Everyone loves a good story, and research suggests that, in addition to being entertaining, a well-told story is remembered longer and more accurately than information learned from facts and figures. If you take a group and divide them into people with varying learning styles, you’ll find that approximately 40 percent are visual learners, 40 percent are auditory learners and 20 percent are kinesthetic learners who learn best by doing, experiencing, or feeling. Storytelling has the potential to connect with all three types of learners.

Knowing the power of storytelling, and with digital content reigning supreme in education, we worked together with long-time member, former board president, and donor Ted Scull to develop a new program entitled SHIPS: Ships, History, Influence and Power Series. This series will largely be driven by oral history, but it will also make use of the power of storytelling to share our three main themes – Immigration, Trade and Leisure (or Ships as Transport)– with the next generation. Primary source images and documents from our archive provide visuals to accompany these stories. The videos will supplement lessons already available and will serve as the foundation of new lessons and enrichment activities for K-12 STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) and social studies subjects. We began the series with three videos on immigration.

The first, Coming to America On Board the SS United States, is an oral history with Brigitte Bentele, and it details what it was like immigrating to America from Germany after World War II on board the United States Lines’ SS United States. It features primary source photographs and posters from our archive and collections in addition to personal photographs provided by the Bentele family. Brigitte and her family came to the U.S. in 1956 because of her father’s job as an aeronautical engineer. Students learn what it was like to be a new immigrant in America who didn’t yet speak English. Our Immigration Then & Now lesson uses Brigitte’s story to teach grades 3 – 5 and 5 – 8 about immigration to the United States. Using oral history and primary sources students will compare Brigitte’s story from 1956 with a boy who came from Poland in 1920. They will also read modern immigrants stories.

Italian Immigration to the U.S. in the Early 20th Century details one family’s immigration via steamship through the eyes of Gerardo D’Amico. Students learn about the business of the immigrant trade and how changing laws and anti-immigration sentiment in America forced the steamship companies to focus more on pleasure cruising. This film provides primary source images from the SSHSA Archive as well as images from personal collections of the D’Amico family and Ted Scull. Images and video from the Library of Congress and in the public domain are also used. The lesson Italian Immigration to Providence is written for grades 9 – 12 and teaches students through a local immigrant’s story. Students will understand push and pull factors in immigration and be able to identify how legislation can affect immigration to the United States. Students will view a local example of an Italian immigrant, and learn about his life in Providence through primary sources.

Our most recent oral history video in the theme of immigration Escaping the Holocaust as a Child On Board the Nyassa is that of a Jewish refugee fleeing the German invasion of Czechoslovakia during World War II. The interviewee, who wishes to remain anonymous, was just five years old when he escaped with his family after having spent some time in France. He then walked through Spain to reach Portugal and eventually received a visa to board the SS Nyassa to New York. He recalls, “travel, for a child, was a relief from the pressure that you felt from the parents and, believe me, by that point I felt a lot of stress from my family. I can’t say I wasn’t affected. but traveling as a child relieved the pressure somewhat.” This story will have a lasting impact on students. In Fleeing the Holocaust by Steamship you can learn about how to incorporate a more nuanced version of America’s role in World War II  by including stories of how some Jewish refugees, not as lucky as our interviewee, attempted to flee by steamship and were turned away from America.

You can view these videos by visiting the Immigration module.

Watch the latest episode on Ships as Transport (Leisure) that features an oral history with Theodore Scull. In Transatlantic Travel as a Teenager, he discusses what it was like traveling via steamship to Europe at the age of 17 on board the SS Liberte of the French Line, traveling through Europe, and returning on the SS Flandre. Ted recalls what it was like on board, exploring other classes, and how he fell in love with this community at sea. He details his experiences traveling across Europe and how this trip influenced the rest of his life. Topics include travel, leisure on board, class differences, post-WWII Europe, and traveling through storms at sea. This video features primary sources like photos and video from the SSHSA Archives and images from Ted’s personal collection and in the public domain. This longer form traditional oral history will supplement many lessons from weather to deck games, and much more. Keep a lookout as we update this program to include more videos and lessons for Leisure and Trade.