This year at Lake Bluff Elementary, students in 5th, 6th, and multi-age 5/6 grade explored various aspects of the Day of the Dead holiday through an art and Spanish class collaboration, which focused on promoting authentic learning. The students worked on acquiring new Spanish vocabulary by examining an authentic song titled "Recuérdame" (translated as "Remember Me"), and they examined a paragraph solely in Spanish about the Day of the Dead.
In art class, students crafted masks and tissue decorations which are frequently used during the holiday. This artwork was displayed in the hallways around the school and is still currently on display for anyone wishing to view the artwork in person.
In an effort to make students self-reflective learners, art teacher Kevin Karman and Spanish teacher Josh Becker, had the students complete a gallery walk and give their peers feedback on their artwork. In addition, students completed a thorough self-reflection rubric to assess their growth during this Day of the Dead unit.
Four students—Lena Cole, Joby Collopy, Maria Jonas, Belen Benavides—attended the recent November 26 board meeting to share insights on the expedition from a student perspective and answer any questions the School Board had.