A journey back in time

Lauren Vane

Jane Gardner’s fourth-grade class at Kettler Elementary School spent

Monday morning going on a walking tour of California without having

to leave the room.

California Weekly Explorer, a company that offers interactive

history lessons to students, took the students on a trip back in time

to learn the state’s history.

Presenter Rick DeLung and his teaching assistant, Herbie the time

machine, began the program with a vivid history lesson.

“We’re going to ask Herbie to go back in time and visit

California,� DeLung said. “Cover your head, cover your eyes.�

The students complied as Herbie’s computerized voice was broadcast

throughout the classroom.

“You may open your eyes, you have arrived at your destination,�

Herbie said.

When the students lifted their heads, they were still in

California, but the year was 1542. As the fourth-graders looked up,

they saw a classmate standing at the front of the classroom, dressed

in period clothing and holding a sword and waving a Spanish flag.

DeLung addressed the student as Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the first

European explorer to discover California. DeLung helped the student

give a speech as the Spanish national anthem played in the

background.

Walk Through California and California Weekly Explorer’s other

social studies programs use role-playing and team competition to

engage the students in the lesson. They encourage students to dress

in costumes to enhance their learning experience.

After spending some time in 1542, the class traveled to the year

1769, where another classmate greeted them in the form of Father

Junipero Serra, the first missionary to come to California.

During the lesson, the students were divided into four teams and

competed against each other, gaining points for participation,

listening and answering questions.

Each student had an “expert card� with a word and its definition,

such as farm produce, island and aqueduct, all having something to do

with California state history.

When the students heard their word mentioned during the lesson,

they had the opportunity to come to the front of the classroom and

explain the definition and give an example. If the student answered

correctly, their team won points.

Regardless of the score, though, each of the students shared a

common prize. In between the “time travel� and team competition,

Gardner’s students had no time to daydream or be bored.