Fifty Days of School! Second graders at Katonah Elementary celebrated the milestone with a trip to the 1950s. The fun began the moment they walked into their classrooms, many wearing cat eyed glasses and poodle skirts, slicked back hair and rolled up jeans.
The 1950s celebration was more than an engaging way to mark the school year’s progress, it was an active and fun extension of classroom work.
Students in Jennifer Rutigliano and Jessica McDonough’s class played “then and now” games that highlighted what’s changed over time— from a jukebox to streaming, and a telephone to a smart phone—and what’s remained the same. Some activities folded in math skills—after rating which 1950’s themed food item they liked the most, they worked as a group to complete a class graph.
“Rock Around the Clock” and other 1950s hits wafted out of Melissa Conwell’s classroom, where her students spun and twirled Hula hoops—a popular new toy in the 1950s. Next up: doing the hand jive and dancing the twist!
Learning the “mashed potato” and wasn’t the only highlight.
The second graders also celebrated the 50 Days of School with a 50 Second Challenge. In Julie Burns’ class, students worked together to determine how many times they could jump on one foot, roll a five on a die, say pairs of rhyming words … in 50 seconds.
“Second graders are studying ‘then and now’ in social studies,” said Rutigliano. “Students recently interviewed an older person—asking questions like what toys they had, how they celebrated birthdays, cooked and shopped—and compared it to today.”
The 50 Days of School celebration enriched the learning, as students were immersed in history by celebrating their milestone 1950's style!