In November the students have been learning all about early Americans. While taking a trip to the past the students have studied many interesting topics concerning Native Americans and Pilgrims. 
    
We started the month by introducing Native Americans. We explained to the children that the Natives were the first peoples to inhabit the continent of North America. We introduced various tribes and their different lifestyles focusing mainly on parts of the United States. The children learned that Natives still exist today and they have adapted to more modern ways of life. To understand their need for survival in the past, the children put together booklets that described life of Natives in the past and the present. The booklet revealed styles of culture, shelter, food, skills and jobs that are affiliated with Native Americans in the past and present day.  The children viewed pictures of various tribal dress and shelters. They were taught how the first peoples used buffalo, deer, trees, clay, and other natural resources to make clothes and shelter for themselves. The children learned that each tribe needed housing and clothes that would fit their lifestyle and highly depended on the climate of their particular environment.  We also spoke of agricultural tribes and nomadic tribes. We used the longhouses made by Iroquois tribes as an example of agricultural homes and teepees made by the Plains Indians as nomadic homes. The children then used fabric shapes from felt to decorate their own teepees.
     
We also touched on culture and food. As an example of a celebration, we spoke about pow-wows.  We explained that a pow-wow is an important ritual to many Natives because it is a time to come together to worship, play drums, and dance. We spoke about how highly respected music is and learned a song about the rhythm of a Native American drum.  The children were offered rhythm sticks to play along. The students were asked if they were to have a pow-wow to celebrate something, what would it be?  We had so many fun answers from birthdays to Christmas!  We also spoke of how the Natives were highly skilled craftsmen and very talented in making jewelry, pottery and blankets. To enhance their fine motor skills and creativity the children were asked to make patterned necklaces or bracelets.  Next we talked about how the Natives would get food in various civilizations and how this primarily depended on their environment.  We pointed out that here in the U.S they may have hunted, fished, gathered, planted or used combinations of these methods.  We used coastal tribes, who made their living by fishing, as an example.  The children enjoyed a fishing game made of paper fish, a stick, and a magnet.  We also incorporated Language in this work.  For example, the children were taught that many of the Natives used pictures to communicate with each other.  We drew many of these symbols on the back of the paper fish.  As the child caught the fish, they would be asked to describe the meaning of the picture. 
    
The following week we studied the Pilgrims in a similar manner.  We began by explaining that the Pilgrims were a group of people who lived in Plymouth, England in the 17th century.  The students reviewed that England is a country in Europe and together, we pointed it out on the world map.  We briefly talked about how the King of England set rules, and he wanted all people to follow his rules. The pilgrims did not agree that these rules were fair, so they decided to leave England to make choices of their own. The students learned the definition of "Pilgrim" as one who wanders or travels far away from their original home.  In class, the students put together a mini booklet titled "Pilgrim, Pilgrim, What do You See?"  Next we learned about the way Pilgrims dressed at the time.  The children were shown pictures of how woman, men and children dressed.  We also learned that the English were famous for their needlework (Embroidery).  Many articles of clothing including cuffs, nightcaps, gloves, and purses would have had an embroidery design.  In the time of the Pilgrims, floral patterns were very popular. So, the children were presented a work where they could decorate a paper garment with their own unique pattern or design.  In art, children enjoyed making Pilgrim hats. 
    
Next, we studied their shelter and food. The children learned how the Pilgrims built their own homes when they landed in Massachusetts. They brought tools over from England to cut down trees.  We explained that from the wood of the trees, the pilgrims could build a foundation for their home.  They used other materials such as hay, rocks, and mud.  We talked about what kind of foods the Pilgrims would have eaten while traveling on the Mayflower.  They could only bring foods from England that could be stored for long periods of time.  Some of these foods included salted beef and fish, peas, porridge, oatmeal, biscuits, and dried fruits.  The children were informed that once they arrived to America the Natives played a large part in teaching the pilgrims how to harvest and hunt.
    
The following week, we learned about the Pilgrims in America.  First we explained the Mayflower voyage.  The children viewed a diagram of the Mayflower crossing from Europe to North America.  We learned that the Pilgrims sailed southwest and crossed the Atlantic Ocean.  Also, that the ship left in September and did not get to Massachusetts until December.  The students participated in making paper replicas of the Mayflower ship.  We then focused on how the pilgrims built their plantation.  We looked at pictures of what the actual plantation would have looked like in 1627.  They were taught that the houses had dirt floors and hardly any windows. They saw pictures of how dark it would have been inside their homes!  We talked about how they made many of their own tools and how many are still used today.  Their homes were small and only had one room.  Half of the room had a fire for warmth and food and the other half was for their beds. In the photos, the students could see the large fort that had been built at the entrance of their village!  Next, we talked about the peoples that inhabited the land prior to the Pilgrim's arrival. The Wampanoag were skilled planters, fishermen, and hunters.  Their form of shelter was the wigwam, which they built from wood, bark, and woven mats. The Wampanoag also made their own tools to aid in hunting, planting, and fishing.  They were peaceful and generous. They believed there was always enough for all people.  The children participated in a gross motor activity where they pretended to be Wampanoag teaching the Pilgrims how to plant corn.  They learned that the Wampanoag term for corn was Ewa'chim.  During the activity, the students demonstrated how the Wampanoag prepared the fields. The students had so much fun pretending and learning at the same time.  The Thanksgiving Feast was our next topic.  We spoke of how the Natives helped the Pilgrims with acquiring the proper amount of food for their survival.  When the pilgrims had succeeded, they wanted to invite the Natives for a celebration of thanks that became known as the First Thanksgiving in America. The children learned about some of the original food that may have been served.
    
We introduced a Math work where children counted feathers and placed them on the corresponding turkey. In Language, a Thanksgiving Memory Game was introduced.  The cards held various images pertaining to the first feast.  The last topic discussed this week was New England colonies, with a focus on Massachusetts.  We spoke briefly about the state's history. We mentioned geography, climate, people, agriculture and jobs. The children were introduced to the state's flag. They were given a brief explanation of the flag and then were offered materials to make their own. 
    
In our last week, we learned about some famous American Natives.  We began with Sacagawea.  We told the children that in 1803 Thomas Jefferson asked Lewis and Clark to explore the Northwest Territories of the United States. In 1804, when the expedition began, Lewis asked Sacagawea and her husband to aid in their journey.  The children found it remarkable that she was so young and brave.  They were very interested at how she was able to carry her baby on her back and still face the challenges of the trip.  The students learned that the U.S devoted a gold dollar to Sacagawea and they decorated their own coins in class. 
    
Next, we mentioned Pocahontas.  We talked about how young she was when the English people came and started to establish Jamestown in Virginia. We spoke of her father and his important job as a Chief of the Powahatan tribe. The children were made aware of her efforts to unite the Natives and English and to convince them of a peaceful compromise between the two nations.  In Art, the students were asked what they envisioned Pocahontas to look like and then created various Native American faces.
 
The last Native mentioned was Squanto.  We learned how he was of Wampanoag decent and how he spent some time in Europe.  The children were made aware of how he helped the Pilgrims with the many challenges they faced when first arriving in Plymouth.
    
Also this month, we had a special visitor in class to share some of his insights on the Native peoples of America. James' dad, Ed Karshner, came to speak to the children about Native American shelters, focusing mainly on the Navajo reservations and their contribution to American history and culture.  He shared many authentic visuals such as photos of Hogan shelters, moccasins, and ancient pottery ruins. The children learned some very interesting facts and enjoyed the stories he told! 
 
We would like to send out our gratitude to Mr. Karshner for sharing his knowledge with us!

 

~Mrs. Cooper

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