Part of our Social Studies curriculum is an ongoing study of Traditions and Celebrations in Canada and around the world. As there are many cultural groups in Canada, learning about other communities and their various traditions increases students' understanding of other cultures. They see that although people are the same in many ways, their traditions and cultures can be very different and interesting.
As we celebrated Chinese New Year at school, we also studied the New Year traditions of some other cultures. Groups of students researched various celebrations and traditions, and then presented their information to the class in the form of a group poster.
Below, you will see the four posters the students collaborated on and the criteria for the project.
The students all individually assessed various cooperative learning skills that they observed during the times their group worked together. Every group found that they still need to work on cooperating with each other - an essential skill for all students. We will continue to address this skill in class.
Next, during the group presentations, students used a checklist to assess the posters and presentations of their peers. Every group met the poster criteria - some with more success than others. As a result, one poster was rated at Level 4-, another at 3+, and two at 3. This assessment piece really helped students to examine the posters closely, and see where they could make improvements on their next project.
