Celebration of Learning Winter 2022: Native American History and Culture
Our end of unit Celebrations of Learning give us a chance to observe a trimester’s worth of shared study in panorama: noting threads, perspectives, connections, and evolving understandings around a common topic. Through this Integrated Study Unit centered on Native American history and culture and the people of the neighboring Shinnecock Nation, specifically, students and facilitators worked together to:
acknowledge both the triumphs and challenges of Indigenous people; dispel stereotypes and misunderstandings
shine light on current issues facing the people of sovereign Nations today
highlight the cultural significance of Native American traditions, beliefs and rituals.
This unit has been challenging, but also deeply rewarding and humbling. And we are especially grateful for and indebted to the many local Shinnecock members who gave their time, energy and expertise to help our staff and students learn and understand the history and current realities of their traditions and experiences. In particular, Denise Silva-Dennis and Josephine Smith both spent many hours with our community, and we are tremendously grateful.
Opening Ceremony with Members of Shinnecock Nation
Many, many thanks to Josephine Smith and her family for opening our Celebration of Learning with a community song, drum and dance circle.
Scroll below for scenes and highlights from each classroom’s Celebration of Learning.
Early Childhood 3’s: Home Life and Traditions
💫Highlights from Early Childhood 3’s Celebration of Learning.💫 PCS’s youngest learners engaged in hands-on explorations of Native American family life, learning how Indigenous food cultivation, dress and daily rituals utilized and honored the natural resources of their environment.
Kindergarten: Symbols and Stories
💫Highlights from Kindergarten’s Celebration of Learning💫 Kindergarten dove fully into exploring the the artistry, symbolism and ceremony of Native American culture and these elements’ vital connection to the outdoors, natural resources and Mother Earth. Kindergarten learned persisting and traditional artistry including pictographs, corn husk sculpting, pigmented paints and wampum production, as well as classic children’s game production and play.
Grade 1: One with Nature
💫Highlights from 1st Grade’s Celebration of Learning💫 First graders are serious naturalists and enjoy every moment they’re able to spend outside. Inspired, they concentrated this trimester on how members of Shinnecock Nation, both traditionally and today, utilize natural resources and materials for sustenance, shelter and ceremony. They explored three sisters plantings, wove baskets, created curved wigwam structures and made their own vegetable dye to paint on fabric in the style of artist Ella Mahoney’s installation “Wind, Water, Waves,” which the class saw exhibited at Southampton Arts Center during OUTCROPPING: Indigenous Art now, curated by Jeremy Dennis.
Grade 2: A Children’s Guide to Indigenous Life
💫Highlights from 2nd Grade’s Celebration of Learning💫 Inspired by field trips to Garvies’ Point Museum, the Southold Indian Museum, Fort Corchaug at Downs’ Farm Preserve, the OUTCROPPING exhibit at Southampton Art Center, a virtual visit with educators from Native Knowledge 360 at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, and a community circle with Josephine Smith from the Shinnecock Nation — these enthusiastic and insatiable second graders explored every aspect of Native American history and culture that they could fit into a trimester, with a special emphasis on children’s roles in tribal life, historically and today. In addition to creating an eight-foot paper mache whale(!) to highlight the historical importance of whales in Shinnecock culture, second graders created child-centered, interactive books to share their learning with their peers.
Grade 3: Water Protectors
💫Highlights from Third Grade’s Celebration of Learning💫 Students in the third and fourth grades were immediately drawn to local and national Indigenous activism efforts and investigated how cultural respect and reverence for Mother Earth and a strong spiritual connection to the natural world spur continued efforts by Native Americans to conserve and protect the environment.
Inspired by a reading of #wearewaterprotectors by @carolelindstrom and @michaelagoade at the beginning of the trimester, third graders connected with Shinnecock Nation to understand how they are using kelp farming and shellfish cultivation to address ecosystem imbalances and generate environmentally friendly revenue streams. Third grade students created interactive models for the Celebration of Learning to (literally) walk visitors through their research. Many thanks to @shinnecockkelpfarmers and @shinnecockenvironmental shellfish hatchery for playing a vital role in our research.
Grade 4: Inspired Voices
💫Highlights from Fourth Grade’s Celebration of Learning💫 Students in the third and fourth grades were immediately drawn to local and national Indigenous activism efforts and investigated how cultural respect and reverence for Mother Earth and a strong spiritual connection to the natural world spur continued efforts by Native Americans to conserve and protect the environment.
In addition to exploring natural resource use and current tribal organization and rituals, fourth graders were Inspired by a viewing of @consciencepointfilm early in the trimester to research the Shinnecock Nation's determined battle to regain lost ancestral land through the #landbackmovement. Toward the end of the trimester, fourth graders lent their voices to the effort with a collective written plea to Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman to return land to the Nation.
Grade 5: Land Loss, #LandBackMovement
💫Highlights from Fifth Grade’s Celebration of Learning💫 PCS’s oldest students in Grade 5 and Middle School, confronted the difficult history of Native American land loss at the hands of this country’s government, and Sovereign Nations’ persisting efforts to reclaim ancestral land. Fifth grade’s Celebration of Learning highlighted the challenges and triumphs of the Shinnecock Nation’s involvement in the #LandBackMovement. Both classes utilized a combination of art, science, social studies and interactive mapping techniques to bring attention to the scope and detail of land loss, as well as attempts to diminish the presence, impact and importance of Native American spirit and culture. Both classes are indebted to @denisesilvadennis and @jeremynative whose education, activism and crucial roles in in both curating and exhibiting the OUTCROPPING: Indigenous Art Now exhibit at @southamptonartscenter and furthering the #landbackmovement were pivotal in our students’ learning journeys.
Middle School: Mapping Land Loss, Adapting to Climate Change
💫Highlights from Middle School’s Celebration of Learning💫 In additional to Middle School’s incredible interactive science experiment illustrating successful, natural land management techniques used by Indigenous people to combat ecological effects of climate change, PCS’s upper grades’ Celebrations of Learning highlighted the challenges and triumphs of the #landbackmovement.
PCS’s oldest students in Grade 5 and Middle School, confronted the difficult history of Native American land loss at the hands of this country’s government, and Sovereign Nations’ persisting efforts to reclaim ancestral land. Both classes utilized a combination of art, science, social studies and interactive mapping techniques to bring attention to the scope and detail of land loss, as well as attempts to diminish the presence, impact and importance of Native American spirit and culture. Both classes are indebted to @denisesilvadennis and @jeremynative whose education, activism and crucial roles in curating and exhibiting the OUTCROPPING: Indigenous Art Now exhibit at @southamptonartscenter, furthering the #landbackmovement and building the @onthissite project were pivotal in our students’ learning journeys.
Early Childhood 4s: Body and Identity Study
💫Highlights from Early Childhood 4’s Celebration of Learning💫 EC4’s learning took a different turn this trimester! Following the children’s emergent interests and inquiries around bodies, bones, appearance, health, expression, independence and self, EC4’s drew together the common threads of identity and bodily autonomy for a trimester long study of how we define, understand and express our physical selves! Their classroom exhibits and activities during the Celebration of Learning truly took us along on their trimester-long journey of coming to understand themselves: bodies, minds and expressive spirits. EC4’s, your light shines so brightly through your work!