Fourth graders at Oakley Elementary School stepped into the past as park rangers visited their classroom for an interactive lesson on local history and traditional medicines.
Students worked together to arrange laminated historical event cards- including the invention of the Cherokee syllabary, European colonization, the Indian Removal Act, the Civil Rights Act, and the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park- in chronological order. By examining contextual clues, they built a living timeline that connected Native American history, African American history, and European settlement to their current studies of the American Revolution.
“It was really cool putting together the oldest to newest events on the timeline,” said Kelsi, one of the fourth graders.
In the second half of the visit, rangers introduced traditional herbal remedies, challenging students to match specific ailments with the plants historically used to treat them. Students observed and smelled herbs while learning how natural resources were used for healing across cultures.
“It was really fascinating,” said fourth grader Regan. “My favorite part was when they showed us how different plants can be used as medicine.”
Fourth grade teacher Lillian Weis said the lesson was especially meaningful because it reinforced classroom learning while keeping students actively engaged.
