On Tuesday, the 3rd grade classes got turn their clocks back a few days early – way back. They traveled by school bus to Plimoth Plantation to immerse themselves in Wampanoag and colonial history and culture. This Expedition, Whose Story Is It?, asks students to understand the past through multiple perspectives. Students become historians as they ask questions, first of the native people working at the Wampanoag Homesite and then of the colonial re-enactors at the 17th Century English Village.
The students spent a great deal of time preparing for their visit. They entered the Wampanoag Homesite with their field journals ready to meet and ask questions of the people they met. “Why do you use fire to build a canoe?” “What do you eat in the winter?” “How do you build a house structure called a wetu?” They took notes, made observations and drew pictures to help them remember details.
Next, the students moved on to the English Village where the workers are actors, pretending to be different people who arrived in the village on the Mayflower. Each character has his or her own backstory and can describe for the visitors their motivation in coming to America and give details about their struggle for survival in the New World. The sights, sounds and smells of both sites add to the students’ understanding of the period in history when we were coming together face-to-face with people very different from ourselves for the first time.
It was a beautiful fall day in New England; perfect for our annual visit to Plimoth! We are glad so many parent chaperones were able to come with us (8!) and had the opportunity to witness all the students’ learning in action.