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About Us
The Digital Heritage Project is a part of The Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University
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Recent Posts
- Mary Ulmer Chiltosky, 1986
- Stecoah Valley Center, 2011
- Gar Mosteller and Doyle Barker, 2008
- Cradle of Forestry in America, 1997
- Jackson County Genealogical Society, 2012
- Rob Tiger, 2012
- Young Adult Choir, Tried Stone Missionary Baptist Church, 2001
- Bea Hensley, 1995
- Penland School of Crafts, 1985
- John B. Battle, 1983
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Tag Cloud
Asheville Biltmore House Blacksmithing Buncombe County Business Cherokee Community Cottage Industries Craft Revival Crafts Cultural Institutions Cultural Traditions Ecology Education Environment Fauna Flora Folk Life Folklore Forestry Genealogy Geology Government Granny Midwives Health Icons Identity Industry Jackson County Language Literature Medicinal and Health Terminology Medicinal Plant Use Mountain Heritage Award Music Parks Performing Arts Places Race and Ethnicity Religion Swain County Tourism Transportation Visual Arts War on Poverty
Math Archive
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Rocks and Mineral in Franklin, NC
Posted on June 7, 2011 | No CommentsAdventures of the American Mind- Western Carolina University project will consist of the learner building an understanding of the composition and uses of rocks and minerals. The thematic unit will entail conducting interviews, inviting guest speakers, visiting field trip locations, utilizing technology, analyzing and classifying specimens, participating in presentations, and field studies. -
Traditional Dance of Western North Carolina
Posted on June 7, 2011 | No CommentsTraditional dance forms are a direct reflection of the rich cultural heritage of the mountain region of North Carolina. From early settlements through today, a mixture of dance styles from Native American, English, Scottish, and Irish influences have shaped the unique styles of dance that have been passed down through generations. The major forms present today are Clogging and Square Dancing. Fourth graders will learn the influence of traditional dance of Western North Carolina through literature, discussion, writing, math, computer/technology skills, and instruction in the basic styles of these dances. -
Quilting in the Peachtree Community
Posted on June 7, 2011 | No CommentsThis is a fourth grade unit plan using the tradition of quilting to teach NC Standard Course of Study in Math, Reading, Writing, Social Studies, and Art. -
Native American Leaders
Posted on April 7, 2011 | No CommentsThis two week third grade integrated unit will emphasize important Native American leaders past and present with in emphasis on Cherokee leaders. The unit includes literature about famous Native Americans. Students will develop an understand of how these people's lives have an impact on the current roles of Native Americans today. -
Life in Swain County at Proctor and Hazel Creek
Posted on April 7, 2011 | No CommentsThe content area of study will encompass the disciplines of social studies, reading, math, and computer technology. The scope of the unit is to acquaint the students with their cultural heritage by comparing and contrasting pioneer life in Swain County to the changes that have occurred over a period of time. The concepts will be taught in the third grade from the N.C. Standard Course of Study. -
Gem Mining
Posted on April 7, 2011 | No CommentsCowee Valley, located in Northern Macon County, in Franklin, North Carolina is an area rich with gem mines. Gem mining is a hobby and tourist attraction. Students will learn about the history of gem mining in Cowee Valley. Students will explore types of soil, rocks, map skills, cultural traditions, community interaction, and economic resources of this community in relationship to gem mining in our area. -
The Hooper Bald Project
Posted on April 5, 2011 | No CommentsNo bald in the Southern Appalachians has a more improbable history than Hooper. In the more than 130 years of white-man history it has been reachable only by foot horse wagon, or jeep. Yet it had the first bathtubs in Graham County. The first Angus cattle in Western North Carolina fattened on its wild grass. Fourteen Russian wild boars arrived there in 1912 and the problems and pleasures caused by their progeny will make Hooper Bald remembered for generations. -
The Evolution of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Posted on April 5, 2011 | No CommentsThis unit will investigate the birth of a railroad through Western North Carolina once known as the Murphy Branch. We will discuss how the operation and purpose for the train has changed over time. The Murphy Branch portion was completed in 1891 using convict labor for most of the construction. This line began in Asheville and continued on to Murphy. Now over a hundred years later, the train still rides the rails. Upon completion of this unit, children will experience a ride on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. -
Quilting
Posted on April 5, 2011 | No CommentsChildren will use books, magazines, Internet, people from our county and any other resources to gain background knowledge of quilt history, and the stories quilts tell. As a culminating activity, students will write a story about a special memory and design a quilt block to illustrate their story. -
Pioneers of Western North Carolina
Posted on April 5, 2011 | No CommentsStudents in a home school setting compare the pioneer period and the present; therefore, there is greater opportunity for students to go on field trips and explore hands-on activities. The focus is on Franklin, North Carolina, but the information can be used to study other areas in Western North Carolina. A PIONEER SAMPLER will be used as the primary textbook. -
Civil War Experiences in Cherokee County
Posted on April 5, 2011 | No CommentsThis is an American History unit for second graders that focuses on the life of Abraham Lincoln and the impact he had on the war. It also examines the Underground Railroad and the life of Harriet Tubman. Finally it looks at the reasons the war started, some of the important battles, and the life of a soldier, specifically some of the soldiers that lived in Cherokee County, NC. It provides a variety of activities that vary across the curriculum, and it uses the Core Knowledge Curriculum to enhance the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. It also provides a report project that exposes children to important research and technology skills. -
Appalachian Cooking
Posted on April 5, 2011 | No CommentsThis unit plan was designed for first grade students but could be modified for all ages and grade levels. Like other Appalachian customs and cultures, I found Appalachian cooking and food preservation is quickly becoming a dying art. I wanted my students to be involved in learning about the old time ways of raising, gathering, preparing and preserving foods. Students will gain knowledge about their heritage while at the same time gain an understanding of what life was like in the mountains for the generations that came before them. Using information gathered by interviewing people from the region, reading books, field studies and technology, they can gain a better understanding of what it was like to grow up in the Appalachian Mountains and compare that way of life to their own lives today. Lesson plans included in this unit of study meet the goals and standards from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study from the Computer/Technology Skills (Grades K-2), English Language Arts, Healthful Living, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Information Skills Curiculum for First Grade. -
Weatherlore: Weather Signs of Western North Carolina
Posted on April 4, 2011 | No CommentsMost of us at some time have been acquainted with some form of weather folklore. Prior to modern technology, man observed nature to predict weather patterns...and so, weather proverbs became the weather forecasters of yesteryear. This unit focuses on weather phenomena sited by several common proverbs. These lessons include hands-on activities appropriate for the first grade classroom. Activities extend across most areas of the curriculum. These lessons are time sensitive as they are based on proverbs that focus on specific months or weather conditions. -
The Art of Hat Making in Macon County
Posted on April 4, 2011 | No CommentsStudents will use books, Internet, and people to gain background knowledge of hat making and hat fashions. In a culminating activity, students will design a hat that represents their personality and special interest. The students and I spend lots of time in our classroom reading and experiencing books. These books allow us to travel to faraway places and dream about our thoughts as we put them on paper. Below is a story the students and I composed during our unit on hats. The illustrations were created by the students. So sit back in your special spot were your imagination can take you and enjoy our story. -
Daisy Zachary McGuire-Dentistry
Posted on April 4, 2011 | No CommentsThis project will explore the history of dentistry in Jackson County from the 1860's to present day dentistry in Jackson County.