Kentucky Mountain Square Dancing is appropriate for all ages because it is easy to learn and fun to do. A brief overview of square dancing is presented in this article. An example is given that offers calls and directions to be used. (DF)

Activities that explore the history of the New Year tradition in the United States and other countries help students gain a better understanding and appreciation of other cultures. (DF)

Importing traditional, yet unknown, physical activities from different cultures is an exciting way to add creativity and imagination to the physical education curriculum. Explanations, accompanied by teaching hints, are given of several traditional Alaskan native games which have been successfully used with K-Six students in the Anchorage School…

A New China Studies unit offers insight into the history of one of the oldest cultures. Activities encourage students to explore the China mystique through study of that country's art, folklore, and history. Background information on China is offered. (DF)

Discusses methods for integrating mathematics with study of culture and history to encourage awareness of its role in everyday life: comparing number words in foreign languages; discussing number origins, numerical symbols of ancient societies, games of skill and chance; and examining different housing styles to develop geometry and measurement…

An activity book presents arts and crafts projects for the special events and holidays occurring during November and December. The section includes class activities, student activity pages, and directions for making several kinds of bird feeders. (SM)

Identifying games as being common to children worldwide, Sunal focuses on Nigerian group games in order to illustrate the range of game variations and their use in a social studies program. Describes hiding games, singing games, and a fine-motor skills game, stating that they help acquaint students with foreign cultures and reveal similarities in…

Chronicles the experiences of teachers and elementary students from the United States and Costa Rica as they participated in a videoconferencing project, initiated by Costa Rican students and made possible by CATE, Center for Applied Technologies in Education. Notes that the distance learning experience enhanced academic, technological and…

Beginning in the 1997-98 school year, WestEd staff, with the support of the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), worked intensively with a group of five Chamorro teachers from Rota Elementary School (Hawaii) to develop culturally responsive, standards-based science units. The larger goal was to develop Web-based case examples of…

Presents a list of class activities for Black History Month to help students study African heritage. The activities listed, with appropriate grade levels, are storytelling, dances and games, crafts, posters, live-in history, movers and shapers, and a play. Each activity is explained in the pages that follow in this issue. (SM)

Presents storytelling as a way to teach students about African societies. The article explains how to teach storytelling and how to branch out into other related educational activities. A tale from Ghana suitable for bulletin-board use and a student activity page on African proverbs are included. (SM)

Presents guidelines for teaching students about African culture via dances and games and for developing related activities to expand student learning experiences. Student activity pages describe how to do the Ghana national dance and how to play Mankala, a popular African game. (SM)

Presents crafts projects to accompany the discussion of African tribes and their ceremonial items. The article describes how to create a ceremonial mask, ceremonial shield, goodbye cloth, and necklace. Background information is included for each item. (SM)

Providing students with the opportunity to study different cultures increases their global understanding and helps foster tolerance of cultural differences. In this lesson, grade 3-5 students read folk tales from Japan, Wales, and Africa and depict the stories visually for purposes of retelling. Students also research the countries and share a…

Discusses six techniques that will help teachers evaluate their multicultural views and practices: building multicultural programs; showing appreciation for differences; avoiding stereotypes; acknowledging differences in children; discovering classroom diversity; and avoiding pseudomulticulturalism. (LB)