An American Quilt: "The Life Before" or From Patchwork to the Torn Seams

An integrated, interdisciplinary, thematic study of America's Family Tree Students living in America need a cultural foundation on which to base their participation in their communities, country, and the world. this cultural foundation is discovered through an exploration of the students themselves and an exploration of the self within a world community. A naturalistic pathway to teach appreciation and value of the self is thorugh literature and the arts. An accurate portrayal of America and the Americans within an interconnected world is achieved through an examination of diverse voices, experiences, and histories. Only when students value thier own voices and the voices of others can these same students join thier empowered, individual voices with other empowered voices and create an empowered, productive, and peaceful global village.