THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 27, 1994 TAG: 9411240254
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 26 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
EVEN THOUGH LIFE-SIZE tepees, buffalo hides and totem poles have taken over their hallways and classrooms, the students and faculty of Cooke Elementary School are taking it in stride.
Since the school has been celebrating Native American Month in November, Indian tribes have become a routine part of the learning environment.
Both kindergartners and fifth-graders have created totem poles, while second-graders have made clay pinch pots, buffalo hide drawings and Kachina masks. Many classrooms also have designed miniature American Indian homes, such as tepees, while others have made Indian dolls and drawings of pueblos.
The library has been just one spot where students have mounted their art work. ``It's just all over the place,'' said librarian Donna Farris. ``We love it.''
Farris has been helping students research American Indian history over the past few weeks. Second-graders used encyclopedias to find out where certain tribes lived, while fifth-graders made a few visits to work on reports for their social studies classes.
Farris also read the legend ``The Story of Jumping Mouse'' to a group of second-graders. ``Anything I can do to tie their unit in with library skills, I will,'' she added.
Twelve-year-old Eternity Boyd, a fifth-grader, is proud to have her homemade totem pole on display in the library. ``It was fun to make,'' she said, pointing at her 2-foot tall work of art. ``The eagle represents good eyesight and smartness. The beaver is there because I like to build. The bear I chose for braveness.''
These poles are visually attractive to many students. ``I think they're neat,'' said 10-year-old Kyra Waters, a fifth-grader. ``The way Native Americans live is really cool.''
Kachina masks were a popular project among second-graders in Arleen Guilfoyle's class. Made mostly from paper bags, these spiritual masks decorate the window frames of the classroom.
After taking some time at home to work on them, the students know and understand what these masks represent. Shawn Gray, 8, made a colorful sun mask after doing some research about Kachina masks at the Central Library.
``It helps people so they won't have rain,'' she said. ``I like the sun so much.'' Others made clown and wolf masks.
They are all excited about the month's activities, anxious to tell what they have learned so far. ``We got to see all these things about Native Americans,'' said Kanen Lawson, 7. ``We saw totem poles, how they survived . .
Although American Indian life is studied mostly in social studies, language arts classes are incorporating it as well. Since this culture is one of the two large units for fifth-grade, these students have been extra busy.
In Cathy Whitehurst's fifth-grade class, students have read the novel ``The Sign of the Beaver.'' Not only did they read, they defined a variety of American Indian vocabulary words and wrote their own legends.
``All language arts skills have been based around this novel,'' Whitehurst said. ``They really enjoy it.''
The teachers enjoy teaching about American Indians for a variety of reasons. ``There is so much material to cover,'' Whitehurst said. ``There is always something new to do or to learn.''
Second-grade teacher Colleen Cullen agreed. ``I really like teaching the students about Native Americans,'' she said. ``I try to do as much as I can.''
That has been the case for most teachers. Some have gone to great lengths to bring the learning as close to their students as possible.
Third-grade teacher De Garvey brought in a huge homemade tepee for her students to use as a learning center. She also invited a couple of drama students from Ocean Lakes High School to read the ``Algonquian Secrets of Life'' legend to the third-graders. The high school readers dressed in native costumes, while the listeners strung the ``beads of life.''
This is the first year the month has been celebrated so elaborately, according to Garvey. ``We have gone all out,'' she said.
Many think it's important and are grateful that they have done so much over the past few weeks. ``Not enough attention has been given to the Native American culture,'' Garvey added. ``This way, we can talk about what they have done in the past, as well as what they're doing today.
``I think it's really important,'' she added. ``They learn a lot of life lessons from Native Americans.''
Fifth-grade teacher Kathleen House said the unit influences the way students think. ``It helps them understand their culture,'' she said. ``They're more sympathetic towards it.''
If things go the way teachers plan, these students won't forget what they have learned this month. ``We give them hands-on projects and encourage them to work together,'' Garvey said. ``That way, they'll retain the information for a very long time.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by HOLLY WESTER
Kachina masks were popular among second-graders in Arleen
Guilfoyle's class at Cooke Elementary. The spiritual masks decorate
the window frames.
Eternity Boyd, 12, right, shows off her totem pole to Kyra Waters.
``The eagle represents good eyesight and smartness,'' she explained.
``The beaver is there because I like to build. The bear I chose for
braveness.''
by CNB