This learning tool was developed and designed to facilitate teacher/student and student/student discussion and recognition of significant events, holidays and celebrations within their lives, families and communities and those of their peers.

This lesson plan is part of a multi-disciplinary unit that scaffolds the deeper-learning skills of early-elementary students through the examination of artifacts and cultural experiences throughout the history of Virginia. Through a forthcoming prerecorded webinar that will be linked to this presentation, two Virginia teachers joined by the Virginia Museum of History and Culture (Richmond, VA), provide a presentation on how to use this resource and to consider ways educators can collaborate with museum experts to broaden each student's critical thinking skills and enrich their historical understandings.

This lesson is designed to help students pay attention to characteristics of people and of objects.  Students wil learn about the uniforms and equipment used by community helpers and about sorting objects by their characteristics.