When genealogist Shamele Jordon decided to find a way to bring history alive for students at the Lawnside Elementary School in New Jersey, she found the answer in their backyards in the African American community.
Students are discovering sites and burial grounds in the South Jersey borough, a stop on the Underground Railroad that sheltered runaway slaves. They are also learning about ancestors and historical figures who developed Lawnside.
Jordon, a researcher, teamed with Muneerah Higgs, a retired Lawnside third-grade social studies teacher, to create a Black History Month project for third to eighth graders called âVisualizing Your Past.â They hope to instill pride by giving students a birds-eye view of their history.
When genealogist Shamele Jordon decided to find a way to bring history alive for students at the Lawnside Elementary School in New Jersey, she found the answer in their backyards