Throughout Berkeley County School District, our teachers conduct lessons that make a difference. Inspired by Black History Month, second graders at Devon Forest Elementary combined creativity and storytelling to visually display their research on prominent African American historical figures.
Who: All Devon Forest Elementary second grade classes
Where: Devon Forest Elementary
What: Black History Month was the perfect time for students and teachers to think outside the box and combine reading comprehension skills, biographical research skills and creativity. DFE's second grade classes all read the children's book "The Show Way" by Jacqueline Woodson. In the story, women sew messages into quilts to inspire, guide and communicate with loved ones during challenging times. After reading and discussing the book, DFE students chose historical and modern day heroes to research.
Using graphic organizers, each student gathered information from books and stories they listened to and read. Then, they designed their own paper quilt square featuring a picture, the name of their chosen hero and key details from their research.
To share their learning, students participated in a gallery walk where they presented their quilt squares to their classmates. Together, the second grade classes then combined all the individual squares into the Second Grade Heroes Quilt.
Results: The Second Grade Heroes Quilt is on display in DFE's second grade hallway for all the students to see. The lesson was such a success that the teachers plan to repeat the lesson next year.
