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MANVILLE: Presidential play-along

By Eileen Oldfield, Staff Writer
   ”Hail to the Chief” played on the classroom computer as the 54 third-graders in Rebecca Fosbre’s and Jennifer Griffiths’ classes marched into Ms. Fosbre’s classroom Tuesday.
   Once inside, the teachers directed them to face the front “in a presidential fashion” as the students prepared to recite the presidential oath.
   ”Today, around 12, just as you’re getting ready to go to recess, President Barack Obama will be taking the presidential oath,” Ms. Griffiths said. “When you take an oath, it’s a very important promise.”
   Reciting the presidential oath and a version the students adapted to third-grade language was only one of the activities to commemorate Mr. Obama’s inauguration.
   ”They’re pretty excited about it,” Ms. Fosbre said. “It was really easy to connect this experience to their learning community because we have such a diverse learning community in Manville.”
   The activities began at 8:30 a.m. with the students comparing Martin Luther King Jr. and Mr. Obama, translating the oath and discussing the inauguration, Ms. Fosbre said. Also, the students watched the inauguration on the school’s Promethean Boards — the electronic blackboards in the classroom — after returning from lunch.
   Already a popular choice among the third grade — Mr. Obama won the school’s mock election in November — the students embraced the activities immediately, though the time between the election and the inauguration seemed like an eternity for the students, Ms. Griffiths said.
   ”We were always saying it was a memorable election, either with the first female vice president or the first African-American president,” Ms. Griffiths said. “It really emphasizes to them that this is an important election.”
   The students specifically enjoyed learning about Mr. Obama’s childhood and connected with his heritage, Ms. Fosbre said.
   The teachers focus on the electoral process every November, concentrating on national, state, or local elections, Ms. Griffiths said. The presidential election allowed the students to speak with their parents regarding the election and the issues surrounding it. Many of the concerns surfaced in class discussions with the students worrying about the job market, economy and the war in Iraq.
   ”We’re thrilled to be able to offer them a really candid glimpse of this historic time,” Ms. Fosbre said. “A lot of their moms and dads will be at work and won’t be able to see it.”
   ”I’m sure there will be many interesting conversations at the dinner table tonight,” she added.