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Fourth-graders say aloha to Hawaiian history
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The Dobbins boys also made a good showing as they swayed their hips during the hula.
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Neighbors | Submitted .A group of Dobbins fourth-graders paused before they enjoyed their island feast on luau day.
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The fourth grade girls looked natural as they started to learn hula dancing.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .During their morning music class, the fourth-graders were already dressed in their bright luau gear.
By SARAH FOOR
On May 27, the fourth-graders at Dobbins Elementary were dressed a bit differently than normal, with bright leis, grass skirts, and Hawaiian shirts brightening up the students’ usually subdued color palette. The outfits were part of Luau Day, the fourth-grader’s culminating activity after a history unit on Hawaiian history.
Fourth grade teacher Elaine Morlan said the luau has been a tradition for more than 20 years. Although the day is filled with plenty of fun, Morlan always makes sure her students are learning.
“This is definitely not just a throw-away fun day. Today ties in everything we’ve been learning about the history, geography and culture of Hawaii and lets them live it,” Morlan noted.
In the morning, the kids went about their day in their bright gear, studying for tests and playing their recorders during music class. In the afternoon, the students were welcomed to the school’s activity room to get their grass skirts swaying.
The fourth-graders ate an island feast and then lined up to learn how to hula. They mastered some of the smooth hip movements of the hula and basic hand gestures that tell stories during the dance.
“Most of the students don’t know that Hawaii had its very own kingdom before becoming part of the United States,” Morlan noted as she watched her students sway. “I think the luau really brings to life this very interesting part of American history.”