On Thursday, March 9, Grade 3/4 students hosted a capstone Open House and celebration of learning for their family and friends to showcase their "The World 1000 Years Ago" projects. Students presented their research related to five global regions: Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, India, and China. The students also provided hands-on learning experiences and activities related to their region for family, friends, and members of the community who attended the event.
"The World 1000 Years Ago" unit is an interdisciplinary exploration of world history over the thousand-year period between 500 C.E. and 1500 C.E. All students in Grades 3 and 4 were divided into five "expert groups," each focused on one of the five global regions. During the course of the unit, each group researched subtopics such as daily life, science and technology, religion, government, cities, architecture, art, and writing. Each group then created a digital presentation and poster board project summarizing their expertise. Students also created interactive activities to showcase at the Open House, such as craft projects, food and drink samples, and games from their region.
The unit is a collaborative effort between the 3/4 homerooms and specialist classes. In addition to their academic research, students attended a special presentation from the Jawaahir Dance Company (Jawaahir means “jewels” in Arabic) which taught the students about the beauty and drama of Middle Eastern dance. They also worked with local artist Aldo Moroni on crafting, building, and re-creating small building and civilization prototypes.