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.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, November 9, 2012
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.
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.
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