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Oak Terrace School teacher Todd Rosenfeldt checks on the work of his students (clockwise): Frank Schorsch (blue shirt), Rock Bahena, Emilio Novelo and Samantha Mahoney.

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Oak Terrace student Julio Deyta navigates the make-believe waters of his classroom to return an artifact to the sunken ship and retrieve another.

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Oak Terrace student Nathan Apter swims to pick up an articfact from the sunken ship, which is outlined with masking tape on the classroom floor.

Students at Oak Terrace School are living history rather than just watching it.

In teacher Todd Rosenfeldt’s fifth-grade classroom, students are actively engaged in the exploration of the new continent.

As part of a lesson to examine the clues as to why early explorers came to America, students are playing the role of both researcher and diver.

A sunken ship drawn with tape on the floor of their classroom provides the impetus for students to leave their desks and swim to the boat in search of a clue, returning to their desk to share their find with their research partner.

Together, they take on the role of underwater archeologists to determine what the object is, draw a picture of it and answer why the object would be important to explorers in the New World under Rosenfeldt’s supervision.

The “History Alive” curriculum allow students to actively participate in history by visual discovery, hands-on activities, working in groups to communicate their findings verbally and in writing.

The result is a memorable experience of historic proportions.

By: JEP1501 At 10/30/2008 - 11:38am |  |  |