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In this article, the authors describe how a time capsule project helped students at Ridgedale Elementary School in Knoxville, Tennessee understand the nature of events and the relationships of events in a segment of history. The time capsule preparation motivated students to hypothesize about important events and significant artifacts of their local culture and predict what future students would like to know about the old school and life itself in 2004-05. Students also learned about significant school events as the history of the school was discussed in various classrooms throughout the year. The time capsule project described in this article embraces these concepts relating to history and integrates them in an interactive, engaging learning experience. Developing time capsules can indeed put a "special buzz in the air" at any school while teaching students the real meaning of history. (Contains 2 figures and 11 notes.)

The time is early fall of 2004. For thousands of elementary school students throughout the country, routines for beginning a new school year are similar. Students are getting to know [...]