ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, November 19, 1996 TAG: 9611190057
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Class Notes
SOURCE: HALE SHEIKERZ
This week is really two weeks. American Education Week and Geography Awareness Week are being recognized through Saturday. This year's central theme for American Education Week is "The Future Begins in Today's Schools." Riner Elementary School is recognizing the week through various activities, such as saluting different members of the school's staff and by having a "dress as your teacher/principal day" on Friday.
"Geography: Exploring a World of Habitats, Seeing a World of Difference," is the theme for Geography Awareness Week. The topic examines the biodiversity and enormous variety of life on Earth. Areas that students can explore include plants, animals, ecosystems and endangered species.
Students can also visit the following Internet and World Wide Web sites:
* National Geography Society- http://www.nationalgeo-graphic.com
* Weathernet - http://cirrus.sprl.umich.edu/wxnet/
* Volcano World - http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/
* National Earthquake Information Center - http://gldfs.cr.usgs.gov/
* Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison - http:www/ssec.wisc.edu/
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It's one thing to learn about another culture from reading books and watching films. But it's an entirely different experience when someone from another country actually comes here and teaches.
The efforts of several teachers during the past year provided students at Belview and Prices Fork elementary schools with the opportunity to learn about Japan from a visiting Japanese national. Reiko Nishikawa spent one month in the New River Valley and returned to Japan on Monday. She was sponsored through the Sowing Together for Earthly Peace program. She volunteered on her own time to come to America and be a "friendship ambassador" to the schools.
Her visit was the result of students' interest in Japan after reading the book "The Master Puppeteer" by Katherine Paterson. The book is set in Japan and is one of the novels studied by fifth-grade students in the gifted programs at both schools. At the same time, students in Lorrie Sprague's fourth-grade class at Prices Fork and Robin Bibb's third-grade class at Belview were also interested in learning about Japan. It was then that Rosary Beck initiated the partnership between the two schools and the STEP program. Beck was the gifted resource teacher at the two schools during the 1995-96 school year. She now is the coordinator for the gifted programs in the Christiansburg strand.
Beck and Bibb started communicating with Nishikawa in the spring and continued their around-the-world friendship during the summer. Nishikawa arrived Oct. 19. She stayed with Sprague for two weeks and Lois Lang, a reading teacher at Belview, for two weeks.
"It was good for her to [stay with a family] because she could see what an American family was like," Sprague said.
Even though she didn't know English very well, the language barrier was not a problem for Nishikawa. She was able to communicate with gestures and her limited English vocabulary.
Nishikawa spent two weeks at each school, visiting classrooms from preschool to the fifth-grade. She introduced the children to the culture, language and habits of the Japanese. She taught students origami, calligraphy and how to use chopsticks. She showed videos of Japanese schools and students and told Japanese stories. She also "hosted" a tea ceremony for a group of children at each school. The third-graders at Belview also had the opportunity to go to Kabuki Japanese Restaurant in Roanoke with Nishikawa.
Four-year-olds at Blacksburg United Methodist Preschool also had the opportunity to have a Japanese Day. Nishikawa visited the school and showed a video of a popular Japanese children's television program. In addition, the children taught her about their culture by showing her how to do the Hokie Pokie.
Teachers and staff members at both schools also had the opportunity to get to know Nishikawa. A farewell party was held in her honor on Sunday. Pat Rose, the gifted resource teacher at the two schools, said Nishikawa said before she left that she had two hearts, one in America and one in Japan. Though she was excited to back to her home and family, she also was sad to leave the states, Rose said.
MEETINGS, EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
Blacksburg High School will have its fall athletic awards program Thursday at 7 p.m. in the school's auditorium. The program will honor varsity and junior varsity athletes. A reception will follow the program in the commons.
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There will be a workshop for parents of special education students in grades 6-12 in Radford City Schools tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at Belle Heth Elementary School. The workshop concerns the Literacy Passport Test. The LPT is administered to all sixth-grade students in late winter. Students must pass the test in order to receive a high school diploma.
The Radford Parent Resource Center staff will talk with parents about the administration of, accommodations for and exemptions from the test, as well as how it will relate to a student's receiving a certificate or diploma at graduation. Free child care will be provided. For more information, call 731-3679.
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There will be a community dialogue Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the library of Blacksburg Middle School. The topic is "Teaming." Everyone is invited to the dialogue. For more information, call Carol Fox or Nyanne Hicks at 951-5716.
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Reiko Nishikawa teaches oragami to preschoolers atby CNBBlacksburg United Methodist Church.