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Excuse Me, Is This India?

Growing Up Global: Early Years Global Education Handbook

Elementary, Secondary

Description

Excuse Me, Is This India? is part of a larger compilation entitled Growing Up Global: Early Years Global Education Handbook. This resource book and supporting CD demonstrates how global education can be introduced to students at a very young age (five and under) through the use of fun activities such as songs, games, poems and recipes. The resource contains background information, suggested activities, such as songs and games, stories, book lists, useful website links, ideas for extension learning and a resource CD with pictures, colour photos and reproducible sheets.

Excuse Me, Is This India? provides a simple look at the country and its culture through a variety of hands-on activities, crafts, music, stories and games.

Excuse Me, Is this India? - In a game format, students collect different pictures of India.They discuss each picture and notice the similarities between India and their country.

Rangoli Patterns - Students design a giant rangoli pattern and decorate it. A rangoli is a colourful design placed near the entrance of the house to welcome guests.

Mehndi - Students decorate their hands and feet inspired by mehndi patterns. The designs usually consist of dots and lines rather than blocks of colour.

Shadow Puppets - In India, puppets are often used to tell stories about people and the environment. Students make their own shadow puppets and use them in a performance.

Making Glove Puppets - Students make glove puppets and decorate them using scrap materials.

Time To Taste - Students help the teacher make two recipes that originated in India, chapattis(flatbread) and lassi(yogurt drink).

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

  • To develop students' awareness of the wider world through cultural similarities and differences.
  • To learn about and appreciate the Indian culture.

Strengths

  • The resource is up-to-date.
  • The activities are very age-appropriate for students five and under.
  • The resource is available to download immediately.
  • Well organized, easy to use and supplies all necessary materials.
  • Excellent background information, list of website links and extensive book list.
  • Each lesson plan includes learning objectives, goals, materials needed and detailed teaching instructions.
  • Each lesson plan includes a hands-on activity.

Weaknesses

  • The activities suggested do not always attain their learning objectives.
  • No opportunities for students to share what they have learned with their parents or peers.
  • No assessment methods/rubrics provided
  • The resource lacks a significant action component.
  • No case studies to reflect the Indian culture.
  • Needs to include guest speakers and different points of view.

Relevant Curriculum Units

The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.

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  • Alberta
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    • Grade 1
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      • Social Studies
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        • Exploring connections strengthens our understandings of relationships to help us make meaning of the world
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        • Exploring connections strengthens our understandings of relationships to help us make meaning of the world.
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        • Visual Arts
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        • Connecting with Others
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        • You and Your World:Place and Community
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        • You and Your World: Community
        • You and Your World:Groups
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        • Arts Education 1: Visual Art
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        • Visual Arts 10: Creating, Making and Presenting
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    • Kindergarten
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        • Arts: Exploring Our World
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        • Being Together: Global Connections
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        • Connecting and Belonging: Global Connections
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        • Arts: Visual Arts
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        • Interactions: Groups
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        • To construct his/her representation of space, time and society
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        • Arts: Exploring Our World

Themes Addressed

  • Human Rights (1)

    • Cultural Diversity

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Satisfactory
  • Students learn about India's culture through a variety of hands-on activities, crafts, music, stories and games. The activities challenge stereotypes of people and places and offer the students a more balanced view.
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Poor/Not considered
  • Not considered in this resource.
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Poor/Not considered
  • Not considered in this resource.
Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Poor/Not considered
Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Poor/Not considered
Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Good
  • The activities in this resource have been chosen to reflect the diversity of India and its people. 
Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Poor/Not considered
  • No outdoor activities are suggested.
Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Good
  • Students learn the similarities and differences between their country and India. The activities develop the student's awareness of a wider world.
Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Poor/Not considered
Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Good
  • The activities in the lessons are very hands-on and promote the idea that we have a lot to learn from India as they do from us. The activities and stories invite a lot of discussion opportunities.
Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good
  • Language Arts
  • Social Studies
  • Art
  • Social Studies
  • Geography
Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Satisfactory
  • The activites are very hands-on, but teacher-directed and offer some self-discovery/knowledge building opportunities through questions students may have.
Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Poor/Not considered
Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Satisfactory
  • Students make crafts based on those made in India.
Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory
  • Students work in groups for some of the activities.
Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Poor/Not considered
Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Poor/Not considered
Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Poor/Not considered
Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Poor/Not considered
Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.