Special Events Before Break

Here are three of the special learning experiences we had shortly before our break:

                                                Author Visit

 

Steven Paulding, author of Life Lessons from Andy Wink (nominated for the 2011 Newbery Award), talks with students about the writing process in general and his book in particular. He fielded several insightful questions from students after his presentation. 

                                       Native American Culture 

The father of one of Ms. Rebecca's students is an expert on Native American dancing. He came and demonstrated authentic Native American ceremonial dancing and dress to several crews. He talked with the students about changes that occurred as whites encroached on Indian lands, about differences between tribes, about how inter-tribal dancing was developed, about reasons whites misunderstand native culture, about the symbolism of their dress, about the connection between dancing and native religion, etc. 

He has competed in the area of  "fancy dancing," a form of native dancing that developed during the era when the last tribes were being forced onto reservations.  In addition to doing two solo dances, he sang songs in the Lakota language, demonstrated drumming, and led the students in a "snake dance."    
 
This linked to our last expedition, which looks at the interaction between European/colonial cultures and those of Native Americans. 

                     Examining Original Documents During Expedition

Students are seen here thoughtfully discussing original quotes from the slavery era.  They are working to determine the point of view of the documents' authors. They then shared their thoughts with the rest of the crew, who had looked at different quotes.