Education

History Enacted

By Amanda Jones — March 21, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Science fairs have long been an education staple, but students in Florida displayed their knowledge of a different subject this week. The Polk County History Fair’s theme of “Triumph and Tragedy” inspired interactive exhibits on the Black Death, Galileo’s criminal trial, the Warsaw ghetto, and other scenes from the past. Two students even performed a skit on the history of standardized testing. “Anyone can sit in a classroom all day and learn,” said Brittany Stephens, one half of the testing-skit duo. “But with the [history fair], you get involved and care about your subject.” Rozy Scott, the district’s American history grant manager, couldn’t help noticing the irony in Stephens’ choice of subject. Scott suspects schools’ growing focus on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which does not include a history portion, contributed to decreased participation in the fair this year.

Related Tags:

A version of this news article first appeared in the Web Watch blog.