November | 2018 | Deborah and Jessica's Fourth Grade

Something that people could do is take five to ten minutes out of their day and sit down and think about things they are thankful for. I think that that would help them because my mom told me that people who do this have a happier day.

This week we learned about some of the traditions of the Wampanoag Tribe. In an article we read, Gladys Widdiss, a tribal elder, described how the Wampanoag experience thankfulness, “Every day is a day of thanksgiving for the Wampanoag.” With that thought in mind, fourth graders considered some of the things they are thankful for in their everyday lives.

Will: “I am thankful for my family. I am also thankful for my pets. Our family can celebrate it by cooking and eating a meal together. I can celebrate with my pets by dancing with them.”

Lila: “I am thankful for my family, my school, my room, my food, and my trampoline…I could celebrate my thankfulness by just thinking about how thankful I am…I know everyday when I wake up to my mom sitting in my room I should be thankful for someone to care so much about me that they sit in my room and wait.”

Nico: “I am thankful for having a roof over my head and food and running water. We could go around the table and say what we are thankful for.”

Shaffer: “I am thankful for an amazing home and going to a great school. The way I can celebrate is by being more thoughtful. I can listen more to my mom. I can hug my dad more. I can listen more carefully and respect my teachers.”

Paloma: “I am thankful for my family. I can show that by taking care of them. I can also show that by doing stuff for them like washing the dishes or folding up the clean laundry. I can care for them in simple ways like holding the door or passing something they need to them…”

Vincent: “One way we could celebrate is by having food, not just having food but also having family/company over while eating. I could celebrate this by maybe holding hands and singing the song we sang at the farm….Another way that I could celebrate is by just walking around the house/apartment and thinking how lucky I am to have this.”

Ziva: “I am thankful for food…a warm cozy home…my family…my friends….A way that I celebrate is eat berries when they are in season.”

Julian: “I am thankful that my parents are really good at cooking…I can celebrate being thankful for that by saying a prayer every time I eat a meal, kind of like what we did at the farm. I can always thank my parents for what they do for me. I can give people who are homeless food from my home.”

Selah: “I might celebrate by praying. Another way is singing. My last way is dancing.”

Skylar: “I am thankful for my family and three dogs because my dogs are so cute. I love my family because they give me a home to live in and we make really good food on Thanksgiving.”

Cydney: “ I am thankful for school. I would celebrate it by always paying attention and focusing. I am thankful for my family. I would celebrate them by spending time with them.

June: “…On Thursday, I am thankful for my kitty because that is the day of the week we got him. I celebrate by playing with him and cuddling him.”

Penelope: “Things that I am thankful for are my family, food, friends, my house, my life, my school, earth, art, soccer, music, me, my personality, health, more that what I need, electronics, no disabilities, fresh air, fresh water, skiing and books. Something that people could do is take five to ten minutes out of their day and sit down and think about things they are thankful for. I think that that would help them because my mom told me that people who do this have a happier day.”

Zara: “My dog…my dog is fun and keeps me entertained. I probably wouldn’t be so interactive without my dog.”

Sawyer: “I am thankful for being alive so I’ll play outside…I am thankful for my parents. I might show them that by hugging them.”

Dante: “I am thankful for my friends. I am thankful for my family….I am thankful for peace. I am thankful for each day.”

Lily: “I am thankful for my family and how I will celebrate that is by caring for them and loving them.”

Ivy: “One way I celebrate things daily is I help my family. I help by setting the table, feeding my dog, giving my dog water, and making them feel good.”

They might come to New York to try to have a new life.

At the onset of our study on immigration students answered the question, “What do you know about immigration?” The next day we visited a mural in our neighborhood that seemed to also be focused on the theme of immigration. While we were looking at it, the artist walked up and introduced himself, Kobra. We are going to keep a look out for these faces during our study of historical immigration and Ellis Island.

Below are some of the students’ initial thoughts on the topic of immigration:

Immigration is when people come from a place and move to a new place by force or it wasn’t safe or there they didn’t have resources they needed. It’s a long and sometimes hard journey to get to the place they’re going.
This is usually because something in their country is not fair.
I think immigration is when different people around the world go to America or somewhere else like it.
Immigration is, I think, people who come from far away countries that are either poor or they just want a new life. Immigrants have to take jobs as taxi drivers sometimes.
Immigration is lots of people moving from one place to America because they don’t like what their country is doing. They took a train or a plane. I think it was in the 1900s.
Some reasons for immigration may be because of unfair treatment or hopes for a better life. When an immigrant arrives in a new place, they often have close to nothing only what they manage to pack and that is not often much when escaping war or natural disasters.
Immigration is where people come from around the world because something bad happened in their country.
Immigration is when people from different places move for certain reasons. They might come to New York to try to have a new life.
Immigration is when someone moves from another place like Peru and then become a legal citizen…they need someone to approve them if they want to become a legal citizen.
What I know about immigration is that they are people who came from a different country because of war, dictatorships, or not enough freedom. They sometimes come because they are poor.
There are some people that aren’t born here but are living here but they aren’t immigrants.
Immigration is when a human goes from one country to another country. Or from one continent to another. A lot of people came to New York because people thought that New York was the place dreams came true.
Immigration is when people from other places come to another country sometimes by plane sometimes by boat, most of the time they have to go to court to see if they can stay. If no, they are usually deported back to their country. People have been coming here since the 1600s.
Immigration happened in the 1800s maybe. They did it because they wanted better lives.
It could be happening right now. It happens because they have their own reasons.
Immigration is a group of people traveling from a country to a new place. It could be a New Yorker traveling to Canada. They do it because there is nothing there for them or they can’t live there anymore because something happened there.
I think immigration is when someone is not born where they moved.
Immigration is a group of people who don’t have any money or home. They were a long time ago and they’re still a thing now.

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Deborah and Jessica's Fourth Grade

"Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” ~ Mary Oliver

Monthly Archives: November 2018

“Everyday is a day of thanksgiving…”

Something that people could do is take five to ten minutes out of their day and sit down and think about things they are thankful for. I think that that would help them because my mom told me that people who do this have a happier day.