Montrose - Daily Press

Caitlin Switzer

MONTROSE - They know what they are thankful for.

"I am thankful for my dog, Babe," Johnson Elementary School second-grader Destiny Perry said. "She's brown, and kind of whitish."

Advertisement

"I am thankful because I have a nice family," Johnson first-grader Jessica Garcia said.

Along with giving thanks, however, local students are using the holiday to build solid academic skills. Typical of lessons are the beaded necklaces created by Johnson first-grade teacher John King's students, who used them not only to celebrate Thanksgiving, but to learn about math.

For Northside Elementary School kindergarten teacher Sherry Bliss, the holiday offers one more opportunity to expand the literacy skills of her young students.

"I am introducing them to the idea of Thanksgiving through stories," Bliss said. "Some tell the true story of Thanksgiving, others are more concerned with the spirit of Thanksgiving."

Learning about the holiday in which we traditionally give thanks gives students a chance to examine their own feelings, Bliss said.

"We talk about our emotions," she said. "Things like, I am glad this happens in my life, I am glad these are my friends. We focus not so much on the holiday, but on what we are thankful for."

Of course, it would not really be Thanksgiving without some hand-made kindergarten art. Bliss will supervise her students as they make turkeys of their own, which can be flipped over to show a Native American.

"They know the first Thanksgiving had pilgrims and Indians," Bliss said. "We are making some turkey head dresses. On the feathers the students list what they are thankful for."

Thanksgiving also represents the chance to teach about history, Johnson Elementary School second-grade teacher Jody Hovde said.

"We use a lot of literature in the primary grades," Hovde said. "I like to use Native American legends, because kids get to appreciate that they were thankful for what they had, and that they believed in the earth."

Hovde also uses the arts to help educate her students about the holiday, with lessons that focus on pottery, poetry, and Native American traditions.

"We learn how they used plants to paint," she said.

Students are also encouraged to compare the chores they do each day to those done by children in Colonial times, Hovde said.

"They did basic chores like we do," she said. "They cooked, and they cleaned house. Of their lives were also very different - they harvested food, while we buy ours at the store. They wrote on slates, because they didn't have paper, and they walked to school because there was no bus.

"We don't try to pass judgment, we just show history," Hovde said. "We talk about the Mayflower."

With all that they are learning, today's elementary school students seem to have learned one thing above all others - be thankful.

"I am thankful for my family, and our baby," second-grader Savannah Theodore said.

"I am thankful for turkey, and for money," classmate Zachary Pace said.

For second-grader Katie Barker, the meaning of Thanksgiving - and perhaps of life itself - can be summed up in one word. When asked what she gives thanks for, Barker expressed herself simply.

"Existence," she said.

Comments

marqthompson wrote on Feb 1, 2010 3:21 AM:

" This is a wonderful article. The things given are unanimous and needs to be appreciated by everyone.
--------
marqthompson
Noosa real estate "




Report Abuse

Kaitlyn Heichel wrote on Nov 3, 2009 2:01 PM:

" My dad was Robert Heichel and i just wanted to thank again everyone that helped looked for him. It was over 3 years ago that he died, but i will never forget him. I think about him still every single day and life without him is so hard. Thank you everyone who spent time looking for him. I wish this could have been a happy ending but life isn't fair. My dad died when i was 12 and i am now almost 16. Thank you again for everything you guys have done. Your amazing. "




Report Abuse

Sarah Bond wrote on Jul 13, 2009 5:31 PM:

" It really makes me sick that people lie about certain events to make themselves look better than they really are... Just to set the record straight, one of those stories is extremely false. Email me if you want the real story from the person who was actually there. "




Report Abuse