Black History Month
Black History Month was kicked off with an all-school meeting on January 16, and was based around the theme "I Know I Can." At the meeting students were introduced to the topics they would be studying in their grades throughout Black History Month. Each grade explored a different era, including the Underground Railroad, Emancipation, the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Civil Rights Movement.
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Students in first grade read books about Harriet Tubman, memorized poems, and sang songs in their unit on the Underground Railroad. First graders performed the Harriet Tubman poem they had memorized for the pre-K students. They also created paper Freedom Quilts, five of which are on display at the Bloomingdale’s store in Friendship Heights.
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Students in second grade studied emancipation during Black History Month. They visited the National Archives to see the Emancipation Proclamation and learn more about how the Freedmen's Bureau helped former slaves find housing and jobs. |
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Fifth grade students were invited to Ford's Theatre to commemorate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday with presentations of some of his most famous speeches.
Nine Haynes students performed Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, and another six staged his famous “House Divided” speech. These students had spent weeks practicing their parts with their teachers and their parents. Each memorized a small segment of the speech.
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Among other things, students in Kindergarten learned about African-American inventors. They were asked to imagine what there lives would be like without the great inventions created by these inventors. Henry said that if Garrett Morgan had never invented the traffic light, "there would be a lot of traffic jams." |
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Sixth grade students worked with Baba C, a guest leader, on a Swahili call and response that focused on teaching students respect for themselves, respect for elders, and respect for their community. Students would respond to a call by doing a step, and when the calls were made in quick succession, the result was like a dance. |
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Fourth grade students studied the Harlem Reneissance. They learned the Lindy Hop in dance class and performed it for their teachers, parents and fellow students in their classroom, which students had transformed into the Savoy Ballroom, where the Lindy Hop originated. |
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In art, students used what they were learning about their era of black history to create a number of paintings and drawings.
The paintings above were created by our first grade students to represent some of the themes they learned as part of their study of the Underground Railroad. Noorudin (left) painted a farm which represents one of the stops on the Underground Railroad, Sammy (center) painted two scenes representing the difference between an actual railroad and the Underground Railroad, and Delarnis (right) painted the Statue of Liberty and the tall buildings representing freedom.
The paintings above were created by our fourth grade students when they were studying the Harlem Renaissance. Sevaughn (upper left), Leland (upper right), Jazlyn (lower left), and Ashley (lower right) created these works of art using tempera paints.
