Storytellers come to 4th Grade

Over the month of March, 4^th graders have been learning all about Native American History.  One of the 4^th grade Social Studies standards is to learn about Native Americans groups that inhabit New York State.  In ELA students read the novel Eagle Song by Joseph Bruchac.  This novel is about a student who is Mohawk and moves to New York City. During this novel the main character of the story teaches his classmates about his culture.  To pair with this novel 4^th graders have been working with Gabriele Papa from the Native American Curriculum team to learn more about the history of the Haudenosaunee.  She came to 4^th grade classrooms to teach students lessons to help them better understand the book.  She also set up a storyteller who came on several different occasions to share stories with the grade. At the end of the month Joseph Bruchac, author of Eagle Song, came with his son Jesse to Seneca.  They talked to students about becoming authors and shared Abenaki stories.  Jesse spoke Abenaki to the students and they shared songs with them as well. At the end of the school year 4^th graders will visit the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum.