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Cultural Integration into Learning Activities

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By Gaby McIntosh. 2nd Grade Dual Language Spanish Teacher at Braden River Elementary School

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Summary

In this presentation, I will share my experience integrating culture into learning activities. I will provide practical strategies and examples that you can quickly implement during the next school year.

Table of contents

1- Language and Culture

2- using the socio-cultural context as a didactic resource

3- Section break

4- How to do it

5- Your calendar

6- Cultural activities

7- Hispanic Heritage Celebration I

8- Hispanic Heritage Celebration II

9- Holiday Caroling Singing

10- Dancing with Diana Patricia, La Macarena

11- Carnaval 2024

12-Seville Fair 2024

13-Interactive question

14- Conclusions

15-Closure

Language and Culture are Closely Linked

According to the Universidad Latina de America (UNLA), language and culture are closely linked. Language reflects speakers' experiences and ways of seeing the world. When we incorporate language's historical, social, and cultural aspects, we favor mutual communication between various communities and populations.

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Using the Socio-Cultural Context as a Didactic Resource

In a study by the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, languages and their cultural background should be taught simultaneously. In this sense, using the socio-cultural context as a didactic resource for the foreign language is a way to go deeper into its understanding.

It can also help students feel motivated and closer to native speakers

It can enhance their language skills, develop empathy and respect for others.

It can help students communicate effectively in diverse settings

It can build appreciation and understanding of the language.

I suggest:

How can we do it?

Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers. But first they have to understand that their neighbour is, in the end, just like them, with the same problems, the same questions. -Paulo Coelho

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2023-2024 School Year Activities Timeline

09/2023

10/2023

12/2023

Hispanic Heritage Celebration I

Hispanic Heritage Celebration II

Holiday Caroling Singing

2023-2024 School Year Activities Timeline

Dancing with La Macarena

02/2024

02/2024

Carnaval 2024

Seville Fair 2024

04/2024

Hispanic Heritage Celebration I. Presentation at the School Board.

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Hispanic Heritage Celebration I. Presentation at the School Board.

Parents first!

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Lesson plan

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Rehearsing

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The day has arrived!

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Hispanic Heritage Research Project

• This project started on September 20th and ended on October 5th .
• It was a 3-day research project. 2 days to research and 1 day to color, complete the final sheet, and present the project.

Hispanic Heritage Celebration II. Research project.

Parents first!

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Lesson plan

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Researching

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Presentation/celebration

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Showcasing her Colombian Purse

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Presenting and Celebrating

In the video, we can see our students working on their Hispanic Heritage project, presenting it, and celebrating their accomplishment.

Holiday Caroling Singing

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Dancing with La Macarena

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Video 2

The story behind the lesson

The following cultural activity was Dancing with Diana Patricia, La Macarena, via Zoom, on February 5th, 2024. The class was learning the body parts vocabulary and verbs related to body movements. At the same time, I came across some literature showing the importance of having brain breaks between classes. Since La Macarena happens to be my cousin, I thought it would be fun for our students to learn how to dance Macarena and use it as a brain break while transitioning from Spanish to Math class

Dancing with La Macarena

Contacted Diana

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Told the parents and the administration

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The lesson plan

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Let's dance!

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El Carnaval

• The fifth activity was a research project about El Carnaval. Students had to investigate the origins of El Carnaval and the different ways people celebrate it worldwide.
• It was a two-day project. It started on February 13th and ended on February 14th, 2024, with the Carnaval party.

Researching about El Carnaval

Informed the parents

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Lesson plan

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The research

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Presentation and party

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La Feria de Sevilla

Video 1

Video 2

The Fair of Seville, on April 15th.

• We informed the parents about the activity via Class Dojo on April 12th.
• It was a one-day activity. We presented a PowerPoint about the fair's origins, food, dances, and games during the Spanish block.
• Finally, we used a YouTube video of two kids dancing Sevillana so the students could dance along.

Bilingual Laughter-dynamics

I wanted my students to learn a new breathing, laughing, and relaxing technique to use as a brain break. To make this possible, I reached out to my friend Erika Ruiz, and together we set a Zoom class for Monday, May 6th, at 2:30 p.m. Of course, we started by notifying the parents with a Class Dojo message we sent on Friday, May 3rd, 2024, and inviting the administration to the event.

Let's review!

How can we make this happen?

Interactive question

Conclusions

Integrating culture into learning activities is essential!

• It builds students' appreciation and understanding of the language, broadens their worldview, enhances language skills, and develops empathy and respect for others.
• Teachers can select and teach about a few essential festivities during the school year.
• Always keep the parents and the school administration informed.
• Contact friends and family for help, ideas, and support.
• Plan for simple and fun standard-based lessons.
• Create memories with your students.

Sharing my experience

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Any Questions?

Let's Dance!

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Thank you!

Bibliography

Sagredo Santos, A. (2005). "La integración de los factores históricos y culturales en laeducación lingüística". Pedagogía y educación ante el siglo XXI. Ed. J. Ruiz Berrio. Madrid: Facultad de Educación, UCM. 1-7.Spathis, E. (2024) Ways to Incorporate Culture in World Language Instruction.https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-ways-incorporate-culture-world-language-instruction/Universidad Latina de America (2022). La lengua es de los hablantes: cultura, identidad y laimportancia de conocer y reconocer nuestro idioma. https://www.unla.mx/blogunla/la-lengua-es-de-los-hablantes-cultura-identidad-y-la-importancia-de-conocer-y-reconocer-nuestro-idioma#:~:text=%C2%ABLa%20lengua%20y%20la%20cultura,son%20puertas%20a%20mundos%20diferentes%C2%BB.

Lesson Plan

• At the beginning of September, we created a lesson plan to teach the song's vocabulary.
• We printed the lyrics, selected the vocabulary images, and had the students color, cut, and glue the images on the lyrics sheet.

School Board Meeting 9-26-2023

1st and 2nd graders in the Dual Language program at Braden River Elementary were invited to sing a song in Spanish as part of the Manatee School Board Hispanic Heritage Celebration., on n September 26th, 2023. Students sang De Colores, an easy-to-sing and beautiful song by Joan Baez.

Rehearsal time

• We also found a YouTube video of the song with lyrics and used both the video and the lyrics sheet to teach the students to sing it.
• We practiced the song during transitioning times and had a group rehearsal with all 1st—and 2nd-grade students in the cafeteria.

Reserach time!

We copied some links into our students’ Schoology Classroom so they could complete their Carnaval research. Among other documents, we added videos for the students to watch and better understand how El Carnaval would look in different countries

It is time to present!

• The final step was the project presentation during the Hispanic Heritage Celebration party on October 5th, 2023.
• Students stepped up to present their projects to the class, and we celebrated theird work with a party.
• This was a 3-day research project: 2 days to research, 1 day to complete the final sheet, and 1 day to present the information

Write a great headline

• At 2:30 p.m., we hosted the Zoom class and had all the students and administration dance the Macarena with Diana Patricia.
• As a follow-up and writing activity, the students wrote a letter to Diana Patricia, thanking her for such an unforgettable experience.

Let the research begin!

• I copied the links into my students’ Schoology Classroom to be used during their research.
• While researching on the computer, students had to write down the answers to specific questions in their notebooks.
• Once students finished the research, they started completing the country’s informational sheets.

The Holiday Medley

The third activity my students performed was a holiday caroling singing. For this event, students sang bilingual medley caroling among the dual language classrooms a day during the last week before the Christmas break.

Believe or not!

• The next day, on Friday, February 2nd, we sent a class Dojo message to the parents to let them know that La Macarena would teach their students how to dance in a Zoom class.
• On the same day, we sent an invitation to the administration and coordinated the Zoom class with our school IT personnel.

Did you know?

Language and its cultural background provide individuals with identity and placement. When taught simultaneously, they function as a door to different worlds.

On April 15th, we presented a PowerPoint with information about the Seville fair's origins, food, dances, and games. We also included a video for the students to practice dancing Sevillanas

Students sang a bilingual medley, caroling among the dual language classrooms before the Christmas break.k.

Which country to research about?

We started by sending a letter to the parents, describing the project and asking them which country they wanted their students to research about.

Presentation and Party Time

Finally, on Tuesday, February 13th, at 2:30 p.m., students presented their projects, put on their costumes, created carnival masks, and wore them while dancing to Carnival songs.

We must plan!

• We researched and prepared the material students would use to complete their projects. We also planned for rafting activities for students to create their own makes during the celebration.

• Standards: ELA2C.4.1 Participate in research... ELA.2.R.2 Reading Informational Text. SS.2.A.2.8 Explain the cultural influences and contributions of immigrants today.

Our second-grade students researched and presented a Hispanic country of their preference to the class.

Performance day

• The project started right after Labor Day and finished the day of the presentation on September 26th, 2023.
• Students had an outstanding and unforgettable performance at the School Board of Manatee. They felt very proud of themselves for being able to sing in Spanish Infront of teachers, parents, school board members, and public in general.

Second-graders danced with Diana Patricia, La Macarena, via Zoom on February 5th, 2024.

Lesson plan

The lesson objective was to research a Hispanic-speaking country and present the information to the class.Standards: ELA2C.4.1 Participate in research... ELA.2.R.2 Reading Informational Text ELA.2.C.2.1 Present information orally using complete sentences, appropriate volume, and clear pronunciation..

Sharing and Collaborating

I hoped that sharing my experience with you on integrating culture into learning activities would have provided you with practical strategies and examples you can quickly implement in the classroom next school year.

Can you please?

• On Thursday, February 1st, I contacted Diana Patricia and asked if she would teach my students how to dance Macarena.
• She responded immediately and told me she could do it on Monday, February 5th, at 2:30 p.m.

Completing the final sheet

Let's present it!

• The final step was the project presentation during the Hispanic Heritage Celebration party on October 5th, 2023.
• Students stepped up to present their projects to the class, and their hard work was celebrated with a party immediately after the presentations.
• This was a 3-day research project: 2 days to research, 1 day to complete the final sheet, and 1 day to present the information.

Contacted the parents:

We sent a Class Dojo message to the parents to inform them about the event and to ask them to practice the song with their students.

Students performed a research project about the origins of El Carnaval and the different ways people celebrate it worldwide. Students presented their projects to the class on February 14th, 2024.

Our first and second graders were invited to sing a Spanish song on September 26th, 2023, as part of the Manatee School Board Hispanic Heritage Celebration.

Let's learn about El Carnaval

We started by sending a Class Dojo message to the parents on Friday, February 9th, describing the project and asking for them to send the students with their favorite school-appropriate costumes on the celebration day

A PowerPoint Lesson Plan

• We planned a lesson to review the verbs used when dancing La Macarena and put a PowerPoint together.
• On Monday, February 5th, in the morning, during the Spanish block, we presented the PowerPoint to the students.
• Standard: SC.2.L.14.1 Distinguish human body parts and their basic functions.

Her favorite Colombian item

In this video, one of our students showcases her Colombian purse and explains why it is her favorite item.

Dancing while transitioning

We used this video to dance along while transitioning from Spanish to Math class.