Demo Lesson – Using Museums to Compare Nonfiction Texts
As we gear up for a new school year and classrooms begin to buzz with the energy of back-to-school in-service days, I’m excited to share the final lesson demo from this summer’s West Chester Writing Project Summer Institute. This lesson, created by Abby Boquist, invites students to use museum exhibits and artifacts as nonfiction texts, encouraging them to compare perspectives, analyze multimodal sources, and think critically about how information is presented. It’s the perfect reminder that meaningful literacy experiences can extend far beyond the pages of a book—and a timely dose of inspiration as we begin imagining the possibilities for the year ahead.
And stay tuned to the West Chester Writing Project for an exciting opportunity this year! Through a Library of Congress grant, teachers will have the chance to visit local museums and develop primary source-based lessons to bring back to their classrooms. More details coming soon!
Abby Boquist is an 8th-grade English teacher at Charles F. Patton Middle School in Unionville-Chadds Ford School District. She is also pursuing her Masters in English on the Writing, Teaching, & Criticism track at West Chester University. If she’s not visiting a museum, she is probably writing about a museum, talking about a museum, or figuring out how to incorporate museums into her teaching.
