Around the world in 80 days…how about around the world in 5? During Dive in and Discover week, our “Around the World” group travels the world to learn about different aspects of various cultures, such as greetings, games, music, artists, architecture and dance.
At the beginning of the week, students learned greetings from around the world, for example in Australia people say “How do you do t’day” or how in Nigeria people use a snapping finger handshake to greet someone. Something as simple as greeting another person can actually convey a great depth of understanding about a particular individual or a culture. Students are exploring commonalities and differences that exists within and between cultures. Exploring something as simple as a greeting helps students develop an understanding of just how important all of our little actions can be in sharing who we are.
A couple of the games students will engage in include Sagidi Sa Po Po from the Philippines and Obwisana Rock Passing Game from Ghana. Playing games from around the world gives students opportunities to engage in tasks that don’t feel as familiar. This creates a space in which students need to rely on each other for support. Encouraging each other and providing supportive feedback are two essential skills the entire group will practice during these activities.
To study music, student will jet to Europe, where they will explore how composers from difference countries express themselves in their music. They use pitch, volume, rhythm, tempo, and style to share their emotions with and illustrate events to their audience. Students will learn musician’s vocabulary and will sharpen their musical reading, giving them the tools to describe pieces in a way that is both accurate and personal.
Monet acts as student’s personal guide as they explore the impressionist art movement. Students put their lessons into practice, using pastels to illustrate Hoover Park. Word choice is an essential element of strong writing, yet artists can elicit those same feeling through color, line, space, texture, or value. Students examine how nature affects their own artistic process while experimenting with pastels. Their art examination continues into Morocco, where students explore Moroccan tiles, noting their ornate geometric tiles. Students examine color, line, symmetry and shape, all essential elements of art while learning about Moroccan culture.
We can’t conclude our world tour without a little song and dance. Students will examine how movement reflects traditions in Israeli Folk Dancing. Students use rhythm to practice dancing together as a group. While students are using critical thinking skills to compare and contrast dances from around the world, they are also developing key musical concepts such as rhythm and beat. Students will work together on being supportive collaborators in group dance while developing their hand-eye coordination and gross motor movement.
