Second Grade Students Laser Cut Totems

The second grade students are exploring and comparing the historical cultures of Native Americans from various regions of North America. In lieu of a written language, the tribes of the Pacific northwest carved wooden totem poles to record important events and stories. In the classroom, each second grade student crafted a short story in the spirit of the northwest tribes. Symbols were chosen to represent the characters/objects in their stories, which were drawn on paper strips and scanned into the computer. Using the laser cutter in the BCI, students watched their designs being transferred on to 8” x 3” wooden blocks. Later, the children added color to the poles. The stories depicted on the poles will be recited during a potlatch party.