Field teachers are responsible for groups of 10 students. Visiting schoolteachers and chaperones are welcome to accompany groups. Focusing on hands-on discovery learning, the W. Alton Jones Campus curriculum addresses many of the Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut state education standards. The campus, rich with evidence of pre-historic and historic sites, buildings, and artifacts makes our living history, archaeology, Native skills, farm life, early American history, and underground railroad programs come to life you really feel like you ve gone back in time. Social Sciences Living History immerses students in a rural Rhode Island community in the 1830s through role play.
Students meet a variety of characters, including a farmer, housewife, schoolmaster, and blacksmith.
Archaeology shows students the basic principles of archaeology through hands-on discovery as they excavate a historic site. They dig quadrants, sift for artifacts, wash, catalog, and discuss the findings. Native Skills teaches students about the region s Native American tribes, living skills, and lifestyles, and includes a visit to a replica of a Native American living area. Farm Life includes a visit to Woodvale Farm where students learn about agriculture, animal husbandry, and organic gardening. Early American History gives students the chance to investigate foundations, stone walls, and historic cemeteries and learn about early American farm life and the concept of succession.