How to plan a Unit Celebration?
1) I gather a good date and location for everyone EARLY. It is amazing how we homeschool moms can fill a calendar.
2) Gather different options for the time together. In the beginning of each unit there is a chapter called the Unit Introductions. It goes over the scope and other very useful information. I like to look at their ideas for the Unit Celebration. (I can't provide a link because it is copyrighted information)
3) I then utilize the Forum. This online group is for Tapestry of Grace community. In the forum, you can scroll down to the TOG year 4 redesigned (in our case) and then click on the tab that says TOG year 4 Unit Celebration. Unfortunately there is very few ideas/links for Year 4 (Year 2 has tons).
4) Then I just ask the other ladies what they would like to do after writing down some suggestions. Knowing the co-op and my kids, it was easy to suggest the following line up for the Unit Celebration. Then delegate the responsibilities to the families based on interest.
5) Prepare. We took some time during the co-op history time to practice and prepare for the end of the unit celebrations.
What it looked like?
We started with name tags on our backs. I found them easily from the People section on each week unit. We played the game of 20 ?'s. The students & parents had to ask yes or no questions to narrow down who they were.
We then had Poetry recitation from two students from Langston Hughes.
Merry-Go-Round by Langston Hughes
Where is the Jim Crow section
On this merry-go-round,
Mister, cause I want to ride?
Down South where I come from
White and colored
Can't sit side by side.
Down South on the train
There's a Jim Crow car.
On the bus we're put in the back—
But there ain't no back
To a merry-go-round!
Where's the horse
For a kid that's black?
I Dream A World by Langston Hughes
I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn
I dream a world where all
Will know sweet freedom's way,
Where greed no longer saps the soul
Nor avarice blights our day.
A world I dream where black or white,
Whatever race you be,
Will share the bounties of the earth
And every man is free,
Where wretchedness will hang its head
And joy, like a pearl,
Attends the needs of all mankind-
Of such I dream, my world!
Then we had excepts from two famous speeches Frederick Douglass during the 4th of July speech and Sojourner Truth "Ain't I a woman". These both came out of the read aloud book The Civil Rights movement for Kids by Mary C. Turck.
Then we had a special drama from 10 American History plays for the Classroom by
Sarah J. Glassock . The 1960 Civil Rights: The Greensboro Sit-in by Mary Pat Champeau.
It was full of police, waitress, and Woolworth store managers. Some came dressed up. They did a great job of the reenactment.
A little break showing the a hand jive and some era music.
Then capitalizing on the soda fountains, we made italian sodas with soda, cherry flavored syrup, ice, and cream! Yummy!
While the younger kids were sipping on their drinks, we had two reports from the older students on Zora Neale Hurston and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
I hope you gleamed some insight into what a celebration is and how much fun it can be.
