Fourth-grade students at Rockdale Intermediate School explored the crannies of the Alamo, wandered the halls of the state Capitol and got peeks of native American life at a state history museum without leaving their desks last month.
The students of teachers Renee Knesek and Elisha Betchan spent the day learning of Texas’ past virtually.
“With field trips put on hold, we just wanted to show them what the state has to offer,” Knesek said.
“Texas is such a cool state and they got to visit important and historical places such as the Alamo and the Capitol,” she said.
The virtual trip fit right in to the school’s “Texas in the making” curriculum, she said.
The students said they enjoyed traveling around the state via their laptops.
“I learned what it was like back then. I learned what they used that we don’t use anymore,” said Arturo Aguilar, 10, whose favorite subject now is social studies.
“It’s kind of crazy to see how the Alamo looked back then and how it looks now,” he said.
What struck Angel McQuinn, 10, was the seeing exhibits in the monks’ chamber.
“I take karate and we have to take history before form,” she said. Seeing the monks’ chamber reminded her of the Buddhist monks that practice martial arts.
In addition to karate, she likes reading books, with the late Roald Dahl’s “The BFG” being one of her favorites.
Katherine Lepe, 9, liked the tour, too.
“They told you what happened back in that time so you can know how the state became what it is today,” she said.
She also learned about the Cenotaph.
“I learned that a bunch of people were in the Alamo and there is something by the Alamo that has the names of people who died there,” she said.
David Martinez, 10, liked almost everything there was about the classroom trip.
“I learned what was inside the Alamo,” he said. “All about the battles for Texas Independence and all the regions of Texas and all the Spanish explorers,”
Even though he liked his trip through Texas history, he likes math better.
“I like doing division and multiplication,” he said.
In addition to the visual tours, students also received T-shirts, a stuffed animal, activity books and games.
All in the all, the teachers said it was an experience well worth the time and money.
“I learned a lot, too,” Knesek said. “There was a lot presented in an entertaining manner that was conducive to learning.”
The funds to pay for the day trip didn’t come out of the school district’s budget.
The teachers used Donor Choose, which is a nonprofit website that helps public school teachers get funding for materials and experiences that will help their students learn, to raise the money to pay for the Education in Action program.
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