Culture Is Alive!
Culture is alive in the classroom here at South Union in 4th grade. Students were learning about Hispanic Heritage. Exposure through arts, reading and educational materials taught us about traditions, history, language, customs, holidays and famous Hispanic persons in America today. Bringing authentic learning into the classroom helps each of us learn more about the world and people around us to build a stronger sense of pride in our school communities.
As part of our culture learning, our students made Calaveras, or skull masks, in celebration of the Hispanic tradition in Spanish speaking countries known as the Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. A parent wanted to contribute to our learning by providing real artifacts from her hometown in Mexico. Students were excited and engaged as the gifts were presented to the class. Tissue paper banners fly in the halls for all to see. Decorated calaveras decorate the hallway walls, literature is contagious as students devour books with a fervor of learning Spanish. Displays of Dia de los Muertos pop-up and a giant sugar skull are exhibited for student exploration and curiosity.
Our learning also included the spoken language through songs, chants and vocabulary. Spanish speaking students volunteered to read books in the Spanish language to the whole class while another student read the English version. Partner reading with Spanish speaking students were very popular. Celebration of the Hispanic Heritage provided an authentic learning opportunity to our classrooms. The real celebration was to see the confidence and pride of our Hispanic students as they were honored and respected by all their classmates and teachers , fibers for building a strong and informed community for our future society. – Staja Schreck
