Tag Archives: Terry Lee Marzell

Teachers: Visit Boston’s Paul Revere house museum to learn more about Colonial history

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Hal Marzell stands in front of the colonial home once owned by Revolutionary War patriot Paul Revere. He is famous for his legendary midnight ride to warn the colonial troops about the arrival of British troops in 1775. The structure is located in North Square in downtown Boston. Photo credit: Terry Lee Marzell

During their summer vacations, many teachers enjoy expanding their horizons and improving their teaching practices through traveling. One of the most interesting places to do this is the city of Boston, where many historical places of interested related to US History, particularly the Colonial Period and the Revolutionary War, are located.

While on a recent vacation there, my husband Hal and I visited the house museum belonging to the Colonial patriot Paul Revere. Revere was an American silversmith, engraver, and bell manufacturer who was also a member of the group known as the Sons of Liberty. He is best remembered for the legendary midnight ride he made to alert Colonial troops about the arrival of British soldiers on April 18, 1775. What school child hasn’t heard poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous lines, “Listen, my children and you shall hear/Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere”?

Author Terry Lee Marzell stands in the interior courtyard of the Paul Revere house museum on her recent vacation to Boston, Massachusetts. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

Paul Revere owned the home at 19 North Square on the North End of Boston from 1770 to 1800. He lived in the home, which was built in 1680, with his wife and the younger children of his brood of 16. The house is downtown Boston’s oldest building and one of the few remaining 17th-century dwellings still extant in the city.

When touring the two-story home, visitors can view the colonial kitchen and family room with its warming hearth downstairs, and upstairs a master bedroom with an additional fireplace and a second bedroom. Much of the furnishings are period pieces, but there are five pieces that were once owned by the Revere family. Docents explain details about the history of the house and are available to answer questions. In the courtyard outside, one of the bronze bells cast by Paul Revere stands in an enclosed case for easy viewing.

Today, the Revere house is recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Teachers who wish to visit the site during their summer vacation will find it open every day from 10:00 am to 5:15 pm. There is a small fee to enter. For those who unable to travel to Boston soon, more can be learned about Paul Revere, his midnight ride, and the house museum, by clicking on this link to The Paul Revere House. To read the entire poem about Paul Revere’s ride written by Longfellow, click on this link to poets.org.

Wherever you go and whatever you do, I wish you a joyful, fun-filled, restorative summer vacation!

 

Boston’s Old State House offers valuable learning opportunity

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Hal Marzell stands in front of the Boston National Historic Landmark known as the Old State House on the spot where the Boston Massacre occurred in 1770. Photo credit: Terry Lee Marzell

I’m sure many teachers would agree that one of the best methods of experiential learning is travel. And one of the most rewarding destinations for travel is Boston, Massachusetts. My husband, Hal, and I just returned from a history-packed visit to this beautiful city, which preserves many landmarks that date back to our nation’s earliest beginnings. There are many worthwhile museums and historical sites to visit in the city, and one of the most interesting of these is the Old State House.

An administrative building has stood on the site of the Old State House since 1657. The current incarnation originally served as the seat of British rule in the colony. One of the most notable features of the building is the pair of seven-foot tall wooden figures depicting the lion and the unicorn, traditional symbols of the British monarchy. Students of history will recall that here, on the night of March 5, 1770, a squadron of British soldiers opened fire in the square in front of the royal building, killing five Colonials and wounding many others. By the next morning, Bostonian leaders were calling the incident a “bloody massacre.” Six years later, on July 18, 1776, Bostonians gathered under the balcony of the Old State House to hear the Declaration of Independence read aloud for the first time. The Declaration signaled the beginning of the Revolutionary War, and the eventual emergence of the American colonies as a new nation.

Author Terry Lee Marzell explores the American Revolutionary War exhibits housed at the Old State House located on the Freedom Trail in Boston. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

Today, the Old State House, recognized as a Revolutionary Space and designated as a National Historic Landmark, is administered by the National Park Service. The structure can be found on a self-conducted tour of the Freedom Trail. The structure and museum inside, located at 206 Washington St., is open to the public for self-tours every day (except some holidays) from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. There is a small entrance fee.

Students and teachers who are unable to travel to Boston could learn more about this important historical place by examining the website at the Old State House. Here is a link to a 9-minute virtual tour of the building. For more information about the Freedom Trail, click on this link to Freedom Trail.

Whether you visit Boston’s Old State House in person or online, I bid you happy learning!

Teachers: Here’s some recommended summer reading

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Terry Lee Marzell

Author Terry Lee Marzell displays her second book, Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and their Deeds Valor. Photo credit: Terry Lee Marzell

I love to tell stories about outstanding teachers. There are so many phenomenal stories that could be told! I believe that teachers represent the best our country has to offer, and, as a group, they are among the most dedicated, hardworking, and talented people anyone can know.

During this summer vacation, you may be interested in reading stories about some of these wonderful teachers. I have included 12 of them in my second book, Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and their Deeds Valor. The educators included in this volume were not only talented teachers, but they were also pioneers, trailblazers, and social reformers influential in America’s history.

It fills me with joy to be able to share the stories of just a few of the amazing individuals who have made such significant contributions to the lives of so many. And it fills me with pride to know that, every day, talented educators all over the country are making significant contributions to the lives of their students.

You can order Chalkboard Heroes from amazon in print or digital formats now. Simply click on this link be taken to the page where you can order. Enjoy!

A visit to Spain’s Alhambra, either in person or virtually, well worth the effort

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Now that school is out for Spring Break, many educators are eager to include travel in their vacation plans. Teachers know that travel is not only fun and intellectually stimulating, but it is also is one of the most meaningful learning opportunities available for both themselves and for their students. Recently, I returned from a vacation to Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar, and while I was there I could see many opportunities for incorporating travel experiences into classroom curriculum.

Part of my Iberian tour was a visit to the medieval fortress and palaces known as the Alhambra, located in Granada, in the Andalusia region of Spain. The place, which has been called one of the seven wonders of the modern world, is visited by thousands every year from all over the world. In fact, for the Alhambra’s outstanding universal cultural value, the site was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

The author Terry Lee Marzell and her husband, Hal, visit The Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Photo Credit: Terry Lee Marzell

World History teachers will note that the Alhambra was the former rural residence of the emirs who ruled Granada in the 13th and 14th centuries. The fortress was built by the Nasrid Dynasty, who governed the region from 1232–1492. The Nasrids were the last Muslims to rule in Spain. After King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I reconquered Granada from the Moors in 1492, the “Catholic monarchs” temporarily established their court in the Alhambra’s palaces.

The Alhambra features three main sections: The Alcazaba, a military base that housed military guards and their families; the palatial structures, which contained several palaces for the sultan and his family; and the Medina, an area where court officials lived and worked. There are also carefully cultivated ornamental gardens, vegetable gardens, and landscaped paths incorporated throughout the grounds. In all, the Alhambra complex encompasses 26 acres.

The palatial zone is divided into three distinct and independent areas. The first includes the Mexuar, a semi-public part of the palace used for administering justice and business of state. The second is the Comares Palace, the official residence of the sultan. The Comares Palace is comprised of several rooms that surround the Court of the Myrtles, an outdoor area containing a lovely, rectangular-shaped pool lined with myrtle bushes. These rooms include a throne room, a reception, and a meeting hall. The third is the Palace of the Lions, a private area of the palace which served as the residences for the king and his family and concubines.

The Alhambra complex contains numerous other structures, perhaps the most famous of which is the Courtyard of the Lions. This Courtyard was named for the central fountain, which is surrounded by 12 lions ejecting jets of water. Alas, the jets were not functioning on the day of my visit. Encircling the courtyard is an arched covered patio supported by a series of slender columns.

Author Terry Lee Marzell admires the Moorish architecture and embellishments found in rooms that surround the Courtyard of the Lions. Note the channel of running water built into the floor at left. Photo Credit: Hal Marzell

Throughout the complex, the royal spaces and formal rooms are lavishly decorated with intricate architectural embellishments carved into stucco panels, and they feature equally stunning geometric tile dadoes, which are lower wall panels distinct from the stucco areas. The most formal rooms are also adorned by lacy-looking carved ceiling embellishments. These ornate decorative features display exquisite curvilinear artistic designs and inscriptions presented in Islamic calligraphy. Many of these rooms were kept cool in the summer months through a series of fountains and carefully constructed channels of running water built into the floors.

Descriptions of the Alhambra have been enchanting readers for centuries. In fact, English teachers will no doubt know that in 1829, American author Washington Irving established his residence at the Alhambra. Inspired by the grandeur of the place, he wrote and published a collection of essays and stories about this palatial city which he titled Tales of the Alhambra. Students may enjoy reading these tales.

You and your students can take a look at a virtual tour of this wonderful historical site at this link: The Alhambra. Here is another really informative website your students can explore: The Alhambra SmartHistory. Students can access another excellent source of information about the Alhambra provided by Khan Academy.

 

Teachers, consider planning a trip to Barcelona’s fascinating Parc Guell

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Author Terry Lee Marzell and her husband, Hal, visit Barcelona’s Parc Guell. The Art Nouveau serpentine bench designed by architect Antoni Saudi, and the elementary school behind them, are part of the area designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photo Credit: Hal and Terry Lee Marzell

Spring break is the time that many educators are eager to incorporate travel into their vacation plans. Teachers know that travel, in addition to being fun and intellectually stimulating, is one of the most meaningful learning opportunities available for both themselves and for their students. Recently, I returned from a vacation to Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar, and while I was there I could see many opportunities for incorporating travel experiences into classroom curriculum.

While visiting Barcelona, I discovered it is impossible to overlook the work of famous architect Antoni Gaudi, known for developing a distinctive Art Nouveau style, which is so prevalent throughout the city. Gaudi was born in 1852 in the Spanish city Reus, and tragically passed away in Barcelona following a road accident in 1926. He is best known for his design of the city’s Sagrada Familia Basilica, whose construction is still in progress. But this famous church is not the topic of today’s post.

In addition to the Sagrada Familia, my husband and I visited Gaudi’s Parc Guell, a public space comprised of gardens and architectural creations designed by Gaudi to serve the needs of residents for a housing project. The architect was hired by Count Eusebi Guell to design a planned community as an entrepreneurial venture. Guell’s intent was to build the residences, along with other community elements, on a tract of land located on the Spanish city’s Carmel Hill. Unfortunately, the residences were never built, but, fortunately, the park was.

I loved Parc Guell far more than I thought I would! I loved the rolling, organic, wavy aspects of Gaudi’s signature style, which is labelled Art Nouveau. Sometimes the style is described as naturalist, but in Barcelona the term used to describe it is Catalan Modernist. I’m not the only one who finds the park’s architectural design fascinating. In fact, the place was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1969.

In his youth, Gaudi had been a sickly child, and as he lay, day after day, staring out his bedroom window, he had plenty of time to observe the organic and animal forms, earthy colors, and polygonal geometries found in nature. These forms made a huge impression on the child, who incorporated them in his architectural designs once he grew to adulthood and launched his career. Gaudi observed that in nature there are no straight lines, so he deliberately avoided straight lines in his designs. I appreciated the curvilinear walking paths, which were innovative in his day, and the roadway bridge supports that resembled the natural lines of tree trunks. And who would think to build nesting areas into those bridge supports, so that birds could build their homes there? Gaudi did.

The park’s grand terrace serves as the focal point of the recreational space. The famous serpentine bench, considered the longest bench in the world, was created around a playground area. Gaudi intended the bench to provide ample seating for mothers who were supervising their children at play and allow for plenty of conversational exchange. Straight-lined benches, he reasoned, restricted interaction. And the architect was ahead of his time, insisting that the seating piece be constructed with recycled materials. Anyone who visits the park can attest that the panoramic view of the city from that terrace is astonishing.

Directly next door to the terrace is the Escola Baldiri Reixac, an elementary school that was converted from Count Guell’s former residence. This probably accounts for the linear construction of this building, which is so different from Gaudi’s typical curvilinear constructions. The school was not opened in Gaudi’s day, but today the structure is in use. More than 17 teachers work there, serving more than 200 young students. As I stood there gazing at the building, I reflected that Gaudi’s decision to build a school in the middle of a park is a demonstration of the architect’s desire to consider the various needs of all the people that would have lived in the community.

Gaudi also incorporated marketplaces and vendor stalls and created an ingenious system of water conservation to serve the planned-but-never-constructed community. He constructed columns to support the terrace from underneath, and these supports served as conduits to direct rainwater flow into cisterns located underneath the marketplace. Really ingenious. Gaudi was more than an architect, he was an urban planner ahead of his time.

Gaudi positioned a ceramic iguana in a fountain built on the staircase that descends from the Parc Guell marketplace. Photo Credit: Terry Lee Marzell

And the icing on this architectural cake? He also designed two little buildings that resemble the gingerbread houses of “Hansel and Gretel” at the foot of a grand staircase. The architect conceived these little structures as a bit of whimsy meant to entertain children. And who couldn’t be charmed by that the big ceramic iguana positioned in the fountain as you descend the staircase to reach the gingerbread houses?

The entire park is captivating, and well worth a visit for any teacher who may be going to Barcelona on vacation. Keep it in mind when you’re planning future travels! Here at home, a study of the Gaudi’s architectural style would be stimulating for drafting students, and all students could benefit from a study of Gouda’s use of recycled materials and his innovative, environmentally-friendly designs for water conservation.

If travel to Spain is not in the near future for yourself or your students, check out this website for additional photographs of the Park Guell, information, and a virtual tour at this link: https://parkguell.barcelona/en/renovation-works-status.