Monday, February 10, 2014

Grade 6 – Unit Reflection: Rituals and Traditions Provide a Window into the Beliefs and Values of Cultures



The Unit was introduced to the children with ‘Donut Strategy’ by asking them to share their knowledge about their own culture with peers. This Activity was followed by the Game ‘Who Am I?’ wherein each child wrote about himself/herself on a card, which was read out to the class and the children had an opportunity to guess the name of the person. It was exciting and the whole class enjoyed it.

From here, the inquiry took off to the diversity of India. The class was divided into 4 Zones: North Zone, East Zone, West Zone, and South Zone. Each group researched on the States in these Zones. The student inquiry focussed on the languages, festivals, religions, food specialities, dressing styles, important monuments, places of importance, etc. The students exhibited the profile of open-mindedness throughout their inquiry and presented findings using charts and booklets.

The children were then assessed using ‘Dump Your Brain Strategy’ and their individual reflections. During the Unit, the children were taken to the Salarjung Musuem — this gave them a view of the cultural history of Hyderabad. The trip was very prolific. Inquiry was then carried to a global level by giving the students an opportunity to know and research some international cultures too, namely Arabic, Spanish, French, and Russian.

Along with these international cultures, they were asked to inquire about Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism. Here, the children had the privilege of having Guest Lectures by their French and Spanish teachers. The beliefs and rituals of various religions were very well-handled by a Guest Lecture given by a parent. The students who followed Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism acted as resources to each other. The students exhibited the profiles of open-mindedness, inquirers, and thinkers throughout the research. This is a stepping stone for them to attain a transnational conviction.







 



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