Read Around the World: A Multicultural Early Literacy Class
In this ongoing class, learners will visit a different country each week through interactive reading of folktales and picture books. Each week will also include games to practice early phonics skills.
Karen Welo
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(139)
What's included
1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
This ongoing class combines two of the things I'm most passionate about in teaching: introducing kids to the world of books, and introducing kids to the world of diverse cultures. I believe every child should have the opportunity to be exposed to quality literature that reflects the diversity of human culture and experience. In this class, young learners will be introduced to folktales, fairy tales, and ordinary life situations from a variety of cultures around the world. Since I also care very much about getting children ready and excited to read, this class will also prepare pre-readers or emerging readers for a lifetime of reading by improving their ability to understand, engage in, and connect with a story. The read-aloud time is never simply me reading to the kids - it's extremely interactive and engaging, as we ask questions, make predictions, and act out portions. Every class will have a lesson on two letters of the alphabet. Each week we will also mix it up with fun games that teach skills such as beginning letter sounds, rhyming, blending sounds together, and more. Currently, our book schedule is: Week of Aug 16: How Turtle Cracked His Shell - Lakota (Native American) Week of Aug 23: Searching for the Spirit of Spring - South Africa Week of Aug 30: Takloo the Little Salt Seller - India Week of Sept 6: Give Me My Yam! - Jamaica Week of Sept 13: Mouse-Deer Must Be Quick - Indonesia Week of Sept 20: Stone Soup - Belgium Week of Sept 27: The Empty Pot - China Week of Oct 4: The Spider Weaver - Ghana Week of Oct 11: The Quirquincho and the Fox - Argentina Week of Oct 18: Mela and the Elephant - Thailand Week of Oct 25: Strega Nona - Italy Week of Nov 1: Along the Tapajos - Brazil Week of Nov 15: A Camel for Kelam - India Week of Nov 22: What Made Tiddalik Laugh - Australia Week of Nov 29: Anansi and the Crows - Ghana Week of Dec 6: May Searches for the Sea - Vietnam This schedule will be regularly updated.
Learning Goals
Students will become aware that different cultures may have different traditional stories, cultural values, or ways of life.
Students will learn active comprehension skills: asking questions and making predictions, re-telling details, identifying story elements, making text-to-self connections, recognizing text structure.
Students will practice phonemic awareness skills: rhyming, onset-rhime blending, identifying initial and final sounds, identifying syllables, and phonics skills: identifying letters, matching letter sounds to letters.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
I am careful to choose books that are a gentle, developmentally appropriate, and positive introduction to different cultures and ways of life. Since these books are from a variety of different cultures, your learner may encounter customs, values, or life circumstances that are different from what they are used to. For example, a character in a book may celebrate a different holiday. A child may work to help her family, or a community's religious customs may be briefly mentioned. That's a positive thing! Cultural differences will be handled in a sensitive and respectful way in this class. You may want to be prepared to discuss cultural diversity with your child and clarify your own family values. I will add a note in the book list if I feel parents may need an extra heads up.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined April, 2020
4.9
139reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
In my undergrad and post-grad education, I've studied cultural and linguistic anthropology. This has given me a good foundation in respect for all cultures and the dynamics of multicultural societies. I also lived in a non-Western, developing nation for 7 years, further increasing my sensitivity to intercultural and multicultural issues. As a teacher, I've had the privilege of teaching students from a variety of diverse backgrounds, and experiencing their interest in both books that feature characters like themselves, and that open their eyes to the humanity of characters unlike themselves. I have done extensive reading and belong to several online discussion groups in order to keep current with best practices for presenting diverse picture books to children.Reviews
Live Group Class
$12
weekly1x per week
55 min
Completed by 164 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 4-6
3-6 learners per class
