Sally Levesque, June Dowiot, Virginia Drought, Jenna Smith

Levesque and her colleagues’ innovative teaching idea, “What Can One Little Person Do?,” is designed to help all of the school’s fourth grade students learn about the southern region of the United States and its history of slavery, the Underground Railroad, the civil rights movement and many other related historical figures and happenings. Students will then learn how these past events not only affect the South but all of the United States today. By using a multi-sensory approach to learning, students will experience what it was like to be a slave on the run; what communication systems were used in the Underground Railroad; how ordinary men and women changed the laws of our country; and how an explosion of music and dance called the Harlem Renaissance affects every aspect of our culture today. Ultimately, the students will benefit by not only learning the facts of history but also by becoming aware of the importance of diversity and tolerance in a democratic society. The teachers hope to inspire their students to be the one little person to make the world a better place.