When we arrived at the museum, Ms. Ogle separated the class into smaller groups so we could interact and share more. Instead of tickets, we all received stickers before entering the very modern but vintage-style museum.
Soon after we entered, we learned that the museum was opened to grow awareness about the very sad and unknown history of the events after the attack of Pearl Harbor. We were asked to choose an image of an artifact used during the time when Manzanar took place. My group (Grace Maxwell, Patricia Schroeder and I) chose a vintage but very historical typewriter. I initially thought it was used by someone who lived in Manzanar to write letters or stories, but I learned I was wrong. The typewriter was used to write newspaper articles and to unite the people of Manzanar.
My group presented the facts about the typewriter so others could learn from our research. Later, we learned how to make origami, though I wasn't the best at that. Still, it was interesting to learn how certain folds can create such a beautiful piece of 3D artwork.
When we finished our three pieces of origami, we crossed the street to a tiny movie theater. There we watched a 20-minute video about the dark history of Manzanar. It went deeper into the forgotten history of our society and I thought it was very interesting.
Overall, I thought this field trip was a success and I am excited to watch younger students experience the same field trip my class was able to take last Wednesday.
Written by: Sofia Youngs 7th grade