Next week my Brentwood School first graders will study a bit of American history...the journey of The Pilgrims to America. We will spend the week learning about the Pilgrims' experiences, their ship~ The Mayflower, and the first Thanksgiving feast.
To prepare my lessons about the first Thanksgiving I looked up some interesting information about the Pilgrims' brave adventure which began in 1620 when The Mayflower left Plymouth, England with 102 passengers and about 30 crew members on board. During the 66-day voyage, the Pilgrims faced many storms, two deaths and one birth of a baby boy appropriately named 'Oceanus'.
The captain probably had his quarters, or living space, at the back of the ship, called the stern. This was the driest and most comfortable area on the ship.The common sailors, or regular workers, had their quarters at the front of the ship, or bow.
Most ships at that time were merchant ships. This means that they were made for carrying cargo, like barrels of food or clothing. The cargo was probably stored in the lower decks of the ship, in one big open storage area. There were no windows on the lower deck because windows might let in seawater, and then all the cargo would get wet.
So, where did the Pilgrims stay on The Mayflower? That's right, they all had to live in the dark, damp, cold cargo decks down below the crew's quarters. The passengers were 'the cargo'!
I hope my first graders enjoy our study of the first Thanksgiving and the voyage of The Mayflower! For detailed information in a kid-friendly format, check out this excellent website on the subject:
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/
Showing posts with label first grade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label first grade. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thanksgiving Lessons~ 2010
This past week my Brentwood School first graders took a break from the rigorous first grade curriculum to study a bit of American history...the journey of The Pilgrims to America. We spent the week learning about the Pilgrims' experiences, their ship~ The Mayflower, and the first Thanksgiving feast. Our national holiday really stems from the feast held in the autumn of 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag to celebrate the colony's first successful harvest.
The Pilgrims' brave adventure began in 1620 when The Mayflower left Plymouth, England with 102 passengers and about 30 crew members on board. During the 66-day voyage, the Pilgrims faced many storms, two deaths and one birth. On November 11, 1620, The Mayflower reached what is now the shores of Massachusetts.
A highlight for me was seeing the children create charming oil pastels and watercolor paintings of The Mayflower. We recently studied vocabulary words in a Transportation Unit that included learning nouns like 'cargo' and 'ship'. I think this may have enriched their understanding of The Mayflower voyage! As the children drew their beautiful depictions of this merchant ship, they learned that it brought the English Colonists to New England in 1620. It was not at all like the cruise ships that many people travel on today.The Mayflower didn't have private cabins with windows and beds for each person. There were no TV's, air conditioners, fancy meals, shops, or swimming pools. Traveling on the ocean 400 years ago was a very different experience than it is today.
Most ships at that time were merchant ships. This means that they were made for carrying cargo, like barrels of food or clothing, or big pieces of wood, from one place to another to be sold. Before The Mayflower sailed to New England, it had been sailing around Europe carrying food and cloth. This cargo was probably stored in the lower decks of the ship, in one big open storage area. There were no windows on this deck because windows might let in seawater, and then all the cargo would get wet. A little water would leak in anyway, so this area was always cold, damp, and dark.
The storage deck also had very low ceilings. They didn't need to make the decks very high because barrels and boxes weren't very tall . The ship was built this way to save space for the decks where the sailors lived and to make the ship safer. A ship that was too tall might tip over and sink in the water.
The crew lived on the upper decks. There were about 26 crewmembers on The Mayflower on the journey from England. The Master, in charge of sailing the ship, was Christopher Jones (we would call him “captain” today.) He probably had his quarters, or living space, at the back of the ship, called the stern. This was the driest and most comfortable area on the ship.The common sailors, or regular workers, had their quarters at the front of the ship, or bow. There were also officers on The Mayflower, who were responsible for sailing and navigating the ship.
The ship carried 102 men, women and children in 1620, on its only trip to New England. So, where did the Pilgrims live on The Mayflower? That's right, they all had to live in the dark, damp, cold cargo decks down below the crew's quarters. The passengers were 'the cargo'!
Each year the children at Brentwood School will hear varied details of this important slice of American history in their classrooms. I hope our study of the Pilgrims' mode of transportation helped to bring our first grade vocabulary lessons to life.
For further study visit:
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/
Happy Thanksgiving to my Room 24 families!
http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/
The Pilgrims' brave adventure began in 1620 when The Mayflower left Plymouth, England with 102 passengers and about 30 crew members on board. During the 66-day voyage, the Pilgrims faced many storms, two deaths and one birth. On November 11, 1620, The Mayflower reached what is now the shores of Massachusetts.
A highlight for me was seeing the children create charming oil pastels and watercolor paintings of The Mayflower. We recently studied vocabulary words in a Transportation Unit that included learning nouns like 'cargo' and 'ship'. I think this may have enriched their understanding of The Mayflower voyage! As the children drew their beautiful depictions of this merchant ship, they learned that it brought the English Colonists to New England in 1620. It was not at all like the cruise ships that many people travel on today.The Mayflower didn't have private cabins with windows and beds for each person. There were no TV's, air conditioners, fancy meals, shops, or swimming pools. Traveling on the ocean 400 years ago was a very different experience than it is today.
Most ships at that time were merchant ships. This means that they were made for carrying cargo, like barrels of food or clothing, or big pieces of wood, from one place to another to be sold. Before The Mayflower sailed to New England, it had been sailing around Europe carrying food and cloth. This cargo was probably stored in the lower decks of the ship, in one big open storage area. There were no windows on this deck because windows might let in seawater, and then all the cargo would get wet. A little water would leak in anyway, so this area was always cold, damp, and dark.
The storage deck also had very low ceilings. They didn't need to make the decks very high because barrels and boxes weren't very tall . The ship was built this way to save space for the decks where the sailors lived and to make the ship safer. A ship that was too tall might tip over and sink in the water.
The crew lived on the upper decks. There were about 26 crewmembers on The Mayflower on the journey from England. The Master, in charge of sailing the ship, was Christopher Jones (we would call him “captain” today.) He probably had his quarters, or living space, at the back of the ship, called the stern. This was the driest and most comfortable area on the ship.The common sailors, or regular workers, had their quarters at the front of the ship, or bow. There were also officers on The Mayflower, who were responsible for sailing and navigating the ship.
The ship carried 102 men, women and children in 1620, on its only trip to New England. So, where did the Pilgrims live on The Mayflower? That's right, they all had to live in the dark, damp, cold cargo decks down below the crew's quarters. The passengers were 'the cargo'!
Each year the children at Brentwood School will hear varied details of this important slice of American history in their classrooms. I hope our study of the Pilgrims' mode of transportation helped to bring our first grade vocabulary lessons to life.
For further study visit:
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/
Happy Thanksgiving to my Room 24 families!
http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/
Friday, May 7, 2010
Changes
My second graders are putting the finishing touches on their Open House projects and the 'end-of-the-year party' is being planned. It's time to wrap up another second grade year. This time will be different though as I set my sites on a new endeavor. After 13 years straight teaching second grade, I will be returning to the first grade classroom at Brentwood School! Although I've been teaching primary-aged children for the past 30-something years, each and every class has been unique. That's what I love about teaching...it is ever-changing and never boring! Looking back, my first assignment was in 1977 in San Francisco as a student teacher in a first grade classroom at a three-story school in the Western Addition of the city. The next year I started my career teaching a first/second combo class in the Bay Area suburb of Hayward, Ca. Then my husband and I decided to move our young family to the picturesque farm community of Brentwood, Ca right on the edge of the central valley in East Contra Costa County. In the fall of 1987, I began teaching reading intervention in our delightful hometown. Over the past 25 years in Brentwood, I've had the privilege of teaching kinders, first, second, and third graders to the best of my ability. I can truthfully say that I value each and every teaching position I've been given, especially because of the people I've met along the way. Each of these interesting and worthwhile assignments have become a part of my teaching experience. As I ride the wave of change once again and plunge back into first grade, I'm glad to say that my teaching career remains a dynamic adventure. And for that, I am very grateful.
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