Diversity Week 4: Traditions

Week four was all about traditions in Mexico and China and how they are different from our traditions in the United States.

For China, we discussed how one of the popular holidays there is the Chinese New Year. The Chinese people celebrate with parades in the streets. They wear bright colors and listen to traditional Chinese music. The Chinese tradition that we pinpointed most was the Chinese Dragon. For Halloween the students actually made a Chinese Dragon as a class and wore it for the school parade. This week they constructed their own individual dragons using paper plates, markers, streamers. glitter, and pompoms.

When learning about Spanish traditions, we discussed how they celebrate Cinco de Mayo with street fairs. They dress in extravagant, bright colored dresses and dance around the streets listening to Mexican tunes. They eat delicious Mexican foods and use pinatas. The aspect that we focused on was maracas. The students made maracas out of paper plates. they decorated using buttons, beads, and paint. After the maracas were finished we danced and shook them around the classroom while listening to Mexican music.

I found this week learning about traditions to be successful since the children learned that not everybody celebrates our holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc.). One more thing they can add to the list of differences among cultures around the world!

Diversity Week 3: People

This week the focues was one people around the world. How are they different? How are they the same? I used the book "Wherever You Are" as a read aloud a couple of times throughout the week. The book gives several similarities and differences among people around the world, wherever they may live.

As a project, I read the book "The Colors of Us." This book explains that all each and every person has their own unique skin color. It gave a list of wonderful adjectives that helped the young students envision more skin tones than just black and white. After reading and discussing the book, the students each created a self-portrait. Coloring in a skin color was a requirement. The children labeled their self-portrait with a descriptive word or phrase that represented their skin tone and the teacher wrote it down for them. This fun projects was beneficial for all of the students and helping them realize that they are all unique and special.

I think this week was expecially important. One of my goals from this research projects is helping the students realize that all people are different from one another. I believe that they should grow up accepting the differences among their peers and not judging based on appearances.

Diversity Week 2: Language

Week two introduced new languages to my Preschool classroom: Chinsese and Spanish!

At circle time I taught the students how to say a few words in each language, including "hello" and "thank you." Suprisingly enough, they retained the Chinese words much better than the Spanish ones.

For a activity diving depper into the Chinese language, the students attempted to write their names in Chinese symbols. Using an online translater, we were able to write down each child's name in Chinese. The students used black paint to recreate their Chinese name as best they could. They also write their name in English and discussed the differences. Though most of the students could not perfectly replicate their name in symbols, I was happy to see that they all used swift lines when writing it.

When learning more in-depth about Spanish terms, the students drew pictures to represent a Spanish word. They were able to choose one of the following words to illustrate: hello, goodbye, thank you, school, cat, book. The students also were to describe their picture. Many of the children did a wonderful job creating a descriptive picture.  The low group struggled and did not draw pictures that represented their Spanish word, but rather scribbled or drew something else.

Overall, I think the students gained cultural insight from learning about the different languages around the world. They now know that not everybody speaks the same language.

Diversity Week 1: Environment

The first week of teaching about cultural diversity focused on the different environments in various countries. which in this case were China and Mexico. This was a transition into diversity from a study we did on trees.

In circle time we discussed how trees are different throughout the world. For instance, Bonsai trees are popular in China, while palm trees can be found at the beach in Mexico. We talked about how there are many mountains in West Virginia, but some places have no mountains at all.

For my center in week one, I showed the groups of students a globe and pointed out China and Mexico. I explained the North Pole, South Pole, and Equator and the weather at each place. I told the students to look at where West Virginia is located in relation to the North Pole and the Equator and discussed the weather here. Then they predicted how the weather is in Mexico since it is much closer to the Equator. After a discussion on winter weather in the United States versus Mexico, the students drew a picture of winter in each country. All of the students that participated in this activity drew aspects of winter. They included snow and snowflakes in West Virgnia, and had birds, palm trees, and the ocean in Mexico. I think this activity worked really well for all of the ability levels.

My first week as a full-time teacher

Last week marked the beginning of my full-time student teaching. I anxiously spent a full day preparing for my first week to make sure everything was ready to go. I was most nervous of running out of activities and standing in front of the classroom with a blank expression. Since I didn't want that to happen, I filled my lesson plans with a multitude of extra activities.

As I have mentioned before, my research is about teaching diversity in an early childhood setting. My goal is for my preschool students to become informed and more well-rounded with a grasp on the world as a whole. At the beginning of my study, my students couldn't even point out the difference in skin color among people, which is why I chose this research topic in the first place.

I am focusing specifically on two countries, Mexico and China, and how they compare to our life here in the United States. We have previously done a West Virginia unit so the students have something to compare to. On my first week of teaching I taught about the environment of different countries. I wanted to teach about types of trees found in Mexico and China since we just completed a tree study and the units have to tie together. In my center, I showed the students a globe and explained the North pole, South pole, and Equator. I showed them where we were in comparison to the poles and equator and asked them to about the weather and our seasons. I then showed them China and Mexico and asked them to predict what the weather is like there using the poles and equator. The students responded really well to the globe and were able to document their learning by illustrating "winter in America" to 'winter in Mexico."

I took the students on virtual tours of China and Mexico using a smartboard. I made a webquest of China and an interactive power point of Mexico. The students loved these and learned many things about the countries including a few words in Chinese and Spanish, clothing, food, and traditions.

Overall, I feel like my first week went really well and I am excited to continue my research!

Over the past month and a half...

So, I was having technical difficulty locating my blog after MIX switched over to Gmail, but the good news is that I finally found it.

I have not yet started my six-week research period, but I have fallen into a great routine with my host teacher. I lead circle time almost every day which includes calendar, weather, read alouds, and finger plays that correlate with songs. Depending on the current unit, we do a corresponding activity. For instance, right now we are working on a tree unit. Every day we focus on a new question: What are the parts of trees? Who lives in trees? What can you make out of trees? Who takes care of trees?

After circle time I teach a center with about 6 students. We group our students according to ability level. The centers last for about 15 to 20 minutes before the students are alloted a half hour for free play.

I have learned to appreciate my host teacher and teacher's aid. They are so welcoming to me and genuinely treat me like a colleague. Listening to other interns' stories about their horrific experiences in their PDSs make me feel extremely happy to be where I'm at! My host teacher and teacher's aid have wonderful ideas that help me when I need assistance for a center idea or something of the sort. They also always take my ideas with an open mind.

The semester is sailing smoothly thus far, and I am looking forward to beginning my research next week!

First glimpse of students...

Last week we held "phase-in" days for my students. On Monday about half the kids came in the morning with their parents to attend the Boo-hoo Breakfast and see what the classroom routine entails. The second half of the students came in on Tuesday.

Wednesday was our first full day with all of the students. I think it's safe to say I was exhausted by the end of the day. It is hard to remember at times that these kids need to be taught the basics: how to stand in a line, move through centers, walk quietly in the halls, listen quietly when someone else is talking, etc. The classroom could have been described as hectic on the first day. However, I see light at the end of the tunnel! The kids are so sweet and surprisingly eager to be at school (for the most part) and are learning to follow their new rules.

Just within my first few days with the students, I have seen reprimands of the poverty in this area. For one, some of the clothing worn by the children and blankets brought in for nap time smell as if they have not been washed for weeks. A few of the students have complained of their heads itching and needed their scalps examined for lice. Also, I have already had to escort a small 4-year-old girl to a meeting with CPS. I am wondering if these types of things will affect my teaching in any way.