The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum has developed a series of teaching trunks containing artifacts, documents, handouts, and activities that will enable educators to teach a series of immersive lessons focused on the people, events, and themes in the history of the West Virginia Mine Wars. Students will be able to hold history right in their hands!
The lessons included in each trunk have been designed with the input of educators working in West Virginia public schools that teach history and social studies. In other words, the trunks were designed in conjunction with people who will actually use them! We have also designed each lesson to align with West Virginia social studies standards, making them easier to integrate into your curriculum.
With each Teaching Trunk, you can also choose to receive a classroom set of either Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina or Thunder in the Mountains by Lon Savage. This will allow for more flexibility in how you use the trunks and allow you to make connections between the books and the artifacts. Please note that the books are part of the trunk and must be returned with the trunk.
“It was a joy to see my students have an opportunity to experience a tangible lesson on the Mine Wars. For many of them, the Mine Wars was something they vaguely remember from notes in a book or a conversation with a relative. This was changed when the teacher trunk was opened…”
We currently offer three trunks for educators to choose from:
Exploring Coal Camp Communities
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live and work in a coal camp? This trunk explores what life and community were like in the coal camps of southern West Virginia.
As you learn more about the dangers of coal mining and the harshness of coal camp life, you will also learn about how the miners and their families stood against the coal operators and fought for their rights and civil liberties.
African Americans and Immigrants
in the West Virginia Mine Wars
Do you ever think about where your family came from? The Solidarity and Diversity trunk delves into the rich diversity of coal mining communities by exploring the stories of the African American and immigrant workers who made up much of the workforce in the West Virginia coal mines.
In this trunk, students will learn about how miners worked to overcome racial and ethnic differences and forge their own solidarity in the
United Mine Workers of America.
Women in the West Virginia Mine Wars
Have you heard of Mother Jones? What about Ma Blizzard? In Exploring Mine Wars Herstory, students will learn about both of them and even more. This trunk explores the work that women did that kept coal camp households and miners’ tent colonies running. It also examines the roles of women in the fight against coal company oppression, including serving as battlefield nurses at Blair Mountain.
“Having these artifacts coupled with the solid, reflective lessons provided in the trunk brought a layer of depth to student learning that wouldn’t be possible with a simple PowerPoint or worksheet. ”
The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum Teaching Trunk Project was funded
by a National Coal Heritage Area Authority Partnership Grant.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What are Teaching Trunks?
A teaching trunk is a box that contains artifacts, reproductions, photographs, lesson plans, and handouts that enable educators to teach a week-long unit on Mine Wars history. Each trunk also includes copies of the DVDs Matewan and American Experience: The Mine Wars, and a classroom set of either Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina or Thunder in the Mountains by Lon Savage. NOTE: Books may be shipped in separate packaging. The trunks will also include things that the students will get to keep, such as red bandanas and trading cards.
How does it work?
In most cases, we have three trunks in rotation that cover a variety of topics. These trunks are designed to complement units about the Mine Wars, and they are not comprehensive. They are free to teachers and available on a first-come/first-served basis. You may request a trunk here or on our website, and someone will be in touch with you in one week.
If we have what you're looking for during your requested dates, we'll send you a blank Loan Form Agreement to look over, to be sure we're all on the same page. If the terms are agreeable, we'll customize the form for you, your school, or your organization and the requested dates of loan. Sign the form via Docusign, or scan it, and mail it back to us and we'll ship the trunk to you.
How much does it cost?
We recognize the budget constraints teachers often face, and we are committed to providing our teaching trunks to teachers and schools at no cost. If your school does not fund extracurricular activities, please let us know in the intake form.
Additionally, we ask that all loanees pay for both receipt and return shipping of all items. Cost estimates vary per destination, and will be provided on request. We primarily ship USPS, insured, unless the loanee has another preference or account they wish to use. For teachers, please indicate on the intake form whether your school will cover shipping costs. If not, kindly specify this, and we will work with you on an individual basis to ensure accessibility. Acceptable forms of payment: Check or Credit Card. Please, no purchase orders.
What do I need to return with the trunk?
Each trunk includes a checklist of items that will need to be returned. The trunks will also come with evaluation forms to be filled out by the students that we request be shipped back as well. Classroom book sets are also part of the trunk package and will need to be returned along with the trunk.
What is expected of me/my organization?
In short, we simply expect that the item(s) we supply to you on loan will be well taken care of during the time you have them, and returned to us with care. The Loan Agreement Form outlines, in more detail, our specific loan terms.
We also appreciate receiving any promotional information and materials about your experience with the trunk! We are consistently looking for ways to improve and appreciate feedback.
What comes with the loan?
The trunk provides educators with lessons, activities, rare artifacts, primary source documents, and background resources to explore certain aspects of the Mine Wars. The trunks are designed to be a primer for students to understand the history, leading to deeper inquiries. For a full contents list of each trunk, please explore wvminewars.org/teaching-trunks.
Ready to take the next step?
To request a trunk, fill out a Teaching Trunk Request Form, available here.
