|
Message from Mr. Abdel Sepulveda, Principal
Dear Peabody Community:
As we begin to celebrate Black History Month, I am excited to share with you all the wonderful opportunities for learning and celebrating that will be happening at the Peabody School this month.
During the month of February, The Peabody will celebrate Black History Month. Even though it’s difficult to coordinate such a significant celebration during a pandemic, there hasn’t been a more important time in recent history to recognize and celebrate the contributions of Black Americans. This pandemic will one day cease, but our efforts to gain respect and understanding of one another and to bridge the racial divide are never-ending.
As you know, Lunar New Year begins on February 1st. This is the Year of the Tiger. The Chinese Association of Cambridge has donated Red Chinese Lanterns to all of our students and staff members. We have also been sharing best practices for teaching our students about Lunar New Year and its significance.
At Peabody we will honor the contributions of Black Americans through culturally relevant teaching, learning, and activities in our school for the benefit of all our students, teachers, and staff.
While February is the month we celebrate, we know that Black History is much more than a one month event. For Peabody, commemorating Black History is a critical part of our mission to provide equitable access to education to all.
It is important that we also discuss intersectionality. Intersectionality is the study of how various forms of oppression, discrimination, domination and other social processes intersect and influence each other. For example, students in schools can belong to more than one marginalized group. We understand that many members of our community belong to various groups who have endured intersectionality. At Peabody we aim to provide a space that these individuals can speak, be heard and begin to be understood by the rest of our community
Please see the ways our classroom teachers and specialists are bringing Black History month to our students in the information below.
In service and love,
Abdel Sepulveda
Black History Month Updates from Around Our School
 GRADE LEVEL
Special Start
In Special Start, we will be reading picture books which depict Black characters in authentic ways while also reading picture books by Black authors. In addition, we will play some of our favorite/familiar music by Black musicians and hopefully introduce some newer or less familiar songs/music as well. I have reached out to Katie Bourne as well as Clara Hendricks (O'Neill branch library) for book suggestions. In addition, I have also reached out to my Special Start teaching colleagues across the district for any other resources or suggestions to bring relevant and developmentally appropriate learning experiences into the classroom as we celebrate Black History Month.
JK
We will be sharing books and using the part of Scholastic Magazine that focuses on black people that matter or make a difference.
JK/K
--Teach students about the Black History of Boston and Cambridge- starting with Maria L Baldwin and Henry “Box” Brown - making Black history more tangible.
--Incorporating elements of the 1916 Project- how the consequences of slavery are still prevalent today and how Black people built this country.
--Teaching about queer and trans Black folks like Marsha P. Johnson and James Baldwin.
--Teaching the legacy of the Black Panther Party and how their contributions are still relevant today (ie. free breakfast program).
--Discuss the history in the making today with the Black Lives Matter Movement and the various ways that Black folks are organizing to better our community (i.e fighting against de-facto segregation, supporting political candidates running for office that prioritize the needs of the Black community, beautification and restoration of Black neighborhoods).
--Celebrating the work/efforts of Afro-Latin American and Afro-Caribbean folks, Felipe Luciano and Jean Michele Basqiat.
K
In kindergarten during Black History Month, our read alouds will feature various prominent Black people who were mathematicians, firefighters, photographers and astronauts. We will use these stories to inspire us with various writing prompts during writer's workshop. We will read Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race, Mae Among the Stars, Molly by Golly, and Gordon Parks.
Grade 1 - Nerich
--focus on a variety of Black Americans not just well-known names
--read a variety of books focused on black culture
--continue to focus on the work of Amanda Gorman
--introduce African American inventors that effort our everyday life such as the ones in this link
--resources I collected from my visit to the National African American Smithsonian Museum and from their learning lab
Grade 1 - Burns
Children will build knowledge about the civil rights movement and evaluate the contribution and bravery of Ruby Bridges. Students will learn that Ruby Bridges was a first grader who helped change the world.
Grade 2 - Casassa
Read aloud each day about an influential black figure (some well known and not as well known), videos and written presentations.
Grade 2 - Tamagna
For the month of February, my class will be doing many read alouds to learn about many of the black influential leaders. I am going to have my students work with partners to complete a project about different leaders. Each pair will then present their work to the class. We will hang our completed projects on our class board.
Grade 3
Students will choose influential Black figures to do a biography project on. Additionally we will be sharing various resources during morning meetings and our SEL time of Black literature, poetry and music. We will be highlighting Black American contributions and also celebrating some lesser known Black figures as well to show the importance of their contributions to our history.
Grade 4
--Highlighting Black/African American contributions
--Reading/highlighting books by Black authors with Black characters
--Giving space for students to share their perspectives and ask questions on racial issues and racial justice.
Grade 5 - Russell
My class is studying the history of Motown and how it enhanced social justice. We will be learning about some of the most influential black musicians of the time. We will also be dancing and listening to the beats of some great music and performing a reader's theater called, "Once Upon a Time in Detroit."
Grade 5 - Kelly
Our class is studying the history of jazz and how jazz musicians were innovators vital to the Civil Rights Movement.
 SPECIALISTS
Ms. Bourne - Library
In the library we will do:
Read aloud books that relate stories of people who students may not know about (Mary Fields, Mabel, Fairbanks, Lonnie Johnson, Troy Andrews, etc)
Highlight (via book displays & booktalks) books by Black authors, illustrators and poets
Provide colleagues with resources to support their teaching
Mr. P - Physical Education
I will like to highlight and celebrate athletes who were influential in the civil rights movement with students (i.e. Jackie Robinson, Wilma Rudolph, Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali) and am also planning to talk to students about the Cleveland Summit. From there I want to also highlight black athletes who continue the push for equality today such as Colin Kaepernick, the Williams sisters, Lebron James etc. I will support this with visuals.
 Mrs. G - Art
We are looking at artist Kimmy Cantrell and are making masks inspired by his works. He’s a self taught artist!
Music JK - 2
We are reading Amanda Gorman's book "Change Sings" and brainstorming changes we want to make, possibly setting to music (depending on the grade level).
Music 3 - 5
For Black History month in grade 3-5 music, we will be showcasing many of the Black musicians who have made a major impact on the landscape of music in America such as Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Louis Armstrong, among many others.
 COACHES
Traci Vecchiarello, Instructional Literacy Coach
--supporting teachers to think about the materials and resources we are using in the classroom to promote a more in-depth approach to teaching about Black history
--analyzing resources to look for cultural relevance and to consider whether the resources might cause harm (there are some great websites that look at, reflect, and analyze texts for cultural relevance and appropriateness); including these reflections into coaching conversations.
--including students in this conversation, as appropriate, to foster their critical thinking around these topics and widen their cultural lenses.
Michele Lippens, Instructional Math Coach
Creating safe spaces for students to make mistakes within math class. Improving my own practice by reading books and articles on how to teach math through a lens of equity. Help create a school bulletin board that centers Black Americans who contributed to the field of science and mathematics. Support staff members in their efforts to find resources, share stories, and highlight Black figures throughout history.
 SPECIAL EDUCATORS
Natalie Skardina
--Finding and compiling adapted/accessible texts featuring black influential characters (past and present) for my JK-1 students
--Teaching important vocabulary for my students to understand Black Liberation
--Reading texts by black authors featuring black characters
--Teaching about the current movements and finding accessible ways for students to understand the current racial injustices
Theresa Skovera
I will read the book and/or watch the author read the book on youtube, "Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?" by Lisbeth Kaiser. It is a Who Was Board Book that is appropriate for early learners. We will read/listen to the book and answer questions given visual support and prompts as needed.
Susan Locke - Leveled Literacy Interventionist
I will be reading the text The Story of Ruby Bridges to help students make text to self connections, in order to bridge discussions to beyond the text connections.
Cheryl Wong - Literacy Interventionist
2nd-3rd Grade
Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem by Amanda Gorman
Barack Obama: Son of Promise: Child of Hope by Nikki Grimes
These Hands by Margaret H. Mason
Friends for Freedom: The Story of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass by Suzanne Slade
4th and 5th Grade
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
Efhrate Sinthia, Math Interventionist
Explore multiple resources or short stories to introduce famous African-American Mathematician and their contribution, such as: Benjamin Banneker (who is best known for building America’s first clock), Elbert Frank Cox, Marjorie Lee Browne. Those role models can be a motivation for the students to do the math in their real life, and also be an inspiration.
Sonia Costa - Special Educator
I plan on introducing and discussing with students important black influential figures who aren’t always highlighted. I will use a variety of resources such as read alouds, biographies, video, pictures and the poem A World Without Black People by Phillip Emeagwali. We will read 28 Days by Charles R. Smith, Jr., Little Leaders, Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrision and Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o and Vashti Harrision
Dorene Serrao - Special Educator
For Black history month, I plan to do a biography project using two texts which have a compilation of short biographies, Little Leaders, Bold Women in Black History and Little Leaders, Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrision.
Amy Blenk - Special Educator
--Grade 5 Human Rights project is currently ongoing in the gen ed classes, I will support my students (many of whom have chosen Black activists) and after the project we will look at additional figures
--Include bios from Black individuals and articles/texts of racial justice movements as sources for reading and writing work year round
--Read and discuss work from Black authors personally and professionally
--Engage in/seek out PD work around issues of racial justice and equity
Andrea Neviakis, ESL - K-2
Students will read folktales that represent black characters and are told by black authors.
E.J. Beucler - Technology Teacher
I will be exploring biographies of African-Americans who have contributed to advances in technology and students will create multimedia projects that reflect their learning.
|