St. Margaret’s grade 5 students took park in “A Revolutionary Experience,” recreating life in 18^th-century America through colonial-themed costumes, performances and a tavern experience.

 

The Revolutionary Experience is the annual culminating event of grade 5’s American Revolution unit. Typically, the in-class performances are open for parents to attend. This year, the students performed on-camera and parents could watch live remotely.

 

The performances told the story of key moments in the United States’ fight for independence, including the Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party and The Shot Heard ‘Round the World. Students narrated key historical points regarding the events as classmates represented the scene in a tableau format in what was dubbed “The Grade 5 Playhouse.” The classes also performed two short plays where each student was given a speaking role.

 

In addition, grade 5 had a “tavern time” setup where students enjoyed snacks and played games from the colonial era, such as “The Royal and Most Pleasant Game of the Goose.”

 

“In order to keep up with ‘current’ events, the students also read and responded to their classmates’ newspaper articles that reflected their secondary and primary research throughout the unit on a topic specific to the American Revolution,” grade 5 teacher Erika Higgins said.

 

Students finished the experience with a virtual field trip to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, which focuses on telling the stories of the men and women who contributed to the victories and losses of the American Revolution.