Festival of Tolerance and Cultural Awareness

By: John Phillips,

School:
Woodstown HS,

Woodstown, NJ

Grade Levels: US History

Target audience: Students in Grades 3 & 4 from local elementary school

Academic Focus/

Core Curriculum Standards:

The Arts(Visual and Performing) 1.2, 1.5

Language Arts Literacy 3.1 - 3.5

Social Studies 6.2, 6.4, 6.6.

Consumer, Family & Life Skills 9.2 A, B, C, D

Empathy, caring, compassion, citizenship

This United States history service-learning project is designed to give students an understanding and appreciation of the different cultures infused into American society through active participation. The festival will be a celebration of diversity where students can introduce one another and elementary school students to a variety of cultures. Students will brainstorm ideas for presenting the festival (e.g. booths representing different cultures; PowerPoint presentations; visual displays; interviews with foreign-born residents of Woodstown; charts displaying immigration waves and contributions; depictions of different cultures; food samples from "melting pot" nations). Through this experience students will gain a new appreciation for cultural diversity and an understanding of the importance of tolerance. The goal will be to take this understanding of tolerance into everyday life and help cultivate this vision in younger students.

Timeline: The project is based on the year-long curriculum and culminates in the year end project in May.

Project Scheduling: Takes place during US History class; also other classes (possibly wood shop, art classes, world language, technology also will be involved).

Equipment Needed: Text book, curriculum, booths (from shop class possibly), costumes, food products, digital & video camera (possibly video productions), research

Social Studies: Students explore the different cultures involved in the making of our nation.

Language Arts: Students develop reading, writing, listening and presentational skills.

Visual & Performing Arts: Students create original skits and perform them. They design artwork that expresses their ideas.

World Languages: Students share customs and foods from diverse cultures.

Technology: Students create brochures.

Consumer, Family & Life Skills: Students develop critical thinking & problem-solving skills. They also demonstrate good citizenship.

Hurdles Encountered:

Hurdles; Getting the help of other teachers, classes; handling scheduling conflicts

Solution: A similar project, Hometown Heroes, took place last year. The strategies used to make that project successful should be helpful in shaping this new one.

Performance-based Education: Clearly, this is a project that requires hands-on approach to fulfilling a goal.

Cooperative Learning. Students work collaboratively in planning and executing steps of the project.

Interdisciplinary Approach. Many disciplines are involved in the project.

Personal Growth Outcomes: Students will experience satisfaction from designing and completing this project. Also, they will practice responsibility, good citizenship, caring, tolerance and empathy. Hopefully, this will result in a lifelong attitude of tolerance.

Celebration: The actual Festival is a celebration.

Recognition: Media coverage; Heroes Breakfast for the students involved.

Key Findings: Reflection essays should provide a key to the worth of this project. Also, elementary school students will be quizzed about what they have learned.

Other teachers will be utilized as volunteers. Local businesses and civic organizations will also provide assistance in terms of help and materials. Parents will be approached for providing food.

Reflection will be in the form of a written assignment.

Possible question: A parent has complained to the Board of Education that this Festival should be eliminated because it takes too much class time. Performance in HSPA indicates students need writing skills instead of frills. With a friend, plan a presentation to the Board of Education, indicating what is learned in this project.

Rubric will be distributed to students so they understand the assessment.