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Culminating Activities » Culminating Activities

Culminating Activities

 
Each grade level participates in multiple culminating activities that bring the TJCA curriculum to life for the students.
 
Below is a list of those culminating activities for each grade level. 
 
Kindergarten
  • Johnny Appleseed Day: Students learn all about the adventures of Johnny Appleseed. Johnny Appleseed visits the students and tells his stories. Students also make homemade apple sauce and watch a demonstration on apple pie-making.
  • Polar Express Day - For Fun
  • Kings and Queens Banquet: Students rotate through classrooms for jousting, shield and crown making, a treasure hunt, royal dancing, and jewelry making.
  • Nursery Rhyme Recital: The students learn a variety of nursery rhymes in kindergarten. The students memorize a nursery rhyme, dress the part, and present it to the class.
  • Native American Day: After learning about Native Americans, students rotate to different classrooms for jewelry making, dancing, eating beef jerky, making pinch pots, and storytime.
  • Colonial Day: After learning about what it was like to live during Colonial times, students rotate through classrooms and make bread, write on chalkboards, play with paper dolls, make horseshoes out of clay, and experience a bread-making demonstration. Mr. Cole demonstrates carpentry skills for all the students.
  • Patriotic Parade: Students learn about presidents and American Symbols. They also dress in red, white, and blue and have a patriotic parade around the school.
 
First Grade
  • Human Body Day: Students participate in a parade while “wearing” their organs on the outside. Students participate in centers and crafts to further explain the different body systems.
  • Author’s Tea: Students write a book from start to finish. They share the published copy with the class and family members.
  • Fairy Tale Ball: Students dress as fairy tale characters from the Fairy Tales domain and enjoy centers based on what was learned during the stories.
  • Mexico Day: Students dress in authentic Mexican attire and participate in activities based on the content learned in the unit. They make maracas, watch a presentation on creating a Day of the Dead bread, and learn to dance salsa.
  • Egypt Day: Students dress like ancient Egyptians and rotate to different classes for activities. They translate hieroglyphs, build pyramids, participate in a mummifying demonstration, and make a sarcophagus.
 
Second Grade
  • China Day - After learning about Ancient China, students can try traditional Chinese cuisine and make Chinese lanterns. Dressing up is optional for this event.
  • Greek Day- After learning about Ancient Greece, students eat an authentic Greek snack and chicken pita lunch. Students make a vase mosaic using beans. They also travel to different classes to play games in mock Olympics. Dressing up is optional for this event.
  • Christmas on the Frontier- Students learn about Westward Expansion and how pioneers lived long ago. Christmas on the Frontier is an entire day devoted to pioneer ways. Students make bread, butter, and candles and learn to sew. They also bring in a homemade gift to exchange with others. A country buffet lunch is served, and students dress up.
  • Immigration Day- Students learn all about immigration and the steps to become a citizen. Students dress up and take on the role of an immigrant. They journal write as this character for the entire unit. Students experience an Immigration Simulation involving medical, legal, and mental exam simulations. They then travel to the citizenship room and await entry into the US.
  • Japan Day - Students will make origami and have a traditional Japanese lunch.
  • Life Cycles- During the Cycles in Nature unit, each classroom hatches baby chicks, watches caterpillars transform into butterflies and larvae into a praying mantis, and raises ladybugs.
  • Human Body Experiments- After learning about the human body, students watch hands-on experiments on how the bladder, intestines, and stomach work. 
 
Third Grade
  • Viking Day- Students participate in Viking Tag, Kubb, mask-making, broach and goblet decorating, and treasure relay. Students can try native foods and snacks for lunch.
  • Human Body Day - Students enjoy a mystery body part exploration, play Operation, Human Body Bingo, and eat a special lunch.
  • Alice in Wonderland Tea Party- Students read the Alice and Wonderland novel. They have a special lunch/tea, dress as their favorite character or Sunday’s best, and enjoy many themed games and activities.
 
Fourth Grade
  • Presidential Wax Museum- Students learn about one of the first seven presidents. They write a research paper, develop a speech, and dress the part to present to the school and parents.
  • Medieval Feast- Students learn about the medieval European period, dress up, and have a medieval feast.
  • China Day- Students learn about ancient China, eat fortune cookies, make Chinese drums and lanterns, dress in traditional Chinese clothing, and eat a Chinese lunch.
  • Africa Day- Students have an African breakfast, make keto placemats and African drums, and dress up for this event.
  • Freedom Tea Party- Once the students finished learning about the American Revolution, they had a tea party to culminate this unit.
 
Fifth Grade
  • Japan Day- Students rotate to different classrooms and make a Japanese painting, learn Japanese name writing, eat a traditional Japanese lunch, enjoy an escape room, and play math games.
  • Ancient Civilizations Guest Speaker- A descendant of the Inca Tribe comes to speak to the students and brings traditional artifacts for the students to see.
  • Stem Day - Students make roller coasters, parachutes, and thermometers.
  • Civil War Day - Students eat Hardtack & drink coffee (hot cocoa), write letters home on aged paper as if they were soldiers, and draw soldier caricatures.