The Importance of the Past

Goal:

To understand why the past is important.

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

• share personal past experiences
• discuss why all humans' pasts are important
• discuss the importance of their local or family history

Activity: A Look Into Your Past

Materials: Each student will bring to class a photograph, drawing, or object that represents an important event in their lives.

Procedure: Assign students to cooperative groups where they will tale turns discussing the objects they brought to class. Discussions should emphasize how an object conveys a message of their past and why that is important to them.

Discussion:

• Is your past important to you? Why?
• Is it important to you that others understand the story behind your object? Why?
• What is the importance of knowing about the human past?
• Why is it important for you to know about local or family history?
• What can you learn from the past about yourself and others?

Old Mobile Activity:

Have each student choose one of the European or Indian artifacts that is discussed in the Old Mobile Newsletters and why it is important for understanding local history. In other words, what can the artifact tell us about life in Old Mobile?