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Good Morning!

Thank you for coming to "Ahdoolo", the story of Matthew Henson. You are about to embark on a journey to adventure filled with bravery, courage, endurance and Good spirits! The purpose of this play is to celebrate the life of Matthew Henson, a brave, African American, Arctic explorer!

In following my reading curriculum, I had my students read the story "Arctic Explorer: The story of Matthew Henson" from their reading anthologies (Domain). In reading the students were able to discern the similarities and differences to themselves and that of Matthew Henson. During this particular lesson the students constructed, extended and examined meanings for a variety of purposes before, during and after reading. (Scope & Sequence expectancies).

To assist and asses my students understanding about what they read, I used the four stances;
• global understanding
• interpretation
• personal reflection
•critical analysis.

I put great emphasis on personal reflection. In this way my students would use the text knowledge to reflect what they read, relate it to their own lives, the lives of others and the human condition. Needless to say the children loved the story and understood Matthew Henson and his many great accomplishments for an African American during the early 1900's. What a great man!

I have integrated this reading lesson into social studies, writing, and math. For social studies, the students examined the regions in which Matthew Henson traveled (Global interdependence) and analyzed maps to learn how they provide us with information, absolute and relative location(s). Thus, my students can show/give you the absolute directions Matthew Henson traveled to reach the North Pole.

The students also analyzed the history, diversity, and commonality of the peoples of the nation and world (The Arctic and North Pole) and the characteristics and contributions of various cultures to see how Matthew was able to live among and interact with the Eskimos/Inuit (Domain-People of the Nation and World - People Throughout the Americas).

My students also demonstrated an understanding of geographic concepts, and processes as needed to identify key map and globe terms; cardinal directions, key/legend, compass rose, latitude, longitude, equator, prime meridian, and aerial view. To asses the students learning, I had the students to make their own compasses' from water, a needle, a magnet, clay and a foam piece of material. the students would also recognize the four hemispheres on a map.

To integrate writing into this lesson, the students completed the lesson with a written biography book report. The students used the stages of the writing process, graphic organizers, and a rubric to assist and assess their writing. The books on Matthew Henson came from public libraries. The students also used a model created by the teacher called "Four is The Score" and a writing prompt.

The integration of mathematics into the lesson consisted of using problem solving skills (Domain) with number sense and numeration. My students had to solve problems by guessing and checking (expectancies) to estimate the number of food items and the cost needed for our "Arctic Feast" after the play. The students also will assist in counting and multiplying of all monies received to cover our expenses.

The preparation process for MSPAP ( Maryland State Performance Assessment Program), is used in my daily instruction in all areas/domains.

Welcome and Enjoy!

Lisa McCall and the Fifth Grade Class.

Teachers Page | Curriculum | Scene One | Scene Two | Scene Three | Scene 4 & 5 | Scene 6 | Scene 7 | Cast of characters & Props