Music - Explorers/Trailblazers

What an energetic and creative group we have at Faith! Today the kids came prepared in there Native American Costumes. We talked some more about Native American culture, especially how important music was to their way of life.
We sang our Native American Welcome Song-Gayowajeenayho, as well as America, America. We listened to some celebration music, and compared that with the sad sounds that came out of the Trail of Tears. 
And then we spent some time creating our own Native American instruments.

Trail of Tears - History 1&2

In 1830 the US passed a law called the Indian Removal Act. This gave the US government the right to force Native American tribes to move.  They were removed from their homelands and forced to travel west to “Indian Territory.”  

Many tribes moved without major protest, but the Cherokee took their case to the US Supreme Court and won their right to govern themselves and their land.  Unfortunately, President Andrew Jackson ignored the Supreme Court ruling. He directed the US Army to capture and force the Native Americans to move.  

More than 4000 Cherokees died on the journey.   Sadly, once they arrived in the land “reserved” for them by the US government, the soldiers left them without adequate supplies, leading to even more deaths.

In class activities:

• Learned about the history of tension between European and Native Americans
• Discussed the word 'cede'
• Learned about Manifest Destiny
• Discussed the three parts of the US government
• Made our own Trail of Tears leather bracelets
• Mapped the Trail of Tears
• Created sad paper dolls to remind us of the suffering of the children along the trail

Optional lesson extension activities:

• Read first hand accounts of the Trail of Tears at this site - there are some really amazing quotes that drive home the personal tragedy in this story
• Take a look at the slideshow on this page.  Notice how the Native Americans dress.
• Read Trail of Tears by Michael Burgan
• Experience life as a Native American with this interactive game.

Assignment:

• Read timeline cards 7, 8, & 9
• Practice your timeline

Treasure Hunters: Slavery

FOCUS: Slavery and the slaves' journey to freedom
EXPLORATION TABLE: Painting boxes for a diorama-type project; colored a constellation of the big dipper and then made individual ones with sparkling stickers
LITERATURE: "Follow the Drinking Gourd" by Jeanette Winter
DISCUSSION: the song taught to the slaves with the directions for their freedom, how stars were used as maps, the North star and the Big Dipper (or drinking gourd), the slaves traveling to Canada to be free and how they were hidden along the way in the underground railroad
Listen to the song here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw6N_eTZP2U&sns=em

MUSIC: sang the Rhythm Song and some silly songs; continued with special song and another song you will hear later in the year; practiced learning notes with rhythm cards- kids learning this very well!


QUESTIONS to ask your child:
Ask them about the boxes theywe learned about? and which way did it point them to go?
A: The big dipper - extra points for "the drinking gourd" - NORTH
Q:How did the salves know if the house was safe for hiding?
A:The lantern was lit outside
Q:Where were they going to be free?
A:Canada

BONUS QUESTION: What was the name of the river they were following?
A: the Ohio river

Ask them about the boxes they brought home as well!

Slavery in the Land of the Free - History 1&2

Cotton is a tedious source of fiber.   One person working for an entire day can clean only one pound of cotton by hand.

Eli Whitney learned of this difficulty while working as a school teacher for the Greene family in Georgia.  In 1793 he designed a machine to separate cotton fiber from the seed.  This engine (gin) could clean up to 100 pounds of cotton per day.

His invention was soon copied and plantations throughout the country began to plant more cotton now that they knew how to quickly process it.  Soon cotton clothing became so inexpensive that, for the first time in history, most people had more than one outfit to wear.  This affordability continued to increase demand for cotton.

In order to meet the demand, plantation owners needed more and more workers to plant and harvest the cotton.  They found those workers by purchasing massive amounts of slaves.

In Class Activities:

• Separated seeds from our own cotton bols 
• Discussed the word paradox and whether America was truly the "land of the free"
• Mapped the growth of slavery in the US
• Discussed selfishness and perceived needs vs. real needs
• Learned about black slave owners
• Discussed the 1808 ban on slave importation
• Drew the big dipper and learned about the underground railroad

Optional Lesson Extension Activities:

• Listen to Follow the Drinking Gourd and see if you can find secret directions to the Underground Railroad hidden in the song
• Play at Mission US's Interactive website.  You are a 14 year old slave in 1848.  What choices will you make?

Assignment:

• Read history card #6 - The Trail of Tears
• Practice your timeline

Art - Trailblazers & Explorers 9/16/2014

Today we talked about Genre painting being paintings that depict everyday life. We looked at paintings by William Sidney Mount. He was well known during the time before the civil war for painting Genre paintings. We learned a little of his life and painted our own Genre paintings, depicting everyday life. We learned about color and experimented with mixing paint to make any color that we might need for our paintings.

Art - Navigators & Pathfinders 9/16/2014

Realism Art Period: 1840-1880
The characteristics, style, artists, and paintings

Project

Contour Drawing: Silhouette, Memory, Blinded, and Guided

Assignment

Trivia Question: What was the brush style used for Impressionism Art?

Pathfinders/Navigators Drama 9/16/2014

It was a joy to finally be able to meet all the students and see how they connected with Drama activities.  Every class has its own personality and creativity, and they were delightful to work with.

Speech was our main focus on the older levels as well, working on correct breathing to produce good projection and articulation.  Then their creative juices went rampant as we did activities working on movement, imagination and lastly being convincing acting as themselves.