Great-e-learning: Global project: JAPAN and ORIGAMI (Early Childhood Education)

Mr. Usero / Japan EXPO

Project-Based learning offers many possibilities and opportunities of learning in a meaningful way, since it is based on real questions and connections have to be created to answer them. In addition, this projects can be connected to other countries or other realities far from the closest one, enriching our perspective of the world and promoting respect to other cultures. Briefly, this kind of projects can build bridges to other cultures, or at least, open windows to them.

This post shows you our global project about Japan, an amazing country. Adapted to the Pre-K level, we worked lots of activities and we learned a lot. The following links will offer you all the information and samples of those activities.

This link, as part of our PD training with VIFlearning, is focused on origami. Being focused on the international education, the students will be familiar with Japan, in which they will be able to identify Japan in a map, know about Japan and its geography (volcano, islands,...), and the students will do origami.

We took into account the activate prior knowledge that was the use of paper. Usually, they use paper to write, draw and paint, but there are other uses: origami (3D shapes)

They wanted to know about origami, so we facilitated them materials and resources to investigate about origami and analyze it. After reading a book about origami and watching a short video about it, they have a paper in front of them to be shaped as origami.

Standards Alignment

Literacy PK Guideline:

*III.D.2. Uses information learned from books by describing, relating, categorizing, or comparing and contrasting.

*III.D.3. Asks and answers appropriate questions about the book. Highly Effective Objective: I will gain an understanding of the Japanese culture through reading various informational books.

Social Studies PK Guidelines:

VII.A.1. Child identifies similarities and differences in characteristics of people.

Highly Effective Objective: I will use photographs and pictures to illustrate and elicit ideas about how people are alike and different to develop an appreciation for people from a different culture.

My Reflection

By knowing and getting closer to other cultures and by experiencing by themselves they can learn better and respect them besides of being awared of other cultural expressions that are different from their own ones.

The use of ICT is important in this case, because they can see children like them doing similar things and different ones in other cultures and they can learn how to do things from other point of view. Apart from that, ICT and Internet can be very useful to share their work and their learning.

Web/Print Resources