Bayport-Blue Point School District

On May 31, James Wilson Young Middle School seventh graders watched in awe as black powder shot from a canon, filling the air. Following their social studies unit on the Civil War, students took part in the school’s annual Civil War Day.

Members of the 6th New York Independent Battery set up era-appropriate tents containing several war-time items. Students learned about the items before touching and seeing them up close. They tasted hardtack, a dense biscuit, touched authentic wool uniforms and swords, amongst others items. They even got to witness the firing of a real cannon.

“So many kids come up to us and say, ‘wow, it’s so different to see this in person rather than be looking at it in a textbook’,” said Sue Brinkman, a member of the 6th New York Independent Battery and the school’s librarian. “To feel the wool, smell the black powder, taste the hardtack is a different kind of experience. The chance for me to talk one-on-one with students dressed as a Union soldier is a different type of learning— it’s active learning.”