2024 IEA Summer Institute

Are you interested in inquiry-based learning and using historical objects to engage students in the study of history? Are you interested in bringing the Idaho State Historical Museum into your classroom? If so, this adventure is for you! Pack your trunk and get ready to dig into the Idaho State Historical Society's Traveling Trunks.

This session will provide you with an opportunity to explore two "Traveling Trunks" the Idaho State Historical Society has for use by Idaho Teachers. We will explore the Minidoka Incarceration Camp* (3-12 grade focus) and the Old Idaho Penitentiary* (6-12 grade focus) Traveling Trunks.

You will receive an introduction to what the trunks are and how you can access them for use in your
classroom. Participants will play the part of "student" in a lesson plan from one of the trunks and then small groups will explore the trunk offerings and collaborate with other participants to explore the contents of the other trunk.

Participants will leave with an awareness of the power of object-based learning and ideas for utilizing the traveling trunks in their classroom.

Targeted to Grades 3-12 and 6-12.

*Minidoka Incarceration Camp - In this trunk, authentic artifacts and reproductions from the Minidoka Relocation Center are analyzed to better comprehend Japanese American experiences during World War II. The objects include a plank of wood from the post office at Minidoka, a replica of a War Relocation Authority family number tag that was issued to an incarceree; an insignia patch of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team; the Nisei Soldiers of WWII Congressional Gold Medal; a baseball glove similar to gloves used in the 1940s; a carved wooden bird pin; The Minidoka Interlude, a book which offers an insight into camp life; and a swing band CD featuring songs from the WWII era. Artifacts are tangible links to the past; with careful examination they can reveal how people lived.

*Old Idaho Penitentiary - Discover the stories and circumstances behind the major riots and disturbances at the Old Idaho State Penitentiary through artwork, artifacts, stories, and more. Students will be challenged with thought-provoking questions that will ask them to consider how these events shaped the current state of corrections in Idaho.