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Crossroads: Local History Resources for Elementary Education
The purpose of this project is to develop and offer a series
of local history resources for elementary schools that will
enhance teaching and learning in history/social studies and
across disciplines. These resources are inspired by the following
theme that was adopted by project partners in June 2002:
Crossroads: A way of looking at the Hayward area
to understand our community as an intersection of people,
transportation routes, and natural environments
Project Activities and Products
- Classroom kits that provide hands-on access to artifacts,
replicas, photographs, maps, artwork, and audio-visual
materials depicting various eras and topics within local
history.
- Teacher & Student Materials, including this website,
which contain local history information, activities, and
primary resources.
- Professional development opportunities will be offered
to elementary school teachers throughout the school year
and during the summer. These programs will help to increase
teacher knowledge of local history, increase the ability
to convey this content to students in new ways, and to
increase confidence in using technology as a teaching
tool.
Crossroads Themes
In addition to using district, state, and national curriculum
standards to guide the content of Crossroads resources, the
following themes will be used:
People - Immigration
This theme allows us to look at all the people who have come
to this area to make it their home. From the first people
to settle here over 10,000 years ago, to the most recent immigrant
from another place, the Hayward area reflects a diversity
of cultures and traditions. This theme is approached in the
following ways:
Chronological - Looking at community from
its beginnings through today
Cultural - Focusing on different ethnic groups, cultures,
and traditions
Personal - Telling the stories of individual people
and families
Pathways - Transportation Routes
The Hayward area has always been an intersection of routes:
trails used by the Ohlone, routes traveled by Spanish explorers,
El Camino Real connecting the California Missions, trade routes
for farmers, the railroad, shipyards, freeways, the airport,
and BART. Understanding the transportation of people, ideas,
and commerce also shapes our understanding of the community.
This theme is approached in the following ways:
Geographical - Tracing the roots of current
transportation corridors back to earlier times (for example,
Mission Boulevard was once El Camino Real)
Mechanical/Historical - Looking at different types
of transportation methods
Places - Cultural and Natural Environments
Through this theme, we will look at the heritage of our community,
including architecture, land use, the cityscape, agriculture,
industry, and economy. We will focus on the natural setting
of the Hayward area including the range of ecosystems found
here: the bay and shoreline, creeks, grasslands, and oak and
redwood forests. These topics serve to enhance learning about
local history and meet science framework standards. This theme
will be incorporated into all topics as it sets context.
Project Partners and Advisors
Crossroads is a collaborative community project, involving
the support and expertise of many individuals and organizations
including:
Castro
Valley Unified School District
Hayward
Unified School District
San
Lorenzo Unified School District
Alameda
County Office of Education
California
State University Hayward
Chabot
College
Hayward
Public Library
Asian Americans Together
California
Cowboy Benefits
Castro Valley Citizens for Middle Eastern Awareness
Coyote
Hills Regional Park
Grandmothers
Who Help
Hayward Area
Historical Society
Hayward
Area Parks & Recreation District
Hayward
Shoreline Interpretive Center
Juan Bautista de Anza National Trail
La
Alianza de Hayward
La Familia Resource Center
Sulphur
Creek Nature Center
The Crossroads Project is funded by a Learning Opportunities Grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, a federal agency that fosters innovation, leadership, and a lifetime of learning.
For more information on becoming an advisor or partner, please
contact education@haywardareahistory.org
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