Wednesday, March 12, 2003
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Wednesday, March 12, 2003 |
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Landmark students enjoy Black History Month studies
During the month of February, Landmark Christian School bulletin boards and displays, in the media center and in many classrooms, drew students' attention to Black History Month. Studies of Black History occurred in each of the lower, middle, and upper schools. Every student honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as they listened to his famous, "I Have a Dream" speech broadcast, in its entirety, over the school's public address system. Many commented that they had only heard bits and pieces of the speech before and that it was very powerful to hear as a whole. Here is a sample of the black history studies held across the school. Pre-first-graders investigated the lives of Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr., through a series of books called "History Maker Bios" by Maryann N. Weidt. These young students also learned about the Underground Railroad. The book "If You Traveled On The Underground Railroad" by Ellen Levine was used to introduce the topic. The focus of the study was fair-versus-unfair treatment of all people, regardless of race. These young students discussed the bravery of Jackie Robinson, and his wonderful abilities as an "all around" athlete. They explored the courage it took to take a stand against racism by each of these incredible individuals. First grade enjoyed the books "My Brother Martin," by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s sister, Christine, and a biography of the escaped slave and American freedom fighter, Crispus Attucks, as they began their two-week study of famous Black Americans. Second-graders read about Jessie Owens and enjoyed going out to the track and field area to measure the length of Owens' record long jump. Third-grade students read about Dr. King's life and talked about his cause in relation to how we should love and accept all people without regard to color, etc. Third-grade students wrote about what they could do to promote peace in the world in honor of Dr. King's cause. They also discussed Rosa Parks. In fifth-grade English, students created poems with the theme, "Different, but the same," based on a poem by Shel Silverstein, "No Difference," and the following quote from General Colin Powell: "I will not let others' opinions of me become my opinion of me." Students wrote the poems in Microsoft Word and added clip art. They plan to publish the poem book and donate it to the Landmark library. In addition, these students read the story "The Silent Lobby" by Mildred Pitts Walter, which relates to civil rights and Rosa Parks. In fifth-grade History, students are studying the history, geography, and current events of the African continent. They are making portfolios and atlases, and are having guest speakers. The sixth-grade classes have highlighted the lives of Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, and George Washington Carver in their study of the Civil War. Landmark's eighth grade has just studied the life of African-Americans during the Antebellum period, slavery, and the Civil War. They learned about the 54th Mass. Regiment: the first Black Army regiment, which participated in the Civil War. Over the course of the year they also study the first African-Americans in North America, famous black abolitionists, blacks during the Reconstruction period, and the Civil Rights movement and the people involved in that. Upper-school English students studied "Their Eyes Were Watchin God" (by Zora Neale Hurston--an African American woman) and began a unit devoted to Africa. This included studying Chinua Achebe's book, "Things Fall Apart," and the movie, "Cry, the Beloved Country" based on the book by Alan Paton. More information about Landmark Christian School may be found at www.landmarkchristianschool.org . Here is a sample of the "Different, but the Same" poems written by Landmark's fifth grade.
Birds by Nathan Terry
Birds of a different color, red, white, or blue can be seen in the droplets of the morning dew. Not all birds are the same, with some big, small, wild, or tame. Some of their food is easy to get: fruit from trees or on-the-ground bugs; but, for their favorite worms, they have to dig and tug. To get into flight they use their wings. When resting on a branch, they begin to sing. They sing a joyful song in the morning and at night they are joining together at rest their family together, in a nest
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