Shadows on the Teche - Educational Programming
Educational programs at the Shadows are designed and presented for students from first through twelfth grades reaching over 5700 Iberia Parish students each year. With grants or financial support from local banks and civic organizations, these programs have been presented free to all Iberia Parish students. The current programs presented each year to students are:
1. Growing up at the Shadows-Through the Eyes of a Child: Iberia Parish first graders visit the Shadows in December contrasting nineteenth century lifestyles and their own in preparing for the holiday season. Also involved in this program are over 100 gifted and talented students who enact the roles of children who lived and worked at the Shadows. This is the oldest education program at the Shadows which has been presented for 21 years.
2. Building a Foundation: 1475 Iberia Parish fifth graders visit in October for a dramatic presentation presenting community history and site analysis of the Shadows. Program covers basic architectural glossary and community history. This recently created program incorporates student interaction through developing visual literacy skills.
3. Junior Interpreters: Each summer 15 students participate in an eight week program in which they experience a number of museum activities including working with the collections and culminates with a tour and exhibit on researching primary documents, collections preservation and guiding visitors.The ten year old program is limited to 15 students, primarily middle school age, and usually, a waiting list of participants is required.
4. Oral Traditions: A year-long class in African American Studies: Oral Traditions of African Americans in Iberia Parish is offered for high school age students which includes a weekly visit to the Shadows and various related field excursions. The classes' objectives include learning oral history techniques by interviewing community members and presenting a special focus tour of the Shadows after examining primary documentation.
Other programs sponsored by the Shadows include Social Studies Fairs, with the Shadows sponsoring a history research award in the three age divisions, and an essay contest on Louisiana history open to all eighth grade students. In addition to providing informational programs and resources to students of Iberia parish, the Shadows also provides with advance booking interactive educational field trips for students at any grade level and point of origin. The educational experience is developed with the classes' syllabus and teacher assistance. Some examples developed in the past with independent teachers include daily work tasks, food preparation, landscape, architecture, and slave-related tours.
For more information, please contact Catherine Schramm, Shadows Curator of Education.
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