by Brigitte DeHaven, Upper Elementary
We recently finished the reading of The Winter of Red Snow, which is a historical fiction book from the Dear America series. It is set in Valley Forge, PA, when Washington’s troops wintered there during the American Revolutionary War time. The students were given the assignment to read an additional book from the same period and do an interactive project based on their book. All had historical fiction except for two who had non-fiction.
Each student raised the bar for the next student in their presentations. They were ALL amazing. One student told his mom that Ms. Brigitte had said that his project was good. He then remarked that I would say that to everyone! I think that what I probably said was that the project was FUN!
The students all determined their own projects. I gave them some examples of past projects and some other ideas, but they came up with their own. Let me share briefly with you the projects:
One student taught us what it was like to be a Revolutionary war soldier. He shared some about women’s roles in the war–and they didn’t just cook, sew, and clean! He also identified a “character” from our fiction reading who was a real person. He will tell us a little about some other “real” people on Monday.
A 4th grader put on the persona of “Felicity” and trained us in the proper manner to serve a formal tea, a skill that was essential for some colonial girls to learn. We used china and grandma’s silver tea set on a table beautifully set with lace. She also filled us with yummy tea, stupendous cranberry/orange scones (which she declared that “Dad made”), and extra sugar!
A 5th grader told us about the life of Phyllis Wheatley, a slave who was well recognized for her poetry. We learned that she was even invited to visit the queen! This student learned so much about Ms. Wheatley that she spotted her on the cover of another reference book that we had in the classroom. She finished her presentation by showing us how to play “Yankee Doodle” on her fife, providing us with “drums,” and leading our Fife and Drum group up and down the hall–singing Yankee Doodle.
Another student created stories where the students were given roles and choices to determine their eventual outcomes. Some of the student characters “died,” but some met with much more interesting ends, providing us with some comic relief. She also provided us with the opportunity to taste fabulous Shrewsbury cakes (cookies) which “Ann” made in the book–we have the recipe!–and to churn whipping cream into fresh butter using an antique churn. The whole school was able to get a small hand in this project…and a taste.
A 5th grader told us some fun facts about George Washington as we each poked, rolled, shaped, and curled clay to create a unique bust of the General. She will assist us as we complete these busts early next week. There were lots of compliments going around the table as we each found our inner sculptors!
A 3rd grader created a skit and set the stage for a tavern scene. The students recreated his story about a young boy who was a spy for the colonists. His skit included props–even a box where young “Will” hid as he set the scene and did his spying.
And finally, one of our 5th graders came supplied with 3 bags of goodies for the students to do Reader’s Theatre based on her book. Some students had dual roles, forcing them to change costumes between scenes. Even the teacher got a role as narrator. The students were so excited to find out their roles and don the costumes. And, since sticky buns played a prominently repeated role in the book, we got to partake of some of them as well.