4th Graders Experience NC History
4th grade is the year when NC students learn NC history. What better place to learn about the state than where it all began? Ms. Jeanie Owens recently took her students on a field trip to Roanoke Island, and had them write essays about what they learned. Gabriel's report was chosen for the Current.
Field Trip to Roanoke Island
By: Gabriel Brown
I went to Roanoke Island on a field trip with the rest of my 4th grade class. First, we went to Island Farm. There was an old mansion (farmhouse) and a working farm that looked like the 1800s. We learned what shears looked like that they would use to cut the sheep’s hair. We learned how they cooked. While a lady was talking to us in the kitchen, I decided to stand by the window. Then an ox named Charlie stuck his head through the window. It looked like a cow, but acted more like a dog. We all got a good laugh. Then we got to roam around the farm in groups. We even found a coffin, but it wasn’t real.
Then we got on the bus and drove to Fort Raleigh. It wasn’t fake; it was the actual site of the Lost Colony. We went inside and visited the museum. The ranger told us a lot of things about what happened to the Lost Colony. In the museum, we saw a 400 year-old Native American necklace. Then we went outside and saw the fort. We could NOT climb on it. Then the ranger told us that under the sidewalk, they had just found some very old artifacts.
Our next stop was at Festival Park. We went on the ship Elizabeth II. We got to see and hear a small cannon fired from the ship. We also learned what is was like to work below deck. We visited the Native American village where we talked about Native American farming. We also learned about Native American longhouses. Then we visited the English settlement. There we went to a blacksmith’s shop. Auggie got to be the blacksmith’s apprentice. We also learned how people made table legs back then. I went to the gift shop and bought a yo-yo, a pack of gumballs, and a sling-shot pencil.
Our last stop was the North Carolina Aquarium. There were new things to see. One of the new things was a black light that shone on the floor. I touched a stingray. We ate dinner at the Garden Deli Pizzeria. Then we got on the bus and drove home. In conclusion, the 4th graders took a field trip to Island Farm, Fort Raleigh, Festival Park, and the Aquarium. We learned a lot and had so much fun!
Ocracoke School's 4th and 5th grade classes are planning an epic trip from the sea to the mountains – and back again – in the spring. They will travel by schoolbus all the way to Grandfather Mountain, near Linville, NC, stopping in Raleigh, Guildford, Winston-Salem, and other points of interest along the way. Stay tuned to the Current for information about all the fundraisers the kids are having to help pay for their spring trip. Right now they are selling 50/50 raffles, so find a 4th or 5th grader and buy your chance to win big!
