AMERICAN HISTORY COMES ALIVEFOR 8TH GRADERS

American History Comes Alive for 8th Graders

by Margot Adair

In April, 210 students experienced learning history in diverse and imaginative ways. Our own 8th graders and those from Hawaii Baptist Academy met at Hoomaluhia Botanical Park in Kaneohe for a culminating activity for their study of the Civil War. Students from Maryknoll and Hawaii Baptist Academy were partnered and assigned to a Union or Confederate camp, with each camp flying its own specially designed banner.

Students were assigned to five different learning stations in both camps. Professional re-enactors drilled students on the rudiments of marching. ìMedicsî familiarized students with the conditions of Civil War medicine and the treatment of wounded soldiers on the battlefield. Students probed dummies for Minie balls while learning that the greatest danger came not from battle, but from disease. They also learned that many regiments were decimated, losing as much as 50 percent of their manpower even before they saw combat.

In the ìcamp lifeî station, students had to pitch tents in record time while others experienced free time, pitching horseshoes. The food station provided students a taste of the soldier diet. Students ground their own coffee beans, cooked their own johnny cakes, and dipped their hardtack bread into their freshly brewed coffee. In the ammunition station, students filled water balloons as part of their battle preparations. Union soldiers had eight balloons while Confederate soldiers had only six.

The highlight of the day was the reenactment of the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg ñ the famous ìPickettís Chargeî ñ on an open field at Hoomaluhia Park. Led by two Confederate officers, General Watkins and General Paul, 80 Confederate soldiers advanced from two sides and charged Union defense lines held strong by 140 soldiers who were commanded by Lt. James Knoll. Both sides lobbied water balloons at each other until the order for retreat was given to the Confederates!

As the day ended, both sides sat on the open field to reflect on the dayís events and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, the reasons why this war was a tragedy of epic proportions, and finally, why this was called a ìBrothers War.î

Lt. James Knoll (right), a Civil War enthusiast who volunteered to participate in the event, inspects the Union troops.

Alex Adair í06 (left) bears the Confederate flag while accompanying General Watkins to battle.

■ Margot Adair is an 8th grade teacher at Maryknoll. She recently graduated from the University of Hawaii-Manoa with her masterís degree in middle level education.