Today the 6th grade class visited the MUSEUM OF NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY (MONAH) in Bentonville as part of their Social Studies and Language Art classes.
Students in Mr. Taylor’s Social Studies class are learning about the daily life of hunters and gatherers during the Paleolithic and Neolithic time periods. MONAH houses an extensive collection of artifacts and objects from this time period allowing students to experience these original artifacts in person. Thousands of spear points, arrowheads, pottery and other artifacts are on display. Students learned how specific tools were made, what materials were needed to make effective tools and weapons, and how certain tools evolved to utensils that are still used today.
Mrs. Cerna’s Language Arts classes are learning about primary sources and the importance of community. For these topics students were stationed in front of the Lone Dog Winter Count. Mrs. Charlotte Buchanan-Yale, Director of MONAH, collaborated with Mr. Aaron Jones, Director of Arts Integration, to reveal to the students what a winter count is and how this device served native communities as a collaborative, primary source of documenting events and tribal histories. Students compared the function of the Winter Count to a contemporary calendar and timeline, then collaborated with one another to discuss specific historic events that have taken place in their lives and communities.
At the end of the experience each student had the opportunity to “dig” on the grounds of the museum for an artifact (arrowhead) to take home with them as a souvenir.
THANK YOU TO ALL THE STAFF AT MONAH FOR MAKING THIS AN AMAZING FIELD EXPERIENCE!
If you would to know more about the Museum of Native American History visit https://www.monah.us/
