The Dictionary of our Heart

The Dictionary of our Heart

Theme: 

Objectives:

  • Help students acquire knowledge about other cultures,
  • Help students to identify linguistic similarities and differences of their culture with the cultures of their classmates
  • Help students to feel proud of their cultural identity
  • Help students to accept, through acquaintance, cultural differences

Suggested time needed: 8 Hours

Group Size: 25 -35

Materials needed:

  • Flip Charts
  • Markers
  • Laptops/tablets

Description of the Tool:

The activities take place at regular intervals and not in one day, so as to give the students time to assimilate the knowledge and attitudes that we cultivate.

Step 1: In the first meeting, the students, should give a name to the group and agree that together they will create a digital foreign language dictionary, which will translate words used at school from the main language of the classroom into the languages of the foreign languages that make up the classroom. One can select objects, such as table, desk, etc., people, e.g. principal, teacher and everyday expressions, such as good morning, can we have a break, may I go to the bathroom, etc. The group will agree on the words and phrases that it will work on and the teacher records them on a flip chart, which will be hung on a classroom wall.

Step 2: In this part each student starts translating a group of words into the agreed languages. They can also draw pictures that represent those words. These words and pictures will be also digitalized so that the class will also create a digital dictionary. In the digitalized part the students will also recording themselves pronouncing the words.

Step 3: The teacher will create the dictionary in a power point, putting on each slide the image or images of each concept and the words that correspond to it in each language, adding their audio files as well

Step 4: The dictionary can then be presented to other students in the school and also uploaded on the school website.

Note to facilitator:

Note 1: It would be ideal in the translations take place in the languages of children that make up the class. This will help them feel more included.