Description of my class and myself:
I teach social studies and math to three classes of fourth graders. I have 54 students total. I have been teaching for over 15 years off and on. I taught PE/Health for seven years, I have taught 2nd grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, and junior high. This is my third year teaching fourth grade social studies and math at Antoninus and I love it. My students are very enthusiastic about learning new concepts and new ways to solve problems.
My teaching mission is very simple. I want my students to take what they learn in my class and use it to succeed in the future. I want to teach them to be opened minded, kind to one another and people they come in contact with on a daily basis. I want to them to learn to have a positive attitude and a self esteem that will carry them through life.
My students know how important they are to me and how much I respect them. I always tell them to keep God in their lives and he will provide.
SMILING IS ADDICTIVE!!!!
History of project
The project on the Underground Railroad started two years ago in my fourth grade class. The students had to learn about slavery and how it affected Americans. I started researching on the Underground Railroad and found several educational sites. I fould two particular sites that I thought would be interesting for my students to make a project out of. I took both sites and came up with my own project for my students to do. The first time we did it, it more time then I wanted too. But, my students really enjoyed the project and my future students couldn't wait for their turn. This year it went much smoother because I evaluated the project and took out items that were not necessary to use. The one part of the project I threw in as an extra, was having the students pick out a slave name. You can find the link on the URR link. The kids used their slave name when they presented their papers.
You can add your own information or flare to the project to make it even more interesting and fun for the students. I always say "The more the Merrier"
Our users
A typical user for this web site would be educators or history buffs. I know as a teacher it can get time consuming researching different web sites for a lesson. With this web site, there are a lot of links, activities, lessons, and facts all in one place. I hope you find what you're looking for.
Contact
Ellen Vonderahe
Search site
Harriet Tubman:
Did you know that Harriet Tubman also known as "Moses" was a slave who ran away and escaped to freedom. She was the founder of the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad wasn't an actual railroad, it was trails or pathways that slaves used to guide them to Canada where they could be free. Harriet was called the "Conductor" because she was the person to guide the slaves through the Underground Railroad. Harriet went back to the south 19 times to guide more then 300 slaves to freedom. Harriet didn't do this work all on her own, she had 100's of people along the way to help the slaves find freedom. You can find out more about Harriet using the URR links.
"The Stairway to Freedom"
This photograph shows the "Freedom Stairway," the one hundred steps leading from the Ohio River to the John Rankin House in Ripley, a station on the Underground Railroad. John Rankin (1793-1886) was a Presbyterian minister and educator who devoted much of his life to the antislavery movement. The house has several secret rooms in which slaves were hidden. A light was placed in the window of the house to indicate that it was safe for slaves to approach. The John Rankin House is now a museum, part of the Ohio Historical Society's state-wide network of historic sites.
