Inspired by the Thanksgiving holiday, fourth grade students in Bayport-Blue Point’s Gifted and Talented Program recently met in the Blue Point Elementary School library for a STEM-focused activity on Pilgrims and Wampanoag Native Americans led by teacher and librarian, Mrs. Vlachos.
Students began by researching the lives of the Pilgrims and Wampanoags, learning about the tools they used, the foods they ate and the similarities and differences between the two groups.
Students were then tasked with constructing a model home for each group. Before building, students described their approach in writing and created labeled sketches of their designs. One group was challenged to build a wetu, or traditional Wampanoag house, large enough to fit two Native Americans, while the other constructed a Pilgrim house. Both teams worked with the same set of materials, including construction paper, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, cardboard, tape and straws.
After completing their structures, students presented their designs, discussed the choices they made and reflected on their builds by answering questions such as “How successful were you in meeting the challenge?”, “What did your group do well?” and “What improvements would you make next time?”
