Who+are+they?

=Who are they?=

There are many, many different people in the world today. It is very safe to say that each one of us is distinctly different from every one else. However, we all share common interests and beliefs that we learned as a very young child through our families' culture. This culture has been passed down from generation to generation with minor and sometimes major changes over time. In this unit we will be spending some time getting to know the world around you. During the next 3-4 weeks, we will be visiting various cultural centers around Des Moines, welcoming visitors into the classroom and skyping with students from all over the world. I have provided links below to the annual visitors we have every year. I will also work through various agencies to make connections with individuals that will come into our class and talk.

In 2009, the Dave Matthews Band released "Funny the Way It Is" commenting on the many discrepancies that exist in our current world. media type="youtube" key="Gwi4KpI_MgE" height="315" width="560"

Unit Activities

 * 1) Understanding the immigration debate
 * 2) The Truth About Hate
 * 3) Skype in the Classroom
 * 4) Cornerstone of Hope Orphanage
 * 5) Gateway Dance
 * 6) Italian American Cultural Center of Iowa
 * 7) CULTUREALL
 * 8) Iowa International Center
 * 9) Michele Soria
 * 10) other various field trips and/or visitors

After each visit, you need to blog about the experience. Use the following questions as a guide for your writing. Please do not write the questions on your blog, remember to write in a paragraph form.
 * Describe the experience.
 * What was an "aha" moment for you?
 * What do they think?
 * How do they feel?
 * What is important to them?
 * How are they similar to you?
 * What was the most moving aspect of their story?
 * Was there anything that shocked you?

Wednesdays
Due to our shortened schedule on Wednesdays, we will be completing experiential activities in the class room. You are expected to blog about each of these activities using the guide above. These will include, but are not limited to:


 * 1) Dr. Seuss children's books
 * 2) Power of Words
 * 3) Brown Eye Blue Eye Experiment
 * 4) What the World Eats
 * 5) Where Children Sleep