Life in the 1700’s was explored by our Unquowa 3rd and 4th graders.  Read below to learn about our day in the students’ own words…

We went to Sturbridge Village, and learned a lot. After we arrived, we were able to walk around the village with our chaperones.

We saw two women farming. We stopped to talk to them and they explained that women worked in the garden with the younger children. They used small branches to help the plants grow tall. We saw the animals and it was also interesting to see where they lived. In our activity we learned about farming in the early years. We made a seed bag and put pumpkin and corn seeds in it. We planted scarlet runner beans in a pot.

When one group went to the printing activity in the education building, we learned that printing was long, hard work. We also learned that to print you needed tiny keys, which were printed one by one. We were able to make our own stereotypes. Our stereotypes were of a person and his dog. We learned that you were wealthy if you had even one book.

Another group went in to learn about children’s games. We played with Jacob Ladders, a twirling toy and tried to catch a ball in a small cup.

We walked more after our activities. We also saw and learned many interesting things. In the bank we learned that they only used coins. We learned that they made the dye for the yarn from sawdust and beetles. When we went to the shoe shop we learned that lots of young men made shoes because it was good pay.

Written by the students

The third grade class travelled to Brookfield, CT to visit the Mother Earth mine.  Upon our arrival, we were shown many different minerals and learned a bit about each one.  Did you know that “bloodstone” was used on the battlefield to treat injuries because of its ability to remain cold? Or that amethyst laid next to your bed is said to catch all the bad dreams? We learned these things and much more! After a short video on the real-world hard work or mining for gemstones, students donned hard hats and headed into the mine. Although the mine was dimly lit, we managed to uncover many minerals to carry out. Our trip concluded with a trip to the unique gift shop where many students bought treasures to take home. Mother Nature and Mother Earth are amazing!

Third graders had a great time learning about life 300 years ago at the Fairfield History Museum.  Students discovered how people used feathers and ink to write.  Young boys would cut the feather tips at an angle to allow the ink to travel to the tip more easily. Third graders practiced writing in a Gothic style and composed finished written journals to take home.  Later, we learned how to make dolls out of corn husks. Once we rolled and wrapped the wet husks, students tied them up with twine. Our creative students even accessorized their dolls with scarfs, headbands and more!

Spring sports in the PE curriculum are off to a great start in PE class. Skill sets and entry level game strategies for lacrosse, baseball and field hockey will happen over the next eight weeks. Fitness and flexibility warm-ups continue as students place additional emphasis on upper body exercises. Additional preparation for the President’s Fitness Challenge will continue this spring as students attempt the half-mile to one-mile run. Let the fun in the sun continue!

Unquowa eighth graders teamed up with third grade for a fun and productive math lesson. The eighth grade students carefully planned worksheets and games to play with their younger classmates. Third graders enjoyed activities such as Cooke’s Calculations, Baer’s Bears and Merlin’s Math Magic. Stuck? Not for long…the older students became wonderful teachers, carefully assisting the third graders when needed. Third graders loved the challenge and impressed their upper school friends.  Thank you to Mrs. Haseltine and all the students for a magnificent math day!

Thinking like geographers, our class created salt dough maps of the United States. After a few days drying period, each student painted the four major regions, major mountain ranges, and the Mississippi River. Accurate map keys and artistic compass roses completed the project.

Mrs. Gordon’s 3rd grade class recently read Born to Rope, a story about a Mexican-American family living in the southwest part of the United States. One family tradition in the story was going to Casa Reynoso, the grandparents’ restaurant. Here, all of the family members pitched in to help cook many Mexican meals. The students enjoyed reading and learning about Mexican culture and traditions. Chef Peter provided an extension to lessons in the classroom by inviting the 3rd graders to make pan de muertos, a traditional Mexican bread. Students used their senses to smell ingredients like orange zest and cinnamon. After a short demonstration by Chef Peter, the 3rd graders went to work kneading the dough and forming it into loaves. Thank you to Chef Peter and our 3rd grade chefs for providing a delicious Mexican bread for lunch!

The third grade recently read The Talking Cloth by Rhonda Mitchell. This is a story of a young girl’s visit to her Aunt Phoebe’s house. Aunt Phoebe is described as a “collector of life”.  One of the things she collects is an adinkra cloth from the country of Ghana in Africa. The adrinkra cloth was originally worn only by royalty, but now is available to everyone. This cloth contains many symbols; from the colors of the background to the many artistic designs and patterns.

Mrs. Burton (and Kai) were kind enough to make a visit to our classroom and share their knowledge of Ghana and the adrinkra cloth. Mrs. Burton lived in Africa for many years and brought samples of cloth from her own collection to show us. She explained the meaning behind the symbols and after third graders had fun deciding which symbols they would use for their own adrinkra cloths. Students (and Mrs. Gordon!) were excited to try on African clothing, too.  Thank you, Mrs. Burton & Kai!! We learned so much from you!

As a culminating activity within our unit on weather, third graders created a “TV” weather-cast. Each weather team planned a weather report for today and the following two days. Student meteorologists explained weather conditions and why they were occurring.  Our forecasters created weather maps on the Smartboard, which included a warm front, a cold front, precipitation, temperature and wind speed. Everyone did a wonderful job accurately detailing weather conditions and had lots of fun in the process!

The Unquowa third grade class traveled to the Audubon Center in Fairfield to investigate birds in our area during the winter months.  After a brief explanation on how to use binoculars, we gathered in the greenhouse to see many different birds feeding just outside on the Audubon’s many feeders. With binoculars in hand, student scientists were given clip boards and bird identification sheets and sent outside on a trail to discover many different species perched in the trees.  Among the sightings were blue jays, northern mocking birds, tufted titmouse, American goldfinch and black-capped chickadees.  Later we joined the fourth grade inside for a live animal demonstration.  Students were presented with a barn owl,  a  corn snake and an American kestrel (a member of the falcon family). We learned about their habitats and diets.  The trip concluded with a quick stop at the gift shop. Thank you to Carol and her staff at the Audubon for an informative and fun afternoon!