After a long morning of testing, the eighth grade students had an exciting activity to do on Nov. 16 that had to do with a popular American tradition. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade occurs every year on Thanksgiving morning and is watched by over 50 million people.
It was started in 1924 when European immigrants felt that there was a lack of a sense of community in New York City compared to their extravagant festivities back in their native countries.
The students spent the rest of their afternoon in their sixth period class making floats in small groups with a theme corresponding to a content connected lesson in that class. For example, the Math classes determined volume, Science classes showed faults in geologic time, English students explained examples of parts of speech relating to Thanksgiving, History students decorated with American Revolutionary concepts, Spanish students used recycled materials to imitate Colombian Carnival floats, and French students exhibited Mardi Gras-themed floats.
Students displayed the floats in the cafeteria where they were voted on under the categories Best Design, Most Creative, and Most Educational.
Winners included: Best design Faults in the Earth’s Crust from Ms. Mrofchak’s class of Lily Orazen, Katie Kwasny, Ella Murray and Kaitlin Burgess. Most creative: Las Gigantas (Columbian Carnival, dwarfs with big heads) from Mrs. Aranavage’s class of Andy Norton, Will Winovich, Luca Opperman and Rand Singer. Most informative: Subduction from Ms. Mrofchak’s class of Sasha Haines, Katie McCuaig and Katie Baker.
Submitted by Ginny Kanzinger, 8th Grade, Chagrin Falls Middle School
