From the Battlefield to Babylon Grade School

As an extension of their classroom lessons, fifth-graders at Babylon Memorial Grade School had the chance to experience the Civil War in a tangible way when members of the 14th Brooklyn Company E visited to conduct a living history encampment program called “The Red-Legged Devils.”

During the event, the students rotated through a series of stations filled with museum-quality historic reproductions and artifacts to learn about the militia’s efforts during the Civil War. From the significance of the number of buttons found on their uniforms to the proper way to salute during a wartime drill or ceremony, the students learned a number of interesting facts about the weapons used during the Civil War, the roles of women and children during that time, and the life of the soldiers.

 Crossing curricular areas, in addition to the workshops with the militia representatives, the students have been working on a number of literacy- and technology-based projects.

Several classes created historical fiction books while others crafted non-fiction pieces. With the help of school librarian, Amy Csorny, the students in Rayna Zwerlein’s class created a technology piece called Educreations. All fifth-graders worked on a PowerPoint program with technology teacher Stephen Fasciani.