Human Rights

Bulletin Boards:

Week Three Alternate: History: How did indigenous people and colonizers interact?

This alternate is for those kids that are more hands-on and into more current events:   This project calls for kids to choose events from 1607-1991: how indigenous people and the colonists continue to interact, from the Pueblo Revolt to the baseball team formerly called the "Redskins."   

 This sign up sheet shows different American events from the indigenous perspective: Jamestown settlement, Custard's last stand, Indian Civl Rights act of 1968. Students sign up by interest.  As a teacher, take their requests and form groups of three students.  

This other sign up sheet is more focused on earlier American history, from 1600-1750 and more aligned with the history textbook

First, students make a diorama.  I follow this sequence of events: (1) After students are assigned their topic and group, we make people.  Since the diorama is about the size of a shoebox, no taller than two feet, the people should be about three inches tall or shorter.  (1a) Use the templates at the top right to show students how to make paper dolls.  The idea is that they can make any outfit on the male outline to make any kind of soldier, colonist or indigenous person.  For this, use card stock or cardboard backing.  It's just easier to show on a larger model.  (1B) Use the file with the four male outlines and one female outline for each group to make their people.  Basically, it's hard to make a mural about the conflicts without at least four people on each side.... You photocopy one for each group or one for each student.  Create the people, with proper clothing and coloring, first.  Be sure to notice that the entire file has examples of different clothing, such as military uniforms or Apache traditional clothing.

The second step is to make the landscape of the diorama: Where is the conflict occurring?  They need to do a little research and gather some supplies.  For example, the group who is doing the 1991 NCRSM topic, they just build a baseball stadium so they don't need a lot of greenery but they do need some cardboard to make the stands.  On the other hand, the topic of Lewis and Clark Expedition needs lots of greenery, like pine trees and rivers.  The second step is for students to draw their landscape where their people will be.  Once approved by the teacher, they can start buliding the 3d version.  Since we like to keep it all homemade, we do take a day or two to teacher students to make salt dough.  (1 cup flour, 1/2 salt, 1/2 water)  They mix the salt dough and use it as clay to create hills, bushes, etc.

The final step is painting and finishing touches.  This step does need to be when the salt dough is dried.  This is the time that you really need some parent volunteers!

Second part is to make a slideshow about the conflicts.  Groups complete the Google Slides Template to prepare to present.  Make a copy for each student.  Also, here is how each student is graded: the Rubric!    The slideshow is to help students explain their dioramas to their audiences.  

Honestly, my grade level team was split: One teacher did the slideshows first and one teacher did the diorama's first.  

FInally, students present to their audiences.  Ideally, this should be in a large area, like the cafetria or auditorium or outside.  We quickly learned that it got way to loud in the classroom!  Audience members should have a checklist to make sure every prensenter has some visitors!