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Your WEEFC Dollars at Work
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Revels, An American Journey 
WEEFC funded a performance of An American Journey by Revels Boston for the fourth grade, to enhance their unit of study on immigration. The company uses music, drama, and dance from different cultures to teach students about the immigration experience and to celebrate the resultant diversity that American's enjoy today. An American Journey focuses on the immigration of Irish, Italians and Eastern European Jews to the United States through Ellis Island and ultimately, to Boston, during the early 1900's. The program recreates a journey to America in which immigrants share stories, songs and dances from each of their cultures. Each group of immigrants, through storytelling and songs, explained its decision to leave its homeland. The Irish described shortages of food and work; Jews from Eastern Europe told of the persecution they faced, and Italians simply sought a better life in America. All looked forward to the freedoms they would enjoy as Americans. Several students participated in the performance, singing, dancing, and acting as children of immigrants in full costume. As a finale, the performers carried a "soup pot" onto the stage, and each group of immigrants contributed ingredients to the "meal" to represent and celebrate the coming together of different heritages in America.
Throughout the year, WEEFC funds Creative Arts programming designed to enhance creative thinking and imagination and instill an appreciation for the arts including Epic Brass Quintet, Leland Faulkner, World of Wonder, and the Amidons, Artists in Residence.
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Geology: Rock Detectives
The Boston Museum of Science returned to the Field School in December to present its fascinating program, Geology: Rock Detectives, in five of the fourth grade classrooms. They will return in March to visit the remainder of the fourth grade. The program augmented their science unit of study on rocks and minerals. Interesting demonstrations engaged the students during this highly interactive presentation with many opportunities for participation. Students explored the three different types of rock and how they form over geologic time. Through various hands-on observations and experiments, teams of students identified various rocks and minerals. Six stations were set up in each classroom with microscopes and hand lenses, so all students had an opportunity to participate in the study. In addition, students learned how to test for the presence of certain minerals and discussed changes to the Earth's surface caused by slow processes such as erosion and weathering and more rapid changes resulting from catastrophic events such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. Finally, students discovered how a particular rock formation changed over millions of years.
WEEFC funds many other wonderful programs throughout the year brought to the schools by the Math and Science Council.
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Historian,
Michael Tougias
Renowned historian, Michael Tougias, visited fifth grade classrooms to supplement their social studies unit on Massachusetts history. Mr. Tougias' program entitled Adventures in Colonial New England: The Mayflower to King Phillip's War, included a discussion of the Indian way of life, Colonial settlements, events leading up to the war, and battles and strategies used during the conflict. Use of artifacts, slides and period diaries helped students gain a greater understanding of this period of history. This non-traditional and interactive teaching method brought historical events to life and created unique learning opportunities for students far more memorable than would have been experienced by simply reading a textbook.
WEEFC funds visits from other authors and illustrators throughout the school year including Allen Kurzweil, Jeff Kelly, Judith Moffatt, and Barbara O'Connor.
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