Date: November 5, 1998

Grade Level(s): 1, 2, 3

Subject(s):

• Social Studies/Multicultural Education

Duration: several weeks

Description: Summary of Activity: The class is discovering their similarities and differences. One way to do that is to investigate the diversity of cultures represented in the class. Some introductory activities include making a family tree activity, inviting parents and other family members to share information about their heritage with the class, a geography lesson to find the countries of origin on a world map or globe, sharing foods of different cultures, playing games of different cultures, and listening and playing music of different cultures. The class will be planning a cultural music festival to be shared with other classes in the school and with parents at open house.

Goals: To investigate the diversity of cultures represented in the class

Objectives: The children will:

1. Listen to music of various cultures represented in the student population.
2. Select music to represent their heritage.
3. Recognize some musical instruments from various cultures.
4. Identify some of the differences that they have based on their culture and heritage.
5. Identify some of the similarities they have with each other, too.
6. Recognize that the classroom community as well as the community they live in is made up of people from many different cultures.
7. Connect themselves with other locations in the world through use of a map.
8. Recognize that they have a place in time, and that their family has its own history.
9. Work in small groups to plan the use of areas of the room as listening stations.
10. Share the music they have heard with other students and family members.
11. Explain through oral communication that the music comes from a certain part of the world, where their family members originated.
12. Sing songs from the culture/heritage of their own family and other families try various musical instruments from different cultures.
13. Treating everyone with dignity and respect.
    

Materials:

• Tape players (one for each listening center at the open house)
• Record player
• CD player
• Tapes, records, and CD's from parents
• Blank cassette tapes
• Authentic and homemade musical instruments made as an art activity (references for homemade instruments follow)
• The display of the world map or globe that was made in the geography lesson (uses yarn to connect the child's country of origin with the current location)
• Signs made by the children as a language arts and art activity
• Invitations to other classes, made by the children as a language arts activity
• Invitations to parents and family guests for the open house, made by the children as a language arts activity.

Procedures:

Advanced preparation:

As parents and other family members are invited to share information about their heritage and culture, ask them to include some kind of music and musical instrument. Make this part of the coaching you use to prepare each speaker to address the class (share with them the reason you would like them to include music, that is to use it for the festival) This could be pre-recorded cultural music or folk songs and children's songs from their childhood that have been passed down over the years. Encourage adults to perform and teach a childhood song to the children in class, their own child, or to you so you can help teach the children. (This may take a lot of encouraging and persuading, many people are more afraid of singing before a group than they are about speaking before a group) Ask families to leave recordings for the class to continue to listen to, if possible.

Make class recordings of songs that the children learn from the adult presentations. Make the initial recording when the guest is in the classroom. If the song is appropriate, teach and rehearse it with the children. Appropriate songs are those that are not too long or too complicated. A song that one or more children already know works very well or a song that the children like and want to learn would be good. If the class, or a small group, wants to perform in person at the open house they should be encouraged to do so.

Test all the equipment, tape players, record player, CD player, to be used for the project and open house.

Suggested procedure:

Work with the children individually to prepare tapes of the music they have selected from the prerecorded music brought from home and the class recordings. Depending on how much music is available, try to get each child's selections narrowed down to a preset length (this is determined by the time allotted for the music festival and the number of children in the class). This activity can be done when other groups are working on the language arts and art activities for the open house.

Rehearse songs that the children have learned from adult presentations, each other, and as a class.

Divide the room into appropriate listening centers and divide the students into groups to share each center.

Possible variations:

Children who are of mixed race or mixed heritage may decide themselves or with the help of their family which country to focus on. You may need to select more than one country to represent where a child is from. Involve the parents in these decisions if necessary.

If a parent is not familiar with, or does not have access to, music from their heritage or culture, have that parent share a song from his/her own childhood. This can be a song or finger play that they remember. Folk songs, campfire songs, or school yard finger plays and jump rope chants are all part of a family or cultural heritage.

Children may perform a song spontaneously. (It may not be a song from this activity but simply one they know and enjoy)

Assessment:

Play music for the children and initiate discussion about the music, culture, and heritage.

Observe children at work and play; do they sing songs? Are the songs from their own culture? Are they from someone else's culture? Do the children treat each other with dignity and respect when they work and play together?

Plan a multicultural food festival. Discuss the addition of background music such as that used in restaurants.

Useful Internet Resources: N/A

Other Resources: