learning through immersion

Annual re-enactments allow students to live history.

Students at RJA have lived history. As Colonial Minutemen, they prepared for a confrontation with the British at Lexington. As pioneer children, they husked corn and collected buffalo chips along the Oregon Trail. They’ve been to Basel, Switzerland with Theodore Herzl and to Independence Hall with David Ben Gurion. And with a tearful goodbye to relatives they were leaving behind, they boarded a steamship bound for Ellis Island. The stories of the past have come to life and are part of their collective memory.

In preparation for the re-enactment, the entire student body spent months immersed in the study of a historical time period. Each class becomes intimate with relevant personalities and events of the time. They study primary documents, make their own costumes, learn dances, make recipes, and create scenery and props.

Re-enactment Day brings all of their studies to life. “It felt so real,” said fourth-grader Macey of the Immigration re-enactment last May.

“We know that children learn best when they are active participants in their own learning,” says Cheryl Maayan, head of school. “When kids walk in the shoes of others, they begin to identify with them. Their learning is personal, meaningful and lasting.”

Just ask the students. The young historians remember considerably more than just facts. “My class immigrated from Poland,” says fifth-grader Sophie. “Even though it was fun for us, I understand now that the experience for real immigrants was scary and even uncomfortable. I feel more connected to my own relatives who left Russia to escape the pogroms. They must have really wanted to leave to be willing to travel in steerage.”