the past few weeks helping the Keystone community unearth these hidden secrets of the past in their China and the World Mini Exhibition. Hosted by the Grade 6 students themselves, this exhibition empowered students to teach others about ancient China in a hands-on history lesson that won’t soon be forgotten.
Tables in the first-floor hallway of the Keystone Secondary School were filled with various artifacts and intriguing items. Recreations of tools, pots, and jewelry from ancient China created a miniature archeological museum for guests to explore. This exhibition was the culmination of lots of learning from the Grade 6 China and the World course. Instead of simply assessing the students on their historical knowledge, this mini exhibit challenged learners to share their knowledge with other Keystonians about the secrets held within these ancient artifacts.
Attendees at the mini exhibition could create their own historic artifacts using clay and other materials. With guidance from the Grade 6 students, visitors could dig into the history surrounding ancient items such as jade jewelry, ding vessels, and bronze weapons and tools and even build their own recreations of these objects. Many of these relics dated back thousands of years to the Bronze Age. During open times over the past few weeks, other Keystone classes could book a visit to the Grade 6 exhibition, allowing students from the Primary School to come learn from their Grade 6 peers. This type of student-to-student learning is invaluable for everyone involved, not to mention rewarding and fun!
While guests were able to get a glimpse into China’s past through the exhibit, they weren’t the only ones learning throughout this engaging activity. For the Grade 6 students themselves, this event was a fantastic way to sharpen their own historical understanding. One group of Grade 6 students agreed that they had gained quite a bit of knowledge and skills from this project. In addition to being able to better understand ancient Chinese society – how people lived, hierarchical structures of power, and important cultural practices – they also believed that the opportunity to teach what they learned to students in Grade 1 who stopped by the exhibition helped them further their own understanding of the subject. They had to use their research skills to find out information about the past, then create a lesson plan to share this information with others for this culminating showcase for their China and the World unit.
This project was an excellent example of peer-to-peer learning for Keystone students, and it also provided a valuable reminder of Chinese history and culture to the school. China is the thread from which the rest of the Keystone curriculum is woven. This hands-on exhibition from Grade 6 helped bring the history of China to life for more students, and many young students left the exhibition with their own model artifact to share the story of ancient China with their friends and families. The China and the World Mini Exhibition was a stupendous success, sharing student learning and China’s history with the whole Keystone community!
