Oh, Canada Expo

– By Janice Llanes Fabry –

When fifth graders at F.E. Bellows studied Canada, they lived and breathed its geography, history, government, economics, culture and arts. Their extensive exploration of our neighbor to the north was palpable from the moment spectators crossed their St. Lawrence Seaway floor drawing at the threshold of Bellows’ auditorium on March 27.

“Each station at the expo lent itself to every dimension we’ve covered in class, from map skills and travel journals to Canadian totem poles and maple syrup,” said teacher Lauren Wolman. ´The classes spent weeks preparing and the kids have worked so very hard.”

They certainly embraced the opportunity to show off their knowledge at the Expo’s “Are you smarter than a fifth grader?” game, emceed by a Canadian parent. On display were the murals and masks they painted, the travel brochures they designed and the intricate board games they created based on research projects. At one station, photos were taken for their Canadian-decorated frames, while at another they sampled plenty of Canadian treats.

Along with Wolman, faculty members Joyce Pezzola, Karen Colaneri, Susan Combs, Ken Kubaska and Susan Paley make up the fifth grade team that collaborated on the research and demonstrations for the Canada study. The interdisciplinary curriculum focused on multi-cultural respect and global awareness, and covered such topics as the Canadian provinces, their flags, national symbols, Native American influences, the country’s inland waterway and the transcontinental railroad.

“Bringing resources together is a great way to teach,” added Pezzola. “The students have acquired more of a sense and an appreciation of Canada through these enriching activities than they could have through booklets and guides. Now, we all want to vacation there.”