Games Around The World! 

During the beginning of last semester the entire class did a class activity titled “Games Around the World.”  We all divided up into different groups, and researched games from a chosen country to bring to class and share.  Every group had something fun and unique to share, and we all learned a lot about different countries through their games.  We all played the games each group brought.  Some of the games were for outside the classroom while others were played in the classroom.  Games are a universal thing, and something that can connect us despite differences.  It was fun to take background knowledge of the games we played growing up, and apply it to the new and similar games from other parts of the world.  Many games had similarities with one another and even to games children in the United States play.  It highlights the commonalities between different cultures, and the different ideas that can turn our regular “tag” into something new and exciting.  In the picture above our group is listening to the directions for a type of tag game that we played on campus.  This was a unique and fun way to learn about social studies and apply it in a way we could relate.

Here is a link to a “Games Around the World” website:

World Games

 

    Learning Center / Community Helpers!

 Last semester we all divided into groups to work on lower elementary level learning centers focused on social studies content.  Each group received a different area to focus on.  Some of these areas included economics, all about me, jobs, community, and world homes.  My group had to area of local community.  We focused on second grade social studies standards, and created a fun matching activity placing community helpers with their appropriate “tool.”  Another activity at our learning center was drawing a picture of another type of community helper and what they do in the community.  We had alternate ideas like lifeguard, bus driver, mayor, sanitation worker, principal, and construction worker.  They were all very creative and fun pictures!  This highlighted all the different jobs that are present within a community.  It also points out that each job is valued and needed for a community to function.  I believe that is an important lesson for students to discover, so they take away an appreciation and respect for all the types of workers in the community and the jobs they perform to keep the entire community functioning properly.  It is also a way to make a connection to what students may already know to teach them a valuable lesson about those in the community.  In a later post I will discuss the other learning centers that other groups made, and what lessons I took away from their creative activities.