Bringing WWII to life

Ambrosia Hinson, a 13-year old Fairfield student from Ridgeway, S.C., appreciated the new perspective on the topic.

World War II became a little more real to 65 “team one” seventh-grade students at Fairfield Middle School thanks to 81st Regional Support Command “Wildcat” Historian H. Allen Skinner, March 4 in Winnsboro, S.C.

“A teacher is using what they learned so they don’t really have the inside knowledge of what actually happened and what the Soldiers used and what their life was,” Hinson explained. “You get the Soldier’s opinion and everything, all the details and everything about what happened as opposed to a teacher who just learns it from a book or something and they’re using that.”

Sgt. 1st Class Lisa M Litchfield, 81st RSC PAO

Although the Soldiers attending the presentation hadn’t actually seen action in World War II, the firsthand experience in serving their country helped bring a sense of realism to the kids. Michael Glover, team one lead teacher, worked with the other team teachers and Litchfield to arrange for the entire team of students in the library at the same time to participate in the interactive experienve. Mr. H. Allen Skinner, 81st Regional Support Command historian, speaks with the seventh-grade students at Fairfield Middle School. Lead teacher Michael Glover worked with Eric Litchfield, a teacher candidate from University of South Carolina, to arrange the visit as way to bring a different voice to the history of World War II for their students (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Lisa M Litchfield.)

“I think the benefit to kids is they hear it from a different perspective,” Glover said. “A lot of times they are in the classroom when they are hearing the same deliveries it can become ‘white noise’.”

Fairfield students are divided into three “teams” for their classes, with each team having a separate hallway Glover was as enthusiastic as his students when Skinner started pulling out uniforms and military equipand assigned teachers promoting unity and learning throughout the school year. Friday, team one gathered ment. in the library to touch history. The cooperative exerience for team one was the brainchild of teacher candidate Eric Litchfield, a senior from the University of South Carolina, who is finishing his final internship at the Winnsboro school. “I wanted the students to have a more hands-on eperience,” said Litchfield. “For us, field trips are not something that we can really attain so to be able to bring the artifacts and experience into the classroom and let the students participate and touch stuff was pretty great.” The students were actively engaged in discussion and were able to earn Wildcat patches (and extra credit points) by answering questions about the World War II facts previously learned in class discussion, as well as new information learned during the presentation.

Students at Fairfield Middle School, Winnsboro, SC., investigate a WWII replica mess kit during a visit from Mr. H. Allen Skinner, 81st Regional Support Command historian. The hands-on educational talk was arranged by teacher candidate Eric Litchfield, a senior from University of South Carolina, who is completing his field experience at Fairfield Middle School (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Lisa M Litchfield).

“Just hearing it from somebody else, getting them out16

side of the classroom, letting them get a little bit more hands-on with the artifacts enhances their learning,” said Glover. “I think all in all the kids had an awesome time. I think they had a great time. I love the artifacts! As much as I can show pictures in my class, the fact that they can actually put their hands on something that was worn almost a hundred years ago I think was an awesome experience and I think the kids definitely got a lot of pleasure out of it.”

relevant.” Following the presentation and a lively questions and answer session, the students were presented with Wildcat patches by Skinner, and treated to Army Reserve water bottles and pens donated by the Columbia Recruiting Battalion. “That was great,” Litchfield said. “I saw water bottles in my classes the entire day!” Triyvon Carson-Melvin enjoyed the presentation and the gifts, but was clear about what his favorite part of the day. “We learned about World War II and we learned about how y’all had to eat off them little things, the trays,” Triyvon said. “But I liked it when we tried on the hats!”

Mr. H. Allen Skinner, 81st Regional Support Command historian, displays an authentic World War II uniform during a history talk at Fairfield Middle School, March 4. The event encompassed the entire seventh-grade population of Team One and was arranged by teacher candidate Eric Litchfield, a senior from the University of South Carolina, as a way to bring history to life for his Social Studies students (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Lisa M Litchfield).

A Desert Storm veteran, Litchfield hopes that the relationship between the school and the RSC can continue to grow. “I have the experience of being there twice, having lived the history,” he said. “That gives me some credibility, but the students still like to touch the uniforms, see the pictures and have the history tangibly come to life. Mr. Skinner provides that.” Glover wholeheartedly agreed with his intern teacher. “I definitely look forward to you all coming back,” Glover enthused. “I appreciate you all coming, taking the time to spend with our kids at Fairfield Middle School.” “I think that if you can come back, especially when we start talking about Desert Storm, Saddam Hussein, these are lessons the kids are going to see. The fact that they actually have people who are serving in the same conflicts and wars that we are studying in the history books, I think that it brings a little bit more ‘real world’ connection to the kids and makes it more

Triyvon Carson-Melvin, seventh-grade student at Fairfield Middle School, tries on a World War II helmet during a visit by Mr. H. Allen Skinner, 81st Regional Support Command historian. The event, arranged by teacher candidate Eric Litchfield, a senior from the University of South Carolina, was designed as a way to bring a different voice and a more hands-on experience for the students as then ended their World War II unit (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Lisa M Litchfield).

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