About

The Grove

Teachers

Credits

 For Teachers

Each tree in the Blue Ridge Community College Arboretum Millennium Grove was grown from a seed produced by the actual tree that witnessed a historical event in Virginia. The 25 historical events explored on this web site were selected based upon tree availability in spring 2000 and not upon a particular effort to include some historical events while excluding others.

 When researching the historical background for these events, I have tried to select material that I thought would be useful to students in grade 4-6. I made a special effort to relate the description for each historical event so it would relate to the current (2001) Virginia Standards of Learning objectives for fourth grade social studies. But I like to think that the information provided in this web site will be useful to you and your students in more meaningful ways, beyond simple preparation for standardized tests.

 For your information, here are Virginia's History and Social Science Standards of Learning for fourth grade. I've attempted to highlight the specific standards that my project will address.

Timeline

 The sequence used to arrange the trees in our Millennium Grove, may not agree with the timeline provided in your textbooks and other teaching materials. This timeline was decided upon by when a specific tree witnessed the birth or death or an individual, or the unfolding of a specific event. For example, the Robert E. Lee chestnut oak, representing his birth, is sandwiched between the George Washington Holly and the Montpelier (James Madison) crape myrtle, which represent the retirements of the former presidents. I actually think this may be a refreshing change, placing a new perspective on some of Virginia’s most important historical individuals.