5th & 6th Grades Explore Symbolism

Fifth graders read the novel A Lion to Guard Us, a work of historical fiction that depicts life in the early 1600s. As the young characters travel from England to colonial Jamestown, they carry with them a door knocker which symbolizes the protection of their father. After studying a variety of samples, each fifth grader created his or her own door knocker to protect themselves or their family. The shape and colors of the door knocker were intended to represent ideas important in the student's life. Once the door knockers were finished, we wrote an expository essay explaining how we made the door knockers and what each part represented.

During their study of the United States, sixth graders created totem poles to reflect one aspect of life in the western region. Each totem pole has four levels; each level represents a different generation within a student's family. The students presented totems on each level to symbolize family members from that generation. A final level was included to present a totem symbolizing an experience shared by the student and a person important to him or her. Once the totem poles were finished, we wrote an expository essay explaining the symbolism of each totem.