TITLE:            CULTURES OF OUR NATION

AUTHOR:        Lorena Marie Romero, 4th grade teacher
               Ann Parish Elementary, Los Lunas, N.M.

GRADE LEVEL:         K-4

OVERVIEW:  Many students are not aware of their rich, diverse
cultures.  They do not realize how their cultures have contributed to
the great "Melting Pot" of America.  It seems that this is the case in
our community.  As a result of this observation, I wanted to focus on
these students and help them become aware of their cultures.

PURPOSE:  The purpose of this activity is to build self-esteem and
allow students to become more aware of their rich cultures.  It also
allows for students to realize how their cultures have contributed
to making America what it is today.

OBJECTIVES: 
As a result of these activities, students will:

     1.  become aware of his/her culture (heritage)

     2.  become confident and proud of his/her culture/traditions

     3.  become aware of the many cultures that have richly
         contributed to the wealth of our nation

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:

     1.  Books with emphasis on cultures of the world-

     2.  Posters on classroom walls depicting our rich, diverse
         cultures-

     3.  Records/tapes for learning dances/songs- easily obtained in
         school supply stores-

     4.  Items from students who are willing to share (culture)-  Set
         up classroom displays throughout the year-

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
     1.   At the beginning of the school year, during student
introductions, teacher may emphasize his/her culture, talk about
his/her roots, and let students know that he/she is proud of his/her
culture through modeling.  Please discuss rationale of this ongoing
lesson to parents beforehand.

     2.  Allow students to introduce themselves, ask for 2-3 positive
statements describing themselves.  Let students become comfortable
with each other.  This activity can take approximately 10 minutes of
sharing every day for at least the first month of school.

     3.  Usually by the end of the month, most students have identified
their cultures/roots.  Brainstorm the different cultures in the
classroom and decide as a class what we would like to do to learn
more about these cultures. (Throughout the school year)

     4. Activities range from :

        *Dancing-we have learned several dances.

         "La Raspa", "La Varsoviana", "Cotton-eyed Joe", "Two Step", and
Square Dancing, just to mention a few!

        *Songs- students learn songs from different countries
(according to cultures)

        *Foods- parents assist students in preparing their favorite
cultural dish.  Teacher/class prepare food in school kitchen.

        *Story-telling- Throughout the school year, we ask people to
come in and share stories relating to their cultures.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:

     1.  Continually praise students at all times when learning dances,
songs, sharing foods, etc.

     2.  Show off during the annual Cultural Heritage Day festival!
Invite parents, of course!

     3.  Make sure that students keep a journal as they study each of
their cultures as a follow-up and informal evaluation.