Authentic Writing Experience for September - Museum Fun

Consider the literacy impact of field trips. Whether you are a teacher, a homeschooler, or simply a parent looking for something to do when school is not in session. Why not check out your local museum? This month's Authentic Writing Experience is all about museum fun. Museums are perfect for both family adventure and class field trips. Your city or town probably has some type of museum. The less well-known it is, the more unique it may be to your location. A trip to a museum may even inspire creativity! The two museums below influenced the setting of my new book, The Raven Remix: A Mashup of Poe Titles.

The image on the left is The Edgar Allan Poe House in Baltimore.  In 1832, Poe moved into this house with his aunt, Maria Clemm, his grandmother, Elizabeth Cairnes, and his first cousin, Virginia, who later became his wife. This house where Poe got his start as a short story writer is now a museum open to the public. 

The image on the right is the Poe Museum in Richmond, VA. Poe lived in Richmond with the Allan family for most of his early life. Although he did not live in this particular house, it was around at that time and likely a place he visited. It is the oldest house still standing in Richmond and contains items from places that Poe did live such as his writing desk, a bed, and a staircase. I first visited the Richmond location two years ago when my daughter started graduate school at VCU. I returned this past May when I was there for her graduation. Chris Semtner, the curator and the artist who created the raven painting in the photo, took me on a personal tour where I learned fascinating details about Poe's life and his strange death. The cause is still a mystery. In October, in celebration of Halloween and the Day of the Dead, I will explore a new theory about how Poe died each week. Thanks to the two museums above for allowing me to use photos of their locations in my book.

Although my setting for The Raven Remix is fictitious, it takes place in an old house that has become the Ed A.P. Bookstop, Pet Shop, Inn & Grill. A boy stops by for a visit and meets the host - Ed. When he opens a mysterious book with a raven on the cover, animals appear from various stories by Poe. You can find five of them on the cover. The ebook version of The Raven Remix is currently available for preorder. The paperback and hardcover are coming May 15.

It has been quite a year for museums. While on the East Coast, my husband and I also went to Washington D.C. and visited several Smithsonian Museums, including the Museum of Natural History, the Air and Space Museum, and the Museum of the American Indian. I spent a long time going through the Wright Brothers exhibit below.

While attending the ALA conference in June, we visited the USS Midway. It's a museum inside of an aircraft carrier. 

Most museums now have self-guided audio tours in many languages. This is a great example of how Universal Design, which strives to make things accessible for those with disabilities, is beneficial for everyone. A student with a reading disability can listen to the audio tour rather than reading long passages of information posted next to displays. 

For this month's Authentic Writing Experience, I suggest having students create a photo tour of a museum. They can take just a few photos or several. Then, they may generate a caption to go with each photo. It can be a few words or a description of several sentences. It's a great way to practice summarizing a lot of information into a few key sentences.

PHOTO TOUR

1. Ask if it is permissible to take photos of the exhibits. Some information may be copyright protected, and flash bulbs may damage artwork, so ask first.

2. Take a self-guided audio tour of the museum. 

3. When you come to a display that is of interest, pause the Audio.

4. Open the NOTES section of your phone and take a photograph.

5. Turn on your microphone and record a short summary of what interests you about the display.

6. Turn the audio tour back on and continue the tour, stopping to take photographs and make notes along the way.

7. Compare your photos with those of family members or classmates. It is surprising to see what catches the attention of different people. You may have seen things that no one else noticed.

Below is an example from my tour of the USS Midway. 

This photograph shows the uniforms of the servicemen.  

This is the sick bay. During a battle, men sometimes had to be treated 

in the mess deck where the food was served  

Six people shared this tiny bunk space.   

They kept their personal possessions in a drawer 

underneath the mattress.   

Museums will often offer scavenger hunts for kids. If you turn in the one for the USS Midway, you get a free pair of wings at the end of your tour.

Have fun visiting museums this school year. They are very context-rich environments and allow kids to explore special interests. If you can't take a physical tour of a museum, consider sending students on a virtual tour. 

Be sure to return to my blog each week in October to learn theories about Poe's mysterious death.

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