Third graders at Columbus Magnet School shared Native American culture and history with their school during Native American Day on Wednesday.
"We are learning about Native Americans and we are getting ready for Native American Day where lots of kindergarteners and other grades learn about Native Americans and how they lived," said Alex, 3rd grader at Columbus Magnet.
Lupita Williams, 3rd grade teacher at Columbus Magnet said, "They researched different regions and then they learned a craft to share with the rest of the school. Right now they are in charge and when they are teaching the rest of the children, they are in turn reflecting on what they have learned."
Each year as part of their unit on Native Americans, third graders research tribes of other regions in order to compare and contrast them to a northeastern tribe.
"My favorite part was learning about what kinds of crafts they used. We are doing false face masks and turtle rattles," said 3rd grader Jack.
"We are learning how they survived the winter and they foods they eat; their religions and the jobs that they had to do," said 3rd grader Christian.
During the day students decorated tipis, made arrowhead necklaces, false face masks and learned about kachina dolls.
Nicole, a 3rd grader at Columbus Magnet said, "What they eat, their celebrations, what they wore and all the occassions they celebrated."
Williams say it is important for students to learn about the Native Americans especially in Norwalk
"We try to connect everything to how we are today. We told them a long time ago, five and six hundred years ago, there were Native Americans living here and there were dense woods. But look at how we are today, how did we get here? We learn some things from the Native Americans and we are still learning."