First graders have learned about a final Native American tribe, the Inuit of the arctic. We discovered some people call these Native Americans “Eskimos.” However, they prefer the name Inuit. Members of this tribe wore special clothing including parkas, mittens, and boots called kamiks to keep warm and stay dry. Unable to grow crops in the arctic, the Inuit subsided on seal, walrus, whale, fish, polar bear, and caribou. They lived in houses called igloos or igluviaks. Because the Inuit spent much of their time inside, they often told stories, sang songs, carved soapstone, and played string games. Students enjoyed listening to Arctic Son, a fiction story of a young Inuipait boy, and then set out to write their fiction stories set in the arctic.
Today, students engaged in a STEAM project in which they constructed their own igluviaks. Check out the brief video we watched to learn how the Inuit built their igloos (How to Build an Igloo – A Boy Among Polar Bears). Students worked in groups fulfilling roles as either the materials manager, recorder, or speaker. Using trays, marshmallows, icing, styrofoam cups, craft sticks, and toothpicks, students designed and built their structures. Structures were required to be built on the tray, be dome shaped, and have an opening for entering and exiting. After construction, students measured the height and width of the igluviak, estimated the total number of marshmallows used, and determined the actual number of marshmallows used. Finally, students completed a personal reflection on their role in the STEAM project.
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