Video: Kim Estevez's Newberry Elementary fifth grade class reads a play about the Declaration of Independence. Video 1. Video 2.

By Chris Wilson

Students at Newberry Elementary enjoyed a variety of studying and learning about the United States during the school’s “Celebrate Freedom Week,” which was held the week of September 24. Several of the classes actually spent the entire month of September celebrating American patriotism and, on September 26, the entire school was dressed in red, white and blue.

Fifth grade reading teacher Kim Estevez spent time with her classes reading and discussing the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. “I used to teach social studies, too, so I really enjoy these lessons,” said Estevez. “Because we’re a reading class, we have been reading the documents and discussing what they mean. It not only helps with their reading. But, the more they read about it, the more they learn the information.”

The fifth graders read a play featuring the historical “characters” of Roger Sherman, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston and John Adams, about the writing of the Declaration of Independence. The class discussed some of the more challenging vocabulary in the Declaration and why John Hancock signed his name so big.

The fifth graders also were looking forward to participating in a mock Constitutional Convention, where they would learn to interpret the Constitution, analyze the amendment process and debate issues such as Supreme Court limits and qualifications for the presidency. The Newberry Elementary students were especially excited that they got to vote on some of these issues online at the end of the “convention.”

The Newberry Elementary media center also was buzzing during “Celebrate Freedom Week.” Media specialist Patty Duval read a book about the Declaration of Independence to a group of third graders and asked them to draw a picture of what they were hearing. “Last week, we did a library search for books about freedom,” says Duval. “That way the students know what resources are available in the library.”

Duval says the school also read bits of the Declaration of Independence during the morning announcements the entire week and all of the classes were expected to read along. “It’s fun to hear what they already know or what they don’t know,” says Duval.