Black History Month at Cedarwood, 2022
Cedar Rose Pre-Kindergarten
With Aliya Birdoff
In Cedar Rose, our days are woven with songs, colors, sounds, and stories from the African diaspora. We sing “We all sing glory to the mountain” as we run up the hill to play. We hand clap “Miss Mary Mack” in transitions. We engage with finger plays narrated by the poetry of Langston Hughes and Nikki Giovanni. Little Sally Walker is a beloved circle game in which Little Sally Walker jumps with joy! During rest time, I quietly sing a Zulu lullaby before playing the rest time chimes.
A white turtle dove hangs over the bulbs we’ve planted in glass jars. We watch as they pursue the freedom that comes when the little green shoot breaks out. Under the nature shelf, there is a basket of African percussion instruments that the children are invited to explore freely during playtime (thanks to our music department!). The children have taken it upon themselves to open a book, display its pictures, and take turns playing the instruments to each page, as if reciting a line of the story.
Sunflower Pre-Kindergarten
With Julie Sauton
I have put up pictures of historical and contemporary people (Langston Hughes, bell hooks, Erykah Badu, Jacob Lawrence, Harriet Tubman) and also my family on the nature table. Each day I share a simple story about one of them and how they bring joy, love, and healing to the Black community. I also have been reading books: Baby Goes to Market, Smile with African Style, and He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.
We’ve been making beats with our hands and feet for singing and circle games while singing traditional Black folk songs like “Down by the Roller Coaster,” “Little Sally Walker,” and “I Went Downtown.”
We have also planted bulbs in glass jars to symbolize the growth and change towards freedom for Black and all people.
Star Lily Pre-Kindergarten
With Lisa Bono
In the winter of 2019, my dear friend and colleague Victoria Millay visited our family (and Cedarwood). She is Tanzanian, living in Dar es Saalam.
She taught us a song in Swahili of a little butterfly and bee taking nectar in the garden.
I sing this in Swahili with the Star Lily children.
Grade 1
With Cecelia McClellan
I have been reading books with the first grade during our friendship circle. I rotate out three different groups of books, and during Black History Month we are concentrating on Black leaders. We have a book and a picture on the bulletin board from one first grader who requested it be on display; the picture is of children with different skin colors holding hands.
Grade 2
With Laura Elmore
It has been fun to watch the Black History board grow with items from each class over the past weeks. Since it’s right above our coats, the students in second grade have been very engaged with it. It has been tremendous to have conversations with them about each of the items appearing.
Second grade has been hearing Anansi the Spider stories these past few weeks in celebration of Black History Month. These are traditional folktales from West Africa. We have had some great conversation about the choices Anansi makes — and where he perhaps went wrong and ended up in mischief. We have also been acting out these stories as we prepare for our play this spring. This has been great fun!
We also heard about Saint Pierre Touissant who dedicated his life to love. He was a Haitian man who was enslaved and eventually moved to New York with his enslavers, and was granted freedom when they died. He sought education and made money as a hairdresser. He and his wife cared for orphan children, eventually adopting their own daughter. His story is one of love, compassion, and empathy.
Grade 5
With Meredith Floyd-Preston
Fifth grade is in a math block, which leaves plenty of room for teacher’s choice stories. We’re exploring a variety of biographies this month. So far, we’ve learned about Neil deGrasse Tyson, Kobe Byrant, Walter Payton, and Serena Williams. I’m trying to decide between Alicia Keyes, Beyonce, Katherine Johnson, Muhammad Ali, and Dizzy Gillespie for the rest of the week.
Grade 6
With Antonella Focarino
In grade 6, the students are reading Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson. We are reciting “Dreams” by Langston Hughes each morning, and we are beginning to work with the poem “Change Sings,” by Amanda Gorman.
Grade 7
With Natalie Norman
The 7th graders have been starting each morning of daily lesson with a portion of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Our goal is to share this memorized portion of the speech with both the 6th and 8th grade classes, as well as offer some of the details we learned about how Dr. King’s speech evolved and transpired in August of 1963.
The students are also taking up one of the following readers for this month and will write an essay on these questions: What significant events in this person’s life shaped their social commitment to society? What happened in their life to make them willing to take the risks they took?
Hidden Figures, by Margot Lee Shetterly (young readers edition)
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba (young readers edition)
Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah (young readers edition)
The Port Chicago 50, by Steve Sheiken
For local Black history, we will be studying the area of Vanport with local history expert, and former Cedarwood parent, Jayne Cronlund. Vanport tells one of the biggest stories of African American history here in Portland. The 7th grade will take a field trip to that historical site later in the spring.
Grade 8
With Peter Hayes
The 8th grade began Black History Month with a field trip to OMSI to experience the Nelson Mandela exhibit on display there. This exhibit left deep impressions on our students and planted seeds for future considerations in the weeks and months to come.
We will soon begin an American history block of study. Throughout these studies, students will read biographical essays of Black Americans in the book Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America. A second primary source for these studies will be A People’s History of the United States, which presents the history of our country from very diverse perspectives.
Early in the school year we read and discussed the book Stamped, which outlines ideas regarding anti-racism. Articles and links to Black History Month events and activities are being posted in the 8th grade Google classroom throughout the month for students to access and review.
Middle School Social Justice Club
With Claire Harrison
In Middle School Social Justice Club on Fridays, we explored the 13 Principles of the Black Lives Matter Movement, looked at a list of terminology of oppression and acceptance, and watched a video of the 9 Wealthiest Black Women in the World. The video initiated an excellent discussion of cultural tokenism vs. the importance of children having Black role models to look up to.
We will continue to engage with content surrounding the contemporary Black experience, both through celebration of Black success and Black role models, and through explorations of discrepancies in economics, educational opportunities, and incarceration rates in the US. These conversations will last far beyond this month, and we plan to invite some guest speakers who work in social justice to join us via Zoom.
Handwork
With Gia Davis
In Handwork, we are reading stories from Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales to grades 2-8 while we work on our projects. In grades 6-8, we also spoke a little bit of Mandela’s life and work.
Movement
With Heather Pearl
I am sharing biographies of Black athletes this month. Althea Gibson (a tennis player who won the Grand Slam in 1957) was the first athlete of the week; some classes also talked about Serena and Venus Williams. Next up were baseball players Lary Doby and Jackie Robinson. We’ll learn about Alvin Ailey and other dancers after the February break.
Music
With Diana Bright
You can learn about how the Music Program is celebrating Black History Month here!