RES 5040: Teacher as Researcher (spring 09)

The data that I have been collecting has surprised me and made me hopeful about our future generations. I have been observing Kindergarteners learning about the location of the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn. They learned about differences in skin tone and how geographical location in relation to how close or far away you are from the Equator affects your skin tone. Those that live in countries closest to the Equator have darker skin and the farther away you live from it, the lighter your skin to absorb the necessary nutrients from the sun. They also collected data from their parents about their ancestory and placed their pictures in the area on the global map where they originated. They are continuing to learn more about geography, countries and cultures.

In addition to learning about other countries and their cultures, these students are learning about the poverty of some of those countries. Using a Read to Feed program designed by Heifer International, they are learning about what poverty means. During one lesson, the children were given pictures of food to color and cut out. Then each student received a plate and were asked to place on that plate how much they usually eat in a day. On a second plate, they were given rice in different amounts. The teacher explained to the class that the amount of rice that they had on their plates was all some children in other countries get to eat in a day. The students were amazed; they asked questions like "how do they survive on so little food?" and "why don't they grow more food?" The teacher explained that these countries do the best they can with what they have but that we can do something to help them.

Using videos provided by Heifer and stories such as The Chicken and the Worm, Beatrice's Goat, and Give a Goat, the students learned that giving even a little can make a big difference. They learned the difference the gift of a goat can make to hungry people. They learned that goats provide milk and food and that a pair of goats can provide income for a family by selling either the milk or the goat's young ones. Then the learned the same things about the gift of a cow.

The lessons for yesterday and today focused on the book The Chicken and the Worm. This book talks about the differences in chickens: their colors and the colors and size of the eggs they lay. It also talks about the differences in worms. Then the book talks about what each animal does to help the ground. For example, worms dig in the ground making small holes and softening the dirt making it easier for plants to grow. Chickens also do their part by scratching and pecking the ground, as well as providing manure which provides necessary nutrients for the plants. The students were asked to draw pictures and write sentences describing what both worms and chickens do to help us and what we can do with what they provide.

Today was the last day of the Read to Feed program at this school and the school dressed up as farmers to raise awareness for what we all can do to help fight poverty. The school was decorated and the kids had the opportunity, for a small fee (as little as a penny), to have their pictures made behind realistic looking farm clothing. The teacher admitted that the goal for donations to this project was set really low because of our current economy. The goal was set at $250. However, the final total at the end of the school day today was 1, 265.13!

I feel like this project and others like it has the potential to make a real difference in a child's life. There is a lot that can be learned through lessons of this type. I loved witnessing this project and the effect it had on these Kindergarteners.

Sherry Fender