Franklin students celebrate Cinco de Mayo, "taste" the American Revolution and study vacation spots

FRANKLIN-Franklin Borough Elementary School's Spanish classes, taught by Ariadne Diaz-Daben, enjoyed a variety of activities to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Students joined her for games and treats, while learning about the Mexican holiday that commemorates the victory of the Battle of Puebla. Lauren Brady's fourth grade students got a real "taste" of the American Revolution. They listened to the book, "The Winter at Valley Forge" by James Knight, while enjoying a tasty snack of "hardtack," or fire cake, similar to the biscuits that George Washington's men ate at Valley Forge when the food supply ran low. The ingredients are simply water and flour. After the book and snacks, students used quill feathers and ink to write a diary entry of their life as a soldier during the cold, harsh winter at Valley Forge. Students in Nancy Gottlieb's reading group created their own books about where they went or want to go on a vacation. They read the book "Adventure Vacations" and colored the various states or places they had visited, which included Maryland, Florida, Disney World, South Carolina, Canada and Puerto Rico. They read library books associated with their vacation spots and authored and illustrated their own books.