Written by Ellen McMichael, Grace Na, and Julie Rink ’88, Third Grade Lead Teachers
在有机会复习三年级的课程之后, we felt that there was an opportunity to expand our knowledge and teaching about the Indigenous People local to the vwin德赢娱乐 area as well as the rest of the country. 我们很高兴能得到最后的补助金, 为GA教员提供专业发展机会, 要做到这一点. This allowed us the funding to dig deep into research on the lives of Indigenous People in the United States, 无论是过去还是现在. We then utilized the knowledge we gained in our research to develop an engaging and culturally-responsive curriculum to share with our students.
因为莱纳佩人是第一个生活在这个地区的人, we decided to kick off the year with activities that would enable students to gain an appreciation for the Lenape people. We endeavored to build understanding through off-campus field experiences that had the students sitting in a traditionally-made longhouse, 了解莱纳佩人如何狩猎, 孩子们玩的游戏, 莱纳普人是如何捕鱼和狩猎的, 和更多的. 我们还邀请了勒纳佩族的一名成员,卡拉梅辛杰卖力地, to share her stories and artifacts with our students to further develop their cultural insights.
Our commitment led us to develop a day-long, on-campus event that became known as Lenape Day. 它在保护区举行, vwin德赢娱乐六英亩的自然栖息地, which created a compelling canvas that encouraged students to wonder what the land may have been like hundreds of years ago. The hands-on and immersive nature of the activities encouraged a personal connection to the material the third graders were learning. Our students smelled the smoke from the fire as they gathered around it to listen to indigenous myths; they whittled their own sticks; and they visualized 彩虹乌鸦, a character from an Indigenous myth, and created an artistic representation of this story. 学生 played Lenape games, and they floated down the Wissahickon Creek in canoes. All the while, the beating of drums could be heard echoing throughout The Preserve.
What we initially dreamed up as a third grade team became a collaborative endeavor with so many people lending a hand, 我们感谢他们的支持. 我们勇敢的副老师珍妮·鲍尔斯, 拉奎尔绿色, 和约翰·伯恩哈特, 带领学生进行多站轮换, 充满活动! 苏Szczepkowski, 低年级校长, taught students to handle a pocket knife and how to whittle their own sticks, 和2001年的特洛伊假日, 高中科学老师, 在维萨希肯号上划独木舟时帮我们把船推离岸边. 低年级图书管理员莎拉·莱茨朗读彩虹乌鸦的神话, and 较低的学校 art teacher Keely Jennings shared indigenous art and led a Lenape ribbon art project. Upper Elementary music teacher Jodi Bohr 1760 provided drumming and game-playing experiences. Allison赛, 低年级副校长, 阿曼达·米切尔, 幼儿协调员和招生办公室, 协助确保活动顺利进行. We also want to give a special shout out to our maintenance team who set up the fire ring and took care of readying all of the canoes!
学生 reflected upon Lenape Day in their journals, and what they wrote was truly inspiring. 一个学生说:“我最喜欢的莱纳佩节是划独木舟. 一开始，我有点害怕(我不想撒谎). 但我对自己说，‘我能做到.“我得划桨. 非常出色. 那是我第一次划独木舟. 那是一段美好的回忆.另一名学生分享道:“我向莱纳佩致敬。. Lenape的意思是“第一批人”. Lenape用他们的手做了很多东西. 我觉得Lenape分享很多东西很酷. 有一天我也想成为这样的人.”
经过几个月的发现和探索, the students shared their learning by creating a presentation for the 较低的学校 Thanksgiving Assembly. Third graders provided interesting facts about the historical Lenape nation of this area, 并大声朗读以下土地确认书: “……我们肯定伟大的勒纳佩酋长塔曼内德的愿望, that there be harmony between the indigenous people of this land and the descendants of the immigrants to this land, “只要河流和小溪流动。, 还有太阳, 月亮, 星星闪耀.’
给三年级的老师, it was gratifying for us to see a true collaborative effort throughout our study of the Lenape people. We felt supported in our endeavors to help students recognize the significance of the Lenape people, 过去和现在. 这段经历是有影响和有益的, and we plan to offer this immersive opportunity every year going forward. It is our hope that the valuable lessons learned throughout this study will stay with the students for years to come!
查看更多关于Lenape日体验的照片 这里是smugmug.
