1. Jackdaws
Jackdaws are a collection of artifacts related to a book used for class reading or
study to help stimulate interest in the topic and broaden students’ schemas.
There is a company out of New York that supplies collections of hands-on primary
source artifacts by period, geographical location or interest. http://jackdaws.com/
For example, when reading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, the teacher can begin
by sharing maps of Amsterdam and memorabilia from World War II (photos,
letters, coupons, flags, newspapers, etc.) Building background knowledge with
such collections helps children understand the time period, setting, characters,
and events. Such hands-on experiences makes the reading more real and is often
quite helpful to struggling readers who may need more concrete ways to see
what’s taking place.
There is no limit to what might be collected. Teachers might want to consider:
Maps of the location of the story
Newspapers from the time period
Clothing worn by characters
Pictures from books, catalogues, photos
Songs from the time period
Household items from the time period (cameras, phones, ice box,
games, books, etc.)
Letters or postcards