Thursday, May 5, 2011

Cultural market day

I did 3 indepth presentations in the morning and these were for Grade 6, Kindergarten and Grade 3 students in the morning on May 4th at the Falun school. In the afternoon I did 7 fifteen minute presentation. Each group in the afternoon was a mixed group.  The flow of the presentation was as follows:
  1. Welcome Namaste
  2. Ask about what do people know about India and Indians (free flow presentation - spices, etc.)
  3. Clothes and fabrics with a saree demonstration (Children invited to wear clothes from the tisket tasket basket.)
  4. Indian Emblem Ashoka Chakra and its significance
  5. Relax: Say Om 3 times
  6. Read a book (Different books to match the interest of the readers) and talk about folktakes
  7. Draw Indian national bird, flower and lotus
  8. Wrap up with a craft: Make Rangoli Mandelas (Supplies - Black construction paper and pastels.)
  9. I wrote the name of the child on the rangoli in the Hindi language
The children enjoyed wearing the clothes.

The children asked so many questions about why are spices consumed, no electricity in schools, why people don't cow meat, could I sing, or could I demonstrate dance steps?

Learning:
  1. Let the volunteers talk to each other.  What's in it for the volunteers?
  2. Use You tube for music (This is like a recreation break for the presenter.)
  3. Demonstrate dance steps or singing
  4. Drink water








Monday, May 2, 2011

Peacock books

Fiction

The peacock pride by Melissa Kajpust  (Peacock became a leader by killing the viper and was arrogant becasue of his feathers and koel the bird that sings became the leader.)

Indian folktales deal with everyday life. Animal characters are given human traits, and the stories dal with daily realtionships and personality charactersitics. Usually the character taht trimphs is the hardworking underdog. Morally superior but humble charcters most often succeed. Truthfulness, modesty, loyalty, courage, geenrosity, and honest effort are greatly valued. In India, folktales are handed down throught he generations and represent an important moral tradition in Indian culture.


The peacock and the crow story, written and illusttrated by Ann Kirn  (The crow painted the peacock with many colors and the peacock did not want any one else to look better so he splashed black color on the crow)

Peacock Palace Scoop by Peter Lawson and Elizabeth Laird

A peacock on the roof written and illustrated by Paul Adshead

A peacock atemy lunch by Craig B. McKee and MArgaret Holland.


Nonfiction

Peacocks by Ruth Berman

Peacocks: animals I see at the zoo, Kathleen Pohl

Peacocks and peahens by Joan Kalbacken


Poetry

Peacock and other poems by Valerie Worth

Peacock Pie a book of rhymes by Walter de la Mare.