Schools and society 601.4.4-10 - Essay Example

601.4.4-10 Multiculturalism Sharon Slauson Dr. TeacherFirst TeacherLast Number 18 August 2007 Multiculturalism Grade: KindergartenLesson ObjectiveStudents will be able to appreciate the value, diversity and benefit of a multicultural society. 1. They will learn that diversity brings color and beauty. Pictures of leaves, and artifacts from multiple cultures will evoke enthusiasm – saree, kimono. They will learn that people of different cultures add richness to the society.2. They will be introduced to the value of multiculturalism in US by introducing concept of “tossed salad” and melting pot”.3. Students will understand that multiculturalism provides a greater opportunity to learn. 4. They will see that music forms a shared language.5. They will learn to cooperate with peers beyond cultural boundaries.

Multiculturalism provides diversity in color and brings strength:Explain to students that very few countries of the world have such diversity as US where people live harmoniously together. Show the picture of leaves (McClanahan, 2005). Identify the prettiness of different colored leaves from the same tree. Then ask students what people from different parts of the world wear ? Explain that, other than the universal “jeans and shirt”, many cultures have their own dresses. Show them a Saree from India and a Kimono from Japan.

Explain that USA brings out the best in everyone. Ask children if they know where President Kennedy’s family originally came from ? Tell them they came from Ireland and he was the first Irish-American President of the US. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California and former film actor is an Austrian American.USA is a melting pot or tossed salad of cultures: Show picture of “melting pot” (Villager, 2006) and explain how different cultures have created the uniqueness that is America.

Explain that, in a melting pot, cultures blend together to form a smooth and consistent whole – with contribution from each. Then show a picture of “tossed salad”. A tossed salad is also made of many components and forms a complete whole. Ask students how a tossed salad is different from a melting pot ? Explain that, in a tossed salad, each community is a seamless, well-fitted part of the whole where individual beauty of their own culture is also preserved. Give example of lettuce in the picture which is part of the salad but still distinctively identifiable.

Cultures teach us many things: Read excerpts of the American adaptation of Korean story “The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon” by Janie Jaehyun (2002). The folk tale shows the strength of speaking one’s mind and being fearless. Ask students if they liked the Korean folk tale and if they know where Korea is and whether they have any Asian friends. Ask students if they know that many words spoken in English today were originally brought to our culture and English language from different regions of the world ?

Give examples of Hurricane (Spanish), Algebra (Arabic), Fajita (Spanish), Bazar (Urdu), Cent (Latin – French, Italian, German). Speak a little about these countries and their citizens who have made their home in the US. Explain to students how cultures bring languages and words together making it easier for us to understand new things.Music is a universal language across cultures: Ask students if they know that many Hollywood films use world music for enrichment ? Ask them if they know the bands U2 and singer Sting ?

Play a tune from Nusrat Fateh Ali’s CD “Shahen Shah” (Nusrat 1988). Tell students that this musician from Pakistan is known the world over and people listen to his music to relax and leave stress. This is so, even though they are not able to understand the words in his music. He has worked with Sting and U2 and composed music for American films.Learning to cooperate beyond boundaries: Play 5 minutes of video from Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003) where Nemo escapes from the fish tank with the help of his friends.

Ask students what are the keywords that come to mind when describing Nemo’s escape with help of friends (skill, cooperation). Identify that each fish is a different species and uses its own skills and contributes by helping Nemo escape. The multicultural setting of US brings people from diverse cultures together in making America strong in many ways (economic, social). ReferencesJaehyun, J. (2002). The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon (Korean Folk Tales).Groundwood Books.Khan, N.F.A. (1988). Shahen-Shah [Audio CD].

London: Real World Records. (May 7, 1993).Kimono. Personal Collection.Saree. Personal Collection.Stanton, A. (Director) & Lasseter, J. (Producer). (2003). Finding Nemo [Motion Picture].USA: Walt Disney Pictures.The Villager Newspaper (March 15, 2006). The still simmering ‘Melting Pot’. RetrievedAugust 14, 2007), from http://www.thevillager.com/villager_150/thestillsimmeringmelting.htmlAdditional references:algebra. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved August 4, 2007, fromDictionary.

com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/algebrabazar. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved August 4, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bazarcent. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved August 4, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/centfajita. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved August 4, 2007, from Dictionary.

com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fajitahurricane. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved August 4, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hurricaneMcClanahan, L. (2005). Melting Pot on Flickr. Retrieved August 14, 2007 from http://flickr.com/photos/mcclanahan/41350696/