Although many Phoenix second-graders said they had never been outside of the United States, that all changed when they recently had a chance to explore four other countries.
The Michael A. Maroun Elementary School students traveled to Sweden, England, Germany and Mexico to celebrate “Christmas around the world.” The cultural exploration series kicked off with a flight simulation, where students earned their wings, and culminated in a multicultural holiday experience.
“We wanted to teach them about different cultures and traditions,” said teacher Heather Cannella. “They did some reading and learned how holidays are celebrated around the world.”
That knowledge was on display Dec. 21 as students toured classrooms – set up as different countries – and participated in a variety of hands-on learning activities. Students also made crafts that incorporated some of the different cultures.
“This unit is based a lot on English language arts, but it also ties in with the social studies curriculum,” Cannella said. “We had students learning about geography by labeling the different countries and looking at maps. They really enjoyed it.”