At
the
beginning
of
the
school
year,
when
Hampton
Middle
School
social
studies
teachers
Jamilla
Afrane,
Maria
Chopin,
and
Riley
O'Casey
collaborated
on
teaching
virtual
social
studies
lessons,
they
questioned
how
best
to
engage
students
with
the
material.
That's
when
an
idea
emerged:
Let
the
experts
come
to
the
students."This was an opportunity for all of Hampton's eighth graders," stated O'Casey. "The unit can be difficult for students to understand, so having an expert there to answer questions helps them tremendously."
For each social studies unit they taught, O'Casey and her colleagues contacted and invited an expert in that field to speak to students through Zoom. Virginia State Senator Jeremy McPike and Prince William County Supervisor Victor Angry joined students earlier in the year.
"They explained their role as a senator and supervisor and the students then asked a myriad of questions," said O'Casey.
Most recently, for their judicial studies unit, the students spoke with representatives from the Prince William County sheriff's office and with the new Prince William County chief of police, Peter Newsham
"The students asked about current events, parts of our unit they may not understand, such as jurisdiction, and what the guest presenters liked and didn't like about their job," said O'Casey. "They are asking questions that mean something to them," she noted, stating, "It hooks them and makes them interested in the unit."