These 8th graders recently sought shelter in make-shift trenches as social studies teacher, Bebe Nudelman described what life was like for soldiers living in the trenches during World War One. Students had to follow military orders as they peered across no man's land and donned facemasks as part of a poison gas drill. Images were projected onto the Promethean board as Mrs. Nudelman read excerpts from soldiers' letters, diaries, and interviews conducted during and after WWI.

As a culminating activity, students were asked to write a "letter from the trenches" incorporating at least three details learned from the experiential exercise. "Students are learning history through hands-on experiences that reach several of the multiple intelligence categories including visual, kinesthetic, and auditory" notes Mrs. Nudelman. In 2006, District 102 adopted the History Alive curriculum which advocates six best practice strategies for history instruction: visual discoveries, experiential exercises, writing for understanding, skill builders, response groups, and problem solving groupwork.