First Day Finally @ Kenton-on-Sea

Daily Objective: Students will be able to initiate an understanding of the WWW, What=2, How=2 strategy by defining the question words “who,” “when”, “where”, “what” and “how” through stories and dance.

Introduction/Warm-up:

            Dance circle- students introduce themselves by saying their name and doing their favorite dance move

            Pass out materials to create nametags           

            Administer pre-assessments while students are working on their nametags

Developmental Activities

            Introduce “who”, “when”, “where”, “what” and “how” in Xhosa and English.

            Explain question words through personal experiences: “Who are you? Kathryn! When? Right now! Where? Kenton on Sea! What? Teaching! How? Having fun!” Have students give their own examples of before and after school.

            Instruction of “who, when, where, what and how” song and dance.

Direct Instruction/Modeling

            Presentation of story “Albert the Fish” – work with students to identify the question words in the story. Act out story to encourage comprehension.

            After identifying question words in the story, choral read with entire class while everybody acts out the story.

Closure

            Review of the “who, when, where, what and how” song and dance.

            Have students teach us their own song and dance.

Reflection

Kathryn: I cannot imagine today being more heartwarming, wonderful or special. One of the most memorable moments of today was how well the students responded to song and dance when it was tied to their academics. From the very beginning, the students were very comfortable in the dance circle and were very excited to learn the “who, when, where, what and how” song and dance. I was thoroughly impressed with how well the students responded to all of the activities- even administering the pre-assessments was enjoyable because it gave us the chance to individually talk with each student, have them teach us how to say their names, and see what they could do. When we had the students apply their newly learned question words to “Albert the Fish” they really seemed to get it. We acted out the story together and by the end many of the students were out of their seats acting out being a fish, a worm, an icy pond, etc. Afterwards, we gave them the chance to teach us one of their dances and Nadiera: the dance they chose was their ABC step! I cannot wait for tomorrow to continue our instruction!

Austen-Monet:  Coming to South Africa has been nothing less than a dream come true.  Ever since I was a preteen I've had the burning desire to pursue a career in social activism with a special focus on the social advancement and economic empowerment of members of the African Diaspora.  Today, I finally put my theorizing aside and teamed up with a great teaching partner to put my long held philosophies into practice.  Needless to say, enacting social change was a lot different from theorizing about it from the comfort of the high tech, wide-aisled Goucher library.  Yet and still the outcome of our first class was simply remarkable! The enthusiasm of the students could be felt from the moment we walked into the room until the very end of the day.  They remained  fully engaged as we transitioned from activity to activity and it was great to see their little faces light up as we clapped our hands, stomped our feet, and did our dance for the ice breaker exercise. Although they were eager to come to the front and demonstrate their knowledge of the "Who, When, Where, What, How" strategy it was clear that their favorite part of the lesson came when we incorporated it into a song and dance to get them moving around the room. While the students may have struggled with translating Xhosa into English during the pre-assessment, the thoughtfulness of their countenances spoke volumes about the intricacies of their personalities and the depth of their intellectual capacity. For a people with so little financially, their willingness and desire to give of themselves in time, energy, and effort inspires me to work harder at being the change I wish to see in the world. I have found that the only upside to mass poverty and injustice is the strength and resilience it cultivates within the souls that gracefully overcome it.  So many lives were sacrificed to give each one of these children a chance at an equal education.  The fact that I am able to assist at all in helping to carry out the dream of their fearlessly strong-willed ancestors gives me an indescribable sense of fulfillment. The beauty of this journey is something that cannot be fully expressed. It can only be experienced and this experience is truly one I will never forget.