Bringing the World to the Classroom
The FIUTS Explore the World program connects international students with a local after-school program.
By Meredith Stilwell, FIUTS Education Programs Assistant
FIUTS' "Explore the World" program is up and running again this winter! We began this quarter's after-school Explore the World Program at Stevens Elementary with a presentation on India by Smriti Sharma. Smriti, a Fulbright scholar studying elementary teacher education, captivated the group of six- to eight- year olds with her brightly-colored sari and striking images of India.
She introduced her home by asking each student one question that they had about India. Each student posed one question in turn, ranging in topic from language and culture, to whether India had mud huts and if there were modes of transportation in India other than elephants. Smriti explained that she would cover each question throughout the course of her presentation, and began with an interactive PowerPoint presentation.
Smriti's PowerPoint began with a brief history of India, and transitioned to a discussion about her family both here and at home in India. The students' interest piqued when Smriti presented them with an Indian children's book that stood nearly a foot and a half tall, and which had colorful, artistic images. The book, written completely in Hindi, was the focus of Smriti's next activity.
Page by page, Smriti read through the book and translated each page, carefully demonstrating various Hindi words that she had taught the children using an Indian hand game from her childhood. “Ah!” said the children in Hindi as Smriti motioned to them. “Come!” They beckoned the main character through the story, laughing as he misheard and misinterpreted commands, ultimately confusing the name of his favorite Indian dish (khichiri) with the slang Hindi word for getting into a fight (khichidi).
The children departed for the day with inflatable globes, Smriti’s Hindi handwriting beautifully scrawled across vibrant paper, and heads full of knowledge about India. As we exited the school, we overheard one student animatedly discussing the day’s activities with her father. “What did you learn today?” he inquired. She shot us a knowing look as we walked away. “Ahhh!” she said, imitating Smriti’s hand gestures. “Come!”
For the next class, the students will come back (ahh!) to learn about China and the Chinese New Year; thanks to our international student volunteers, FIUTS will continue to help children explore the world right from their classrooms.
Want to teach local students about where you're from? Click here to learn more about how to get involved in FIUTS Education Outreach programs!