Gettysburg Artifacts Bring Civil War to Life for SCH 7th Graders

SCH 7th graders recently experienced a unique and hands-on history lesson, thanks to a special delivery from Gettysburg National Park. Teachers Dorothy Sasso and Jay Pearcy successfully applied for the park's "Traveling Trunk" program, a lottery-based initiative that brings replica Civil War artifacts directly to classrooms.

The students engaged in a series of interactive stations that offered a tangible connection to the past. One popular station allowed students to don the uniform of a Union soldier, and another provided an opportunity to explore the various bags and essential sleeping gear carried by Union soldiers on their long marches. The Traveling Trunk also shed light on the often-overlooked roles of women during the Civil War, and a station dedicated to medical treatment during the war offered a sobering look at the challenges and limitations of healthcare.

"The traveling trunk allowed our 7th graders to engage in history through hands-on exploration,” says Sasso, “creating an immersive and memorable learning experience that brought the Civil War to life!”