Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 10, 1994 TAG: 9403100246
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY GLEINER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The class was part of the school's recent first International Week, during which students experienced a hands-on introduction to other cultures.
The event, coordinated by PTA members Gita Srinivasan and Mary Sue Caplinger, was designed to provide a totally integrated curriculum focusing on a different country at each grade level. The PTA board and members, parent volunteers and people from outside the school community contributed their time and resources to the project.
"We need to give our children a global education," Principal Lucille Wolfrey said. "Children need to understand that we are a conglomeration of people. We're not just Americans anymore."
The countries were chosen because they represented the homelands of several students at the school.
"We hope children will understand cultural differences - not just by reading, but by hands-on sensory experiences," said Srinivasan, a native of India.
Piotr "Peter" Filipcyzk, who was born in Poland, helped translate a Polish movie for his fellow fifth-graders. "I kind of like it that kids are learning about where I came from," he said.
Peter and his classmates made a scarecrow out of straw, then tossed it into the creek behind the school as students intoned chants they had written for throwing away "old woman winter," a tradition in Poland.
Each class cooked and ate a traditional meal from the country it was studying. The preparation of the meal incorporated not only social studies but also math, science and language arts. The students also interviewed at least one native of each country.
In Peggy Coliton's "Canadian" kindergarten class, children touched live lobsters and mussels before the creatures became ingredients for an authentic lunch.
"The lobster was pretty nice, but it was too `slicky,' " said Patrick Shafer, a kindergartner. He liked learning about "mountain [mounted] policemen."
Coliton's class studied French, compared American and Canadian money and learned about ethnic diversity by making collages of Canadians.
Children in first grade passed around colorful Mexican dolls and other artifacts that a parent, whose mother is Mexican, brought in.
Justin Balzer was curious about the Mexican masks, especially about how they were shaped and carved. By week's end, he probably knew a lot more about them.
The highlight of the first-graders' week was a Mexican festival, complete with traditional foods, costumes they helped make and a pinata.
"In social studies this year, we learned about Virginia's early history, and studying Great Britain fits right in," said Beth Duff, a fourth-grade teacher.
The children also made Celtic knots, learned some Gaelic, used the metric system and designed a coat of arms.
"I learned that England and Ireland have castles, but I wouldn't like to live in one," Eric Schaaff said. "They're so old, they're probably pretty dirty by now."
Second-graders were busily making Kokeshi dolls a day after interviewing Japanese visitors from Yokohama Tire Corporation. Emily Harvey learned that children in Japan attend school six days a week. "I don't think that's a good idea," she said.
Mark Floryan wanted to learn Japanese writing, which he did, and he and his classmates tackled origami, the Japanese art of paper folding.
The beautiful rangoli drawing on the door to Nita Kraus' third-grade classroom is an example of Indian art.
Third-graders found out that rangoli can also help them learn multiplication. Based on vertical and horizontal lines of dots, designs are woven around the dots or can be made by connecting them. If you connect four dots across and four down, you make a square of 16 dots, just as four times four equals 16, and four is the square root of 16.
"The children are totally immersed in this, " said Chrissy Kaiser, a third-grade teacher. They were disappointed when she did not wear the sari she had worn the day before.
The third-graders also interviewed Srinivasan and Aparna Acharya, who were both regaled in colorful saris. Questions ranged from, "Do they have cable TV in India?" to `'What's the difference between American and Asian Indians?".
Drake Bushnell was glad to learn that, yes, there is cable TV in India.
People in the southern part of India dress differently from their northern neighbors because the weather is different, Brittany Yarber discovered.
These students learned peacock crafts, heard Indian stories, made flags and studied the vegetarian diet of India and how it incorporates the four basic food groups.
The sound of bagpipes on Friday signaled the close of this special week of discovery. International dancers whirled, martial artists kicked, and the Indian lamp-dance was performed. Like merchants at a foreign bazaar, students proudly displayed their wares, created during the week.
And Chrissy Kaiser wore a sari for one more day.
by CNB