Every other year, our class explores an American subculture. This December our class read Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez. It tells the story of a family of Vermont dairy farmers and the undocumented Mexican farm workers on their Addison County farm. The narrative is viewed through the eyes of two children, a Mexican girl and and an American boy. This reading was the beginning of putting a face on an important local and national issue.

collage design for digital story artwork

The January K-4 cultural study focused on Mexico dovetailed nicely with this unit, and we enjoyed learning Spanish with Jake and hearing of Chole's journey to Vermont and her experiences with Mexican workers in Vermont. We are currently engaged in several projects that grew out of this study.

student model for set design

Our students are creating a performance piece based on the Julia Alvarez novel. Included in scene transitions are the actual words of Vermont dairy farmers and the Mexican farmworkers who work for them. It will be presented to the Lincoln community on March 17 at 1:00 pm and on March 18 at 7:00 pm. The public is cordially invited to attend.

Adapted from RETURN TO SENDER. Copyright 2009 by Julia Alvarez. Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. By permission of Susan Bergholz Literary Services, New York, NY and Lamy, NM. All rights reserved.

Jake teaches the months of the year in Spanish 

Students created personal writing based on quotes from "The Golden Cage," an online exhibit that documents the story of Mexican workers on dairy farms in Addison County. Based on their poetry and prose, each student created four original pieces of art. This artwork and poetry is the basis of our latest collection of digital stories.

In art class, the students are working on framed collages that will reveal both the external and internal lives of Vermont farmworkers. These will be on display at our performance and later at the Vermont Folklife Center. Look for details about the exhibit in our school newsletter.

off to a whirlwind start

nearly three weeks of school

blown by

poetry, painting light

daily daylight data,

declaring democracy daily

reading and growing gardens of liberty

tending growing friendships

foraging for our future

in optic cyber speed!

~your elderly 5/6 teachers

p.s. Ask your student to explain the above metaphors!