Everyone loves a good story. From ancient times before the written word, the oral tradition has preserved the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples around the world. Traditional stories often differ from place to place in terms of language, characters, and setting. Yet, there is a universal theme that unifies these stories together: the human experience.
As fundamental expressions of creativity, these stories provide a vehicle of multicultural exploration in any classroom at any level, especially the ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom. By integrating stories from different cultures into our curriculum, we as educators of ELLs (English Language Learners) can build bridges of understanding between students from different nations. Together, we can work with our students to explore the themes of peace, justice, wisdom, and compassion across diverse cultures. In this way, we can reveal the unity of experience that underlies individual and cultural diversity.
Through the use of storytelling, we can expose our students to other cultural areas of music, dance, drama and the visual arts. By using a variety of modern media to enhance literacy, we can also promote positive personal development and assist in the creation of strong, unified school communities. From podcasts to digital storytelling, we can encourage our students to celebrate cultural diversity throughout the school year, not just during the holiday season. Although storytelling is often an integral part of the ELA (English Language Arts) curriculum, educators can design creative projects that incorporate a wide range of curricular and co-curricular areas such as social studies, science, music, and art.
While it can be challenging to meet the set requirements of district-based curricula, it is necessary to promote cultural diversity in the classroom. A good way to get started is by using the Internet. Listed below are three useful links to websites that provide information on indigenous peoples, the art of storytelling, and interdisciplinary lesson plans on multiculturalism and storytelling.
Useful Links:
Comprehensive Site on Indigenous Peoples around the World:
http://www.indigenouspeople.net/
Topics/Podcast on The Art of Storytelling:
http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/topics/
Interdisciplinary Lesson Plans on Multiculturalism and Storytelling:
http://www.uen.org/mcst/lessons.html
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