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Lewis students create lesson plans for Lincoln Landing

(From left to right) Matthew Radziwon, Anahi Godinez,
Katherine Sisto, Michelle Cullen,
Ryan Paymaster, Jessica Van Asdlen and
Joshua Lindsay hold medallions
from Lockport’s Lincoln Landing.

In preparation for the Lincoln bicentennial birthday celebration, ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ students in the History of Illinois course created lesson plans for Lockport’s Lincoln Landing, set for dedication on Feb. 12.

Dr. Dennis H. Cremin, assistant professor of History at ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ and director of the History Center: Urban, Cultural and Catholic History of the Upper Midwest, was the course instructor. He commented, “This was a great opportunity for the students to learn about their state, but also apply their skills. Most of the students were planning on teaching in the future. They had already drafted lesson plans in other courses, so it was a natural to apply their skills to this project.”

Cremin added, “The students brought so much energy and creativity to the project, for example, Steven Meyer created a board game for students based on information on the Lincoln Landing. He created PDF files with the hopes that some students might play the game and learn more about Lincoln, the canal, and Lockport.”

During the class, the students worked in teams and shared ideas. The students had online access to the interpretive elements that are being installed in the park. They also spent time working with the mock-ups of some elements in class.

Jessica Van Asdlen, a history major and resident of Minooka, noted, “In addition to learning about the state’s history, we also became involved in learning about Abraham Lincoln and his connection to the Illinois and Michigan Canal. It was hard work, but it was fun too.”

Lynne Scheffler, principal of St. Joseph School in Lockport, has been coordinating the efforts of other local educators to write additional lesson plans for the park. She has been working with Cremin and The Give Something Back Foundation, a not-for profit based in Lockport that is committed to helping financially disadvantaged children.

Scheffler said, “This is really a wonderful opportunity. We have the students at Lewis and the teachers working together to create lesson plans for the park. We hope to have some of the lesson plans ready for the dedication of the park on February 12, 2009, the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth.”

The student in the class were: Brian Clancy of Palos Heights, Kellen Clawson of LeRoy, Ill., Michelle Cullen and Rachel Stawick of Crest Hill, William Denham and Ashley Muccianti of Tinley Park, Laura Drews of Mokena, Anahi Godinez, Matthew Radziwon, and Amanda Scherger of Chicago, Laurie Klasen of Bolingbrook, Erin McElroy, Ryan Paymaster, and Brad Tyzenhaus of Plainfield, Joshua Lindsay of Joliet, Jonathan Ladniak of Willowbrook, Steven Meyer of Oswego, Sarah Niedospial of Evergreen Park, Katherine Sisto of Orland Park, Jessica Van Asdlen of Minooka, and Mark Wolf of Braidwood.

The Federal Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission recently designated Lockport’s Lincoln Landing as one of its officially endorsed historic sites. Lincoln Landing is a joint project of the Will County Historical Society and The Give Something Back Foundation. The centerpiece of the acre park, on the old Illinois & Michigan Canal, will be a sculpture of Abraham Lincoln as a young Illinois legislator. There are other elements in the park that provide further information on Lincoln, the canal and Lockport.

A Catholic University sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis offers nearly 80 undergraduate majors and programs of study, accelerated degree completion options for working adults, various aviation programs and 22 graduate programs in nine fields. The 10th largest private, not-for-profit university in Illinois is being honored for the fifth consecutive year by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. For more information please visit www.lewisu.edu.