Who gets to tell the historical story…and why? What does it mean to “discover” land where people already existed and thrived? What are the consequences of essential omissions from historical texts? These were the questions that our fourth graders have been asking during their latest Humanities unit, tackling the big themes of perspective, discovery, and exploration as they studied of Christopher Columbus and the Taino people of the Caribbean. In their “Columbinating Event,” the students showcased what they learned in Humanities, Art, Writing, Science, Spanish, and more, highlighting one of the hallmarks of Speyer’s curriculum: interdisciplinary units of study.
Read MoreIf you build it, they will come. One could say the amazing museums of NYC are fields of dreams, dreams full of creativity, art and inspiration. Yes, our sixth and eighth graders ventured off the Boulevard to explore two of those artistic fields of dreams – the Met and the Whitney – to bring a different perspective to what they are studying in the classroom.
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