The Mission Inn Foundation has developed a new website project, “Hands on History,” that integrates the object-based learning implemented through the Mission Inn Foundation's Family Voices educational program and the history and content of the Mission Inn collections. The primary audience for the interactive website is grades 3-12. The museum has extensive experience in providing educational services to all aforementioned grades through its Family Voices and other educational programs. The website will feature learning modules based on artifacts from the Mission Inn collections. Each module will trace the history of the object(s), relate it to the history of the site, list appropriate bibliographic information and provide links to related resources. For example, the “California Mission” module will feature examples of the Henry Chapman Ford Mission Paintings, a short biography of the artist, explain the usefulness of the paintings to historians and archeologists, and provide links to other California Mission sites. Lesson plans matched to the California Education Framework will be available for access by teachers and home schools. The project uses the California State Archives website as a model (see learncalifornia.org). The educational component of the Hands on History website will be pilot tested and evaluated at an elementary, middle and high school in the Riverside area prior to use throughout the county student population and by the general public.

The current structure of the website was designed to be of maximum benefit for teachers and students grades 3-12. With the input of a team of education advisors, the website features lesson plans for each of the eight historic themes, or modules. Each lesson plan is “object-based,” so that the subjects are explored through the art and artifacts selected from a wealth of historic collection materials. The use of local and regional historic materials has given us the opportunity to bring history to life for students and apply it to real-life situations. With our use of area history resources, many related publications and materials are also available through the Museum Store section of the website. Our tour program, which features a walking tour to many areas of the Mission Inn not otherwise accessible to the public, is also a wonderful complement to the website.

For teachers, the subjects lend themselves to offer a rich array of lesson extension possibilities. The subjects are also developed into different strands for use by GATE students, and 3 levels of English Learners: Beginning, Middle, and Advanced.

All the lesson plans have been developed to be in alignment with the California State Standards. The applicable standards vary for each of our eight themes and recommended grade levels. For elementary grade levels, standards include History-Social Sciences, English-Language Arts, and Mathematics. For middle and high school grades, applicable standards include History-Social Science and English-Language Arts.

For each theme, the lesson plans are also aligned with the California Standards Tests (CST). Many of the student exercises are modeled on the CST Blueprints adopted by the State Board of Education, and closely mirror released questions from previous tests.

Through the 2005-06 school year, the Mission Inn Museum will begin pilot testing the project at different school sites. The feedback from the pilot testing will be used to adjust and refine our approach as the lesson plans continue to be added to each theme. The pilot testing will continue in the 2006-07 school year, while additional portions of the website are brought online for public use.

We cordially invite your participation and feedback! All users – teachers and students alike – are asked to complete the simple evaluation forms provided in the feedback section of the website.

John Worden Project Director
johnworden@missioninnmuseum.com

Virginia Fesunoff Technical Committee Chair
virginiafesunoff@missioninnmuseum.com

Rob Dudley Web Designer
rob@zhappo.com

Steve Spiller Historical Research Advisory Team Chair
stevespiller@missioninnmuseum.com

Historical Research Advisory Team:

H. Vincent Moses, Riverside Metropoliton Museum Director

William Swofford, Riverside Public Library, Local History Resource Center

Vicki Kelley Educational Advistory Team Chair
jvkdesigns@aol.com

Educational Research Advisory Team:

Jacqueline Avritt - RCOE Coordinator of Regional School Improvement

Jane Moore - RCOE Regional Director

Marsha S. Locke, Ed.D. - RUSD Director Secondary Education

Glenda Winn - RUSD Teacher - Thomas Rivera School

Marie Coover - Lesson Plan Development - Amelia Earhart Middle School

Hands on History is made possible in part by a generous grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent Federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities. The Institute fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation's 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries. The Institute also encourages partnerships to expand the educational benefit of libraries and museums. Created by the Museum and Library Services Act of 1996, P.L. 104-208, IMLS administers the Library Services and Technology Act and the Museum Services Act. In 2003, Congress reauthorized the Museum and Library Services Act, P.L. 108-81, reaffirming the vital role that museums and libraries play in our communities. The Institute receives policy advice from the Presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed National Museum and Library Services Board.

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