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Redwood Falls, Minn. —
On what continent do you live?
What are some of the activities that take place during a Chinese new year festival?
Where do people speak Dutch? Is it spoken in Holland or the Netherlands?
These are questions students at Reede Gray Elementary School were learning this past week through a new program being offered as part of the Redwood Area School District integration program.
On any given day three new elementary school educators, An-drea Spanovich, Jenny Wagner and Sandy Lauer, are moving from classroom to classroom wheeling their cultural carts in and talking about different parts of the world and the people there.
Although the intent of the program is to help broaden the horizons of students in Grades K-4, the goal is to incorporate that education into an already existing educational curriculum that helps improve reading skills for every student.
The teachers meet with students twice each week for 30 minutes each time.
“This is so much fun,” said Wagner, adding being in this kind of position where the curriculum is wide open is ideal.
Lauer said she got involved with the program in an effort to help students understand there are differences but also to help them accept and value the differences which exist.
“What’s more fun than reading books to kids?” added Lauer, adding the kids really look forward to the time when they see the carts rolling down the halls to their classroom.
Spanovich said the school district’s commitment to technology is going to really be of benefit to this program.
“Technology has really made the world smaller,” she said.
The school invested using integration funds in 90 iPads which are going to be used in the integration program at the elementary school, and those tools are going to make what the program offers even better.
“The teachers are 100 percent behind this,” said Stephan-ie Perry, Reede Gray principal.
Through technology, as students learn about nations, such as Mexico, China, Holland and myriad others, the world is literally at their fingertips.
The program allows the educators to incorporate other subjects in addition to reading with lots of visual aides used.
All three agreed the half hour time goes by very fast, and the students all seem to be en-gaged in what is going on.
Perry said the program reinforces what the classroom teachers are doing and gives them an extra education boost.
On what continent do you live?
What are some of the activities that take place during a Chinese new year festival?
Where do people speak Dutch? Is it spoken in Holland or the Netherlands?
These are questions students at Reede Gray Elementary School were learning this past week through a new program being offered as part of the Redwood Area School District integration program.
On any given day three new elementary school educators, An-drea Spanovich, Jenny Wagner and Sandy Lauer, are moving from classroom to classroom wheeling their cultural carts in and talking about different parts of the world and the people there.
Although the intent of the program is to help broaden the horizons of students in Grades K-4, the goal is to incorporate that education into an already existing educational curriculum that helps improve reading skills for every student.
The teachers meet with students twice each week for 30 minutes each time.
“This is so much fun,” said Wagner, adding being in this kind of position where the curriculum is wide open is ideal.
Lauer said she got involved with the program in an effort to help students understand there are differences but also to help them accept and value the differences which exist.
“What’s more fun than reading books to kids?” added Lauer, adding the kids really look forward to the time when they see the carts rolling down the halls to their classroom.
Spanovich said the school district’s commitment to technology is going to really be of benefit to this program.
“Technology has really made the world smaller,” she said.
The school invested using integration funds in 90 iPads which are going to be used in the integration program at the elementary school, and those tools are going to make what the program offers even better.
“The teachers are 100 percent behind this,” said Stephan-ie Perry, Reede Gray principal.
Through technology, as students learn about nations, such as Mexico, China, Holland and myriad others, the world is literally at their fingertips.
The program allows the educators to incorporate other subjects in addition to reading with lots of visual aides used.
All three agreed the half hour time goes by very fast, and the students all seem to be en-gaged in what is going on.
Perry said the program reinforces what the classroom teachers are doing and gives them an extra education boost.
