Corn and the Seneca

WINTER, 2007-2008

This expedition will start with a visit to the Kindergarten class from their friend, The Great Stone.  Students will then travel to the village of Ganondagan where a basket of Seneca artifacts will be waiting.  Through research, experts and field studies, Kindergartners will discover that the artifacts all have one thing in common - corn.  Students will learn about the importance of corn in Seneca culture in three main areas - as food, to fulfill other needs and wants, and in beliefs and traditions.  In crews, students will work towards making a product designed to teach preschoolers about the three main areas.   Throughout this expedition, Kindergartners will focus on the design principle of Service and Compassion as they work toward teaching preschoolers about the Seneca people.  At the end of the expedition, the preschoolers will be invited to our class for a celebration where the food crew will cook them corn snacks, the needs and wants crew will present the corn husk mat they made and the storytelling crew will share their stories.