African-American Culture Research
KET Representative, Mr. Ed
McGuire, videotaping
Upton's African-American Culture
Study for KET's News Quiz Program
Students researched African-American Culture during Black History Month. Click on the
following hyperlinks to view their multimedia presentations including:
African and American Customs Database
Mrs. Wyatt's School Bus Safari to Africa
Kwanzaa An African-American Holiday.
E-mail from Burundi, Africa
Correspondence by e-mail with Hardin County natives, David and Kathy
Brandon, who are missionaries in Burundi, Africa, made what they learned come
alive with real-life experiences and eye-witness accounts. It also led to a
Service Learning Project and a visit with the Brandons when they came home on
vacation. Check out the African Mini-library and Meeting the Brandons reports
below.
Keri
Collins shows Nigerian Drum
Students also interviewed a missionary
just back from four years in Nigeria. Dressed in a typical African costume, she
brought clothes for the children to try on, toys, musical
instruments, money and a tape of activities. Her recipes were used to prepare a
typical Nigerian meal for the entire school.
Students
sample African Recipes
Mr. Ed McGuire, regional KET
representative, learned of the project and videotaped students preparing the
meal, playing African instruments, and presenting puppet shows of African myths
about Anasi the Spider.
The segment appeared on the KET
program NEWS QUIZ, with a question about the country studied.
.
Talking
Books
Talking Books of African Anasi the
Spider stories were illustrated and animated by the students.
African Mini-Library Project
Students, teachers and community
members connected with Upton and Western Elementary schools, and the Follett
Book company contributed English language books that were sent to Burundi,
Africa, to help children and adults there learn English. The students learned
of the need for books from their e-mail correspondence with Mr. and Mrs. David
Brandon, during their African Culture Research project.
The Fellowship Sunday School Class of
Retired Col. Ellis "Bud" Patterson and Mr. Monty Stuteville, District
2 Magistrate, donated enough money to purchase a dozen hardback copies of The
New Oxford Picture Dictionary, a book the Brandon's especially requested.
Sonora
First Baptist Church
Fellowship
Sunday School Class
L
to R: Bill Routt, Bill Decker, Charles Routt, Jr., Jess Miller, Karl Highbaugh,
George Cardin, Darryl Helm, Ellis Patterson, seated, Bill Butler.
Absent
when picture taken: Ray Capelin, Jim Hodges, Calvin Hornback, Butch Hess.
Mr. Gary Hunter, sales rep for Follett
Books, sent a wonderful collection on assorted levels and themes from their
warehouse.
A Service Learning Grant from the
Hardin County School system was used to ship the mini-library to Africa. The
staff and students wish to thank everyone who helped make this project a
success.
Mr. Hunter, Mr. Stuteville, and Mr.
Patterson received the FRIENDS OF STLP AWARD
from the Kentucky Department of Education at the state KETC Conference in
Louisville for their assistance with this technology project.
Meeting the Brandons
On Friday, Aug. 14th,
Upton students got to meet their special African E-mail pals, Mr. and Mrs.
David Brandon, at a school assembly. The Brandons taught them how to count in
the Kirundi language and shared pictures of their friends in Burundi. They
thanked the students of Upton and Western, and the Fellowship Sunday School
Class of the Sonora First Baptist Church for collecting English language
Picture Dictionaries and other books they will use in Burundi to teach English.
HCTV televised a program about their visit.
Update on Mini-Library from Mrs.
Brandon
Mrs. Brandon used the books in her
English-as-a-Second-Language class until she returned to America. Everyone wanted to take one of them
home. She left the books with a friend
who was establishing an orphanage and school for Burundian children. Her friend was thrilled with the books. The children were surprised and pleased with
colored pictures because most of their books are printed in black and
white. When the children opened the
books, a reverence fell over the room. They turned each page carefully to take
in each picture.
Here are some neat web sites about
Africa:
Africa
http://www.afroam.org/children/discover/discover.html
Several myths with large pictures
kids will enjoy.
Smithsonian African Web Site
http://www.si.edu/organiza/museums/artifact/exhibits
The World Fact Book-Burundi
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/nsolo/factbook/by.htm
Monkey Island Midi File Free Midi Files http://dfrybarger.terrashare.com/midi.html