In third grade we study Africa for three months. We focus on the people, homes, culture, language, music, dance and animals of Africa. Our Storyline involved the building of a frieze of an African village and the people/characters who would live there. A large part of our unit involved the making of drums and learning rhythms with help from ETHOS, Inc—a non-profit organization that brings music into the public schools. The pictures that you see are the steps we took in preparing our drums; building them with wood and glue, painting them, and stretching goat skin over the tops. We spent six weeks learning rhythms and songs from Africa which culminated in a whole school presentation in December. To celebrate our learning, the class and parents visit the Horn of Africa Restaurant in NE Portland where we feast on eastern African food and then drum for the community. Other units that we focus on include Rocks and Minerals, Botany, the Ocean and author studies. We use Storyline Design throughout the year to accompany our themes and units.
Making drums
Making drums
Painting the drums
African persona
Finished drums
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