Valley of the Shadow, Andy Mink, and SOL's

I thought the Valley of the Shadow project was very interesting and well-done. I wish I had known about it when I was studying Civil War history because it seems to make the history come alive. It feels as if you are actually involved in the Civil War and not just reading about it.

The Valley of the Shadow project could be very helpful for the history SOL, focusing on United States and Virginia History around the time of the Civil War. The Valley of the Shadow project includes a lot of good information that students need to know for the SOL's. It is very important for students to have access to this core knowledge of the subject area. However, it is also very important for students to be able to expand on this core knowledge. They need to be able to use the information they have been given to analyze, draw conclusions, and make inferences. The Valley of the Shadow project is extremely helpful in these tasks because it allows students to see maps, records, pictures, and read primary source material, such as journals, from the Civil War period. These things give students valuable insights into what the time period was really like and allow students to practice their analytical and critical thinking skills. Students can ask questions and try to find answers to their own questions on the website, making use of inquiry-based learning. Through the different types of information available in the Valley of the Shadow project, students can also practice historical thinking because they will not simply be memorizing names and dates. When using the Valley of the Shadow project, students will be analyzing, interpreting, and researching the Civil War, not soley memorizing facts about it. These skills can be beneficial to students when taking other SOL's also, including English.

The Valley of the Shadow project could also help students with the Computer Technology SOL. Students need to be able to work with computers and know how to perform various operations on them for this SOL. The Valley of the Shadow project helps students with these skills because it is online and is very technologically savvy. Students can practice navigating the website, retrieving different sources of information from it, etc. I think practice is one of the best ways to improve computer skills and to learn more about computers.

The Valley of the Shadow project can also be used in different ways so as to be beneficial to both grade school students and high school students taking the SOL's.