Crawford Eighth Graders Share Work at Dixie

Youngsters at Dixie Magnet Elementary School got a special treat when Crawford Middle eighth graders recently dropped by to visit. Sara Green’s U.S. History class displayed the sample freedom quilt they designed and explained how each square contained a code or secret message to help enslaved people escape to the North in the early to mid-1800s. The older students also read picture books about this initiative, known as the Underground Railroad, and courageous leaders like abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

Green’s class had been studying events leading to the Civil War; her students also visited the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati this spring. At Dixie, they gathered in small groups with first and second graders to share what they had gleaned.

“Students who present information that they have learned in an authentic format, such as presenting to younger students, are able to understand the material in a much deeper manner,” said Green, who noted her students take extra pride in their work because many have siblings at Dixie or attended there themselves.

“When students are allowed to visit and learn from outside their own school walls, they are able to learn more about the schools and children that this neighborhood serves,” Green added.