“I firmly believe that students, especially middle school students, learn better and retain content longer when they are taught through multiple modalities and when arts integration and group work are incorporated as much as possible. This approach is known as brain-based learning…” —Annie Pulsipher

In early February, Grade 5 History students delved into an immersive study of India’s rich culture and history through the Palm Leaf Book Project—a collaborative, research- and arts-based project designed by History faculty member Annie Pulsipher.

Blending historical scholarship with creative expression, this multimodal project invites students to explore India through the six themes of the history of a civilization (GRAPES): Geography; Religion and Values; Achievements in Arts and Technology; Politics and Government; Economics and Agriculture; and Social Structure. The project also lays the groundwork for their culminating Grade 5 capstone, where they will collaborate in groups to design a complete civilization.

Building a Palm Leaf Book

Working in partnerships or small groups, students selected topics aligned with their personal interests and curiosity. They chose subjects that ranged from traditional desserts and ancient weapons to wildlife, yoga, among others. Before putting pen to “palm leaf,” each group conducted in-depth research using three reliable sources, learning to evaluate credibility and cite evidence effectively. Students then transformed their findings into carefully crafted, visually engaging palm leaf books.

Origins of Pulsipher’s Palm Leaf Book Project

Grounded in her commitment to arts integration, brain-based learning, and student-centered instruction, Pulsipher reflected on why she created and has continued the Palm Leaf Book Project for the past five years. “When I was hired in the summer of 2021, I came from a charter school with a scripted curriculum. Because my training is in arts integration and project-based learning, I was grateful when [former History Department Chair] Maggie Moslander encouraged me to personalize fifth-grade content, as long as I covered Ancient Civilizations and incorporated the skills they needed to be prepared for sixth grade history. I firmly believe that students, especially middle school students, learn better and retain the content longer when lessons are taught in multiple modalities and include arts and group work. This is called brain based learning. [Assistant Head of School, Academics] Michal [Hershkovitz P’16, ’18] and I led a workshop about it last year.” 

Intentional project design is at the heart of Pulsipher’s Grade 5 history studies. “Part of why I decided to do the Palm Leaf Book Project in particular, is because for each unit of content in fifth grade history, I try to incorporate several hands-on activities based on the content that mix historical scholarship and creative choice.” What makes this kind of project particularly powerful is the way it sparks genuine ownership in students. “In this project students get to do their spin on this traditional artform from the Gupta dynasty, as well as practice research skills, engage in group dynamics, and create an engaging visual display,” said Pulsipher. “Part of what thrills me about this project,” she continued, “is the freedom students have in choosing their topic and the length of their book.”

Did you know? According to Pulsipher, Palm Leaf books were used during the Gupta Dynasty (c. 320–550 CE) which was considered a Golden Age of Ancient India. It was during this period that the Ramayana and Mahabharata were officially written down (even though they were likely told orally in earlier periods). At the time, India had several universities where these books were stored and used to record advancements in art, science, religion, etc.

The class enthusiasm for this academic work is evident in how often students go beyond the project requirements. “Every year I have groups who choose to do much more than the required amount of work because of how excited they are about it,” she added. “This project also helps students prepare for their larger Grade 5 capstone where they will be working in groups of six to design an entire civilization based on the principles we’ve been learning all year.”

Voices from the Classroom

Gupta Dynasty: Yoga

Lark D. ’33 and project partner Sophia E. ’33 focused on yoga to uncover its history and meaning beyond physical exercise. Lark shared “The reason we chose yoga, and the reason I’m so interested in it, is because a lot of people think yoga is just a workout. People don’t really know the origin of how yoga was created or the religious importance it has to ancient India and to India today.”

Sophia E. ’33 said what she finds most interesting about yoga is that it doesn’t have a single creator.“ Something interesting that I learned about yoga in India is that it came from the Rig Veda, which is one of India’s earliest scriptures. Yoga didn’t have one official creator; it was built up over time by [many] people.”

Weaponry in India

Rowan W. ’33 and his group chose to study India’s weaponry, intrigued by its creativity and historical use. “We’re doing a project on weapons of India because India has a wealth of specific weapons that aren’t found anywhere else. From the chakram, which is a circular dagger, to all sorts of different types of swords, and even blades that people put on elephant tusks. One really cool thing I learned is that bladed discs kind of like metal frisbees, were stored on turbans–basically having a bunch of chakrams on a really tall hat, and yes, they were used in battle!”