North America: Jamaica 

Do Now: Draw something besides rain falling form the sky on a cloudy day. 

Today, we continued our study of North America by learning about the island of Jamaica. 

Jamaica is in the Caribbean 

Mr. Bell, one of the 3rd grade teachers at Harlem Academy, lived in Jamaica until he was 13 years old. We were very lucky today - Mr. Bell agreed to come to class to talk to us about Jamaica!

Mr. Bell talked about his childhood house, his family, the type of food that he ate, and about what his school was like. 

Next, he showed us the Jamaican Coat of Arms. 

He explained the symbols of the Coat of Arms, as well as the motto "Out of Many One People." People from Jamaica came from all over the world, so though there are different groups living there, they are all Jamaican. 

For our class project, we made our own Coat of Arms. Each person brainstormed symbols that represented them, then drew them on their own Coat of Arms. 

North America: Mexico 

Do Now: Invent a new way to travel. How does it work? What does it look like? What is it called?

Our first stop in our World Art unit was the continent of North America, and the country of Mexico. 

Mexico is south of the United States and north of Central and South America.

We watched a short movie about Mexico, which included some of the holidays that are celebrated in Mexico. One such holiday is called The Day of the Dead. During this holiday, which falls on November 1, Mexican people honor their loved ones that have died. 

One important symbol of The Day of the Dead are colorfully decorated skeletons, or "calaveras". 

To learn more about The Day of the Dead, the 1st and 2nd graders colored in their own skull masks, or calaveras.