Social Studies - Kindergarten
Standard 1 Objective 1
English Language Arts Kindergarten
Speaking and Listening Standard 6
Students will learn how to say hello in five different languages.
Additional Resources
Books:
Additional Media:
This activity focuses on the different cultural languages spoken throughout the world. Students will learn how to say, "Hello" in five different languages--Spanish, Portuguese, French, Swahili, and Japanese. (Adjust this to the diversity of the students in your class or area you wish to study.) Just as there are differences in the way we look around the world, there are also differences in the way we speak. All over the world children speak many different languages.
Mexico: Spanish is Mexico's official language, but Mexicans have their own way of using and pronouncing common Spanish words. They often use the special endings, such as ito or ita. These endings show that something is special or loved. Like abuelo (grandfather) would be abuelito (dear grandfather). There are at least one hundred native languages spoken throughout Mexico.
Tanzania Africa: Swahili is the official language spoken by most people in Tanzania. But for many, it isn't their first language (the language they speak at home). Each ethnic group has its own language, so Tanzania has more than one hundred languages. English is also an official language of Tanzania. It is used in business, government, and education.
France: Everyone in France speaks French, even though many people come from other countries and ethnic backgrounds. The French are very proud of their language. They even have an organization, Académie Française, whose main purpose is to protect the French language. French is spoken in more than 20 other countries. It is an international language.
Brazil: Brazil's national language is Portuguese. Portuguese is a romance language, which means it evolved from Latin. Brazilian Portuguese is pronounced a little differently than Portugal's Portuguese and uses some different words, many of which are African. Immigrant groups speak their own languages, too, as do the native peoples.
Japan: Japanese is the language spoken by people from Japan. English is taught in all secondary schools and is often used in business. The first page of a Japanese book is what Americans consider the last page. In other words, Japanese books are read from "back" to "front." Japanese is written in a line from right to left and from the top of the page to the bottom. The Japanese also use several alphabets. Japanese people place great worth on nonverbal language or communication--much can be said with a bow.
2. Develop social skills and ethical responsibility.
5. Understand and use basic concepts and skills.
6. Communicate clearly in oral, artistic, written, and nonverbal form.
Invitation to Learn
Instructional Procedures
Research Basis
Dubin, F; (1975) An Overlooked Resource for English Language Teaching: Pop, Rock, and Folk Music. CATESOL Occasional Papers, NO.2 (ERIC Education Resource Information Center) ED 126673
This research discusses the use of pop, rock, and folk music in foreign language teaching. Songs can be used as presentation contexts, as reinforcement material, and for cultural education. Songs can teach phonological patterns, grammar, and even repetition.
Soy, R. H.; (1975) Bilingual Education through Music (ERIC Education Resource Information Center) ED 141473
The purpose of this study is to design a bilingual/bicultural kindergarten course of study based on the concepts of Richards Education Through Music Method. This method is rooted in the Hungarian composer-educator Zoltan Kodaly’s educational philosophy and was developed in the U.S. by Mary Helen Richards. This is a method of teaching all areas of the curriculum through musical activities.