Cowee 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. […]
No 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. […]
This 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 […]
Students 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. […]
This 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. […]
Most 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. […]
DigitalHeritage.org includes essays, video interviews, and other materials created by the students of Western Carolina University. It also includes regional lesson plans created by teachers participating in the Adventure of the American Mind project sponsored by the Library of Congress. Radio spots created by WCU faculty and students may be heard on stations WKSF-FM, WMXF-AM, WPEK-AM, WWCU-FM, and WWNC-AM. A print version is available each month in the Laurel of Asheville.
