And We Danced

It looks like westward expansion is about to spark a divide across the new nation, as settlers moving into the western frontier debate the issue of slavery in the new states beyond those acquired under the Louisiana Purchase.

As the southern economy grows increasingly dependent on cotton and preserving the institution of slavery to sustain it (as well as states' rights), Northerners are outwardly declaring their opposition to slavery and the need to abolish it. This tension eventually sparks a Civil War in 1861, creating a secession from the union of seven southern states. This three-year war would ultimately become a defining time in our nation's history, determining what kind of nation it would be. The difficult process of rebuilding a united indivisible nation, free of slavery, would soon begin. 

As part of our two-week Journey Through the Civil War simulation, learners were introduced to the music of this era - songs like Dixie's Land, John Brown's Body, and Tenting Tonight - and connected with the emotions and mood these songs might have evoked among Americans and the importance of music during this time of conflict. When soldiers from both sides marched off to war, they took their music with them to help pass the time; to entertain and comfort; to keep the memories of home and family alive; and to help create and strengthen bonds between comrades. More than entertainment, music provided a valuable way for Americans and enslaved Africans to express their thoughts, feelings and hope about this pivotal conflict. What students were surprised to learn, was that many of the songs and dances of the Civil War era (and pre-Civil War era) inspired the American Folk Music movement, which ultimately inspired some of the music and dances our groovin' 5th graders enjoy today. Square dancing, a modified version of nineteenth-century ballroom dancing, was the inspiration for modern line dancing - dances such as Cotton-Eye Joe, Macarena, and the Cha Cha Slide. We learned the origins of some of these songs (and accompanying dance steps) and how early European settlers brought their culture with them to the new world, forever influencing the music and dance we enjoy today. If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe, you'd never get a chance to see learners doing this:

Poetry Palooza!

Spring fever is certainly settling in. What better way to keep the kids' engaged (and practicing their writing skills) than to have a Poetry Palooza!

Poetry creation rotation stations allowed the kids to move around, to share ideas, and to be their best creative-thinking, problem-solving selves all week long.  These learner-centered activities allowed students to apply their knowledge and understanding of literary devices and structural elements of poetry, while having the freedom to wholeheartedly create and enjoy the writing process. Students created a variety of poetry, including blackout poetry, book spine poetry, paint card poetry, flip side poetry, roll-the-dice poetry, newspaper poetry, found poetry, and haiku.  A culmination of the week's activities will result in 'Open Mic Monday', where, students will present their poems orally to the class next week. 

Perspectives on Westward Expansion

SOLD! Thomas Jefferson just pulled off the real estate deal of the century, purchasing the entire Louisiana territory for a song while nearly doubling the size of the United States in the blink of an eye. America would acquire 830,000 square miles of land containing forests, farmland and an abundance of valuable resources for $15M (equivalent to approximately 3 cents per acre). In addition, America would now have vital access to the Gulf of Mexico, offering open and free commerce for goods traveling via the Mississippi River. Look out, world. America is about to become a continental power.

While the deal would be considered one of Jefferson's most notable achievements as President, it would have equally powerful, yet much less desirable cultural and social consequences for others - particularly, Native Americans, not to mention the Spanish, French and enslaved Africans who had also been living in that same territory at the time of the acquisition. In what ways did the deal affect EVERYONE involved?

Learners began researching and analyzing the impact this deal would have on varying groups of people - from its strongest supporters to its fiercest opposition. They then viewed this issue from the perspective of either a European American (federalist or democratic-republican), Native American, Spanish settler, French settler or enslaved African living in the territory in April of 1803 (just months before the Louisiana Purchase Treaty was ratified). What reasons would they have to support or oppose the deal? How would they show their support for the ratification of the treaty or will they try to convince France to withdraw their offer to sell the territory? Learners are in the process of creating public service announcement campaigns (PSAs) to inform the public about the issue from their perspective, offer a possible solution and request a call to action. The PSAs are being created in a variety of media formats (flyers, pamphlets, videos, etc.), as they learn about the powerful impact PSAs can have on influencing people's ideas and beliefs about important issues happening in the world around them. Couple that with social media and you're looking at future influencers capable of reaching all pockets of the globe and (ideally) becoming ambassadors for good. Stay tuned for more on this. We're using the skills and competencies we develop from this project as a springboard for a future PBL that connects our previous Atlantic Slave Trade unit with our upcoming Civil Rights unit.