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Third graders tour local canal sites in Miami and Erie bicentennial learning day
Summary
Middletown City Schools partnered with local organizations to give all third graders an experiential learning day about the Miami and Erie Canal, visiting five sites and supporting classroom lessons tied to local history.
Middletown City Schools took all third graders on an experiential learning day in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Miami and Erie Canal, the district said at the board meeting.
The project was a partnership between Downtown Middletown, the Middletown Historical Society, Midpoint Society, Midpoint Library and the district’s curriculum department. The program served roughly 450 third graders and included visits to five nearby locations: the Excello Dock (with Sam Ashworth), downtown murals (with Mary Johnson), the Canal Museum and a picnic at Smith Park. Teachers received preparatory lessons from partners in advance of the trips, and district staff coordinated logistics for the two days of visits.
The superintendent and board members praised the partnerships and the planning that organizers said took about a year to arrange. Tracy Neely and other staff prepared classroom lessons so students would have context before the outings. The board framed the activity as an example of “eroding the walls of school” by bringing curriculum into the community.
Board members described the day as a successful experiential learning opportunity that connected students to local history and civic institutions; no formal board action was required.
