Topics prepared

Each Partner prepared a topic ro be presented in the pre-schools

10 topcs have been prepared in general and you can visit them in our learning platform here

In our site we will present you one example of these topics about the ''Identtiy of Roma nursery children'' 

Module : Identity of Roma nursery children

1. Module Purpose & Aims

Objective :

Induvidual Aims concerning the cognitive content and the learning procedure  :

Children are encouraged to  :

A. LANGUAGE

•    Improve and enrich their oral speech.
•    Say their name and understand its significance for their personal existence  and life
•    Identify and afterward write their name and later their surname
•    Realize that all people have a name  
•    Identify their classmates’ names
•    Say their parents’ and brothers/sisters’ names
•    Realize gradually that to the phonemes of the speaking language correspond letters and that their name consists of letters
•    Get acquainted with the listening to songs and fairy tales
•    Narrate stories and fairy tales
•    Identify and compare different forms of written speech in names in various languages
•    Form their name
•    Copy their name and that of their closest persons.

Β. MATHS

•    To write names
•    To comprehend quantitative concepts such as more-less
•    To comprehend spatial and temporal relations
•    To list syllables and letters of names, to sort and assign names according to the number of letters
•    To cope with and to resolve problems so that to distribute roles.
•    To raise concerns, arguments and find solutions

C. ENVIRONMENT

I. Human (made) environment and interaction

a. The child in nursery and their contact with others

•    To realize their identity and the importance of their name
•    To realize their uniqueness by identifying their similarities and differences with the others and to respect them.
•    To create feelings of love and friendship
•    To develop cooperation skills
•    To understand the value of team work
•    To cooperate and create together

b. The child in the broad human (made) environment

•    To know the human (made) environment (family, friends, classmates)
•    To know the name of their closest persons (father, mother, brothers/sisters, grandparents, relatives)
•    To find similarities and differences in their classmates references

CHILD AND CREATIVITY – EXPRESSION

I.    Art

•    To experiment with various materials and colors
•    To deal with and cut materials and to collage
•    To express themselves with art creations

II.    The theatre – Dramatics

•    To express themselves with improvisation
•    To use various materials optimizing them in the game “frozen images”
•    To dramatize the song-fairy tale “KATERINA WHO HAD FORGOTTEN HER NAME” (See Appendix)

III.    Sports (to utilize the name in health education and sports, in module Our body)

OUR BODY

IV.    Music. To get acquainted with rhythm and speech through selected songs, to  enjoy songs artistically, to express music

SONG (See Appendix)

CHILD AND COMPUTING

•    To perform simple computer operations
•    To find on the keyboard the letters of their name
•    To take advantage of internet and word processor
•    Use of projector for the children and other faces’ photo display
Where possible , make use of internet connection, for finding photos and information from digital encyclopedias and information diffusion.
Scanner, printer.
Word processor (Word) και presentation programme (Power Point).
Use of Projector.

2.1 General description of the Module

1st Sub-module : We know each other – We tell our name

DESCRIPTION

Aim: Aim of the sub-module is the awareness of identity. It’s aimed to encourage children to speak in front of others, to introduce themselves, mentioning what they like or dislike.

1st Activity : After the spontaneous activities at Activity Corners (see relevant description about Corners)  the teacher invites the children to make a circle having created a suitable atmosphere with pleasant music background. She tells them her name (e.g. my name is Maria) and lets them know about what is going to follow during the activity. She stands in the middle holding a skein of yarn or a ball which she throws successively to every child and encourages them to say their name. She gives a cardboard tag on which is written their name. The activity is linked with the reference table on which are written the childrens’ names and there is a photo of them. This activity can be carried out several times in different versions during the first week (in a low voice, loudly, angrily, happily, etc). Thus the child becomes aware of variations, feelings and sound.

2nd Activity : Following she says : My name is Maria and I like listening to music. She encourages children to repeat their name and what they like. While in the same time she keeps notes of the children references.
Following she forms pairs with the children in the circle, prompting them to ask one another what game they like. The children report each one for their mate, assisted by the teacher in case of difficulty in expressing themselves (e.g. the child says : Maria likes to play hide and seek).

The teacher composes a text with the children’s opinions and repeats them in class.  Following while she makes the most of them in order to enrich the children’s presentation table (e.g. next to the photo can place the favorite game or a photo of the child’s favorite activity). The above activities reinforce the children’s acquaintance and relations among them, while arouses the interest about what likes them and what likes the others. Through dialogue they understand that every person has different preferences and interests and is unique.

Suitable educational material that can be used from the beginning, is the book ‘It’s me and I like!’ by Parr, Todd (2011) – Revised by Susan Harper, Translated by Ariadne Moshona, Athens, Metaixmio Publications.
Very later this material with the childrens’ interests and preferences can be grouped and bar graphs to be created.

3rd Activity (Non compulsory): Where there is available infrastructure, the teacher takes a photo of every child, makes a computer folder with their photos and then displays each photo saying the child’s name and displaying on the screen the name in small or capital letters. She makes a board in class with all the pupils, writing next to each photo the child’s name.

4th Activity : Follows a game with cards from which every child will identify and choose their name. Then they will discuss if there are other children with the same name. Also, an audio game is played by saying the teacher : the child with the name e.g. Helen to show us her card.

5th Activity : The teacher reads children the book by Pavlina Pampoudis “One name one story”, illustrated by Stathis Stavropoulos, Pataki Publications. E.g. Nick and Nicky. Through this listening children notice that for one name there is a version for boys and girls. E.g. Nick-Nicky and other variations of the same name (one story for Nick, Nicky, Nickolas and Nicole). Already from the first verse passes the value of friendship, too.

Once upon a time
There were two Nicks
Two fine kids
Who were the dearest best friends

This activity introduces the listening of literary books with rhythm, musicality, appropriately selected for the children’s level of development. Children have fun and notice that there are fitting pictures to what they hear. It’s very important to incorporate targeted reading activities from the beginning in order to create capable readers later.

Activities (alternative) : The teacher prints the photos – if there is the corresponding material-technical infrastructure - and asks from the children to match names with photos. Following this activity, she gives hand-written cards with their name, in order children to distinguish the writing in hand and that of printed cards.  If children are mature she initiates them in simple literacy skills such as that words (their names) consist of syllables and letters or she does that later. She also encourages them to detect acoustically names that start with the same letter (Aris – Anne).

6th Activity (it can be carried out later): They play a game during which the teacher throws the ball to the children who sit in a circle, she tells them to say again their name and she repeats it, tapping the number of syllables on the tambourine. Children realize that not all names have the same number of syllables and count the more-less tappings (syllables).

Children make remarks about the size depending on the number of letters in their name.
They form initially groups. Every child chooses their name card and following chooses letters from a basket in order to try and form their name on their own.

Children realize that some names have less letters than others. Alternatively children can cut the letters of their name, to count them and following to stick them in order to form their name. As time passes the reference card isn’t needed because they can form their name on their own without seeing it, while in the future they will be able to write it on their own.

These activities help children make comparisons, looking also at the reference table of the classroom about who of them has a name with less and who with more letters. Also, how many children in  class have a name with the same number of letters (Helen, Lorin). This type of activities contribute to the strengthening of phonological awareness which is a required skill for their development as readers.

Sub-module : Long names – Short names.

Description

Aim: Aim of the sub-module is to realize the child that names depending on the number of letters of which they are consisted, are different. Also, to practice active listening and to know the main characters of a short story. Participation and listening helps children realize the sound, rhythm and volume.

Activity : The teacher tells a story with the children’s names prompting them to imitate the rhythm and the volume of the names they hear, repeating what they hear from the teacher who says a short story. E.g. Maria goes for a walk in the forest. She meets her friend Anne and her brother John (softly). All together shout their friends Ann, Nick, Irene (loudly). In the improvised story, the teacher uses apart from the usual names Nick, George or Mary, names of the class children.

As consolidated activity the teacher gives a work sheet with the children’s names mentioned in the story she narrated and asks from them to put a card with every child’s name (see appendix), while the teacher repeats the names that children gave to the group showing the work sheet.

Art : Drawing sheets are given to the children to draw themselves and stick colorful small papers with their name that the teacher has given them. The teacher asks from every child to say something about what they have drawn, keeping notes. In the end the group creates something (putting e.g. all children in a train or a house)

Activity: The children listen to the song CATHERINE WHO HAD FORGOTTEN HER NAME (see appendix), which has a rhyme, musicality and is pleasant. Following, they discuss about the child’s name and what she had forgotten. The teacher has prepared the letters with the corresponding colors according to the verse of the poem and they make the name like Catherine.

They all say with tempo
My name, my own name,
The most beautiful in the world!
I found, found my name,
I’m so glad!

Following, they sing listening to music.

Alternative activity: Children decide who of them lost their name and help them find it and make it again with colorful letters that the teacher gives them. One after the other many children can participate.

Sub-module: Names in my family.

Aim: In this module it’s understood by the children that every person has a name and a surname and that they belong to a family with history.

Activity: The teacher shows her identity card to the children. She tells them that her name is written on it and that all people have their own identity card. They discuss about the children’s knowledge and experience on that concerning their parents name or other persons. An important contribution to this discussion could be on the intermediary and the questionnaire side that was completed at the beginning in co-operation with parents (Annex Identity Card and Questionnaire). This activity will be explained more in the module Our body where information such as height, weight, sex etc.

The teacher asks the children their parents’ name. In case they don’t know it she helps them using the questionnaire which they completed with parents at the beginning, while some other day she asks them to say their brothers/sisters’ names (the teacher helps them in case they don’t remember them). Every child starts bit-by-bit in class with the teacher’s help to make their genealogical tree. First puts the parents’ names, another time their brothers’/sisters’ names and following the grandparents’ names. Every child stick the name cards to their genealogical tree (Appendix The Tree) and when the procedure is completed they make the forest of the class on a board and stick all children’s genealogical trees.

Materials: cardboard, glue, scissors, colored pencils, the children books “One name one story” written by Pavlina Pampoud i– Patakis Publications, «It’s me and I like» by Parr, Todd- Metaixmio Publications, Ivan the Terrible and other crazy tales-songs– Catherine who forgot her name- by Pavlina Pampoudis, a computer, a printer, CDs

Evaluation

At the end of every module the teacher evaluates if the targets were achieved as they had been defined with the portfolio method (see relevant reference). She encourages children to express their impressions, feelings, to say what new they learnt and to express their experience of working together. Through comprehensive discussion she asks from the children to evaluate themselves and the others, to talk about the positives and the point they found difficult during the subject process (see Portfolio).

 
APPENDIX ( IN GREEK)

ΠΑΡΑΡΤΗΜΑ 1

Η ΚΑΤΕΡΙΝΑ ΠΟΥ ΕΙΧΕ ΞΕΧΑΣΕΙ Τ’ ΟΝΟΜΑ ΤΗΣ
 
Κάποτε, ένα κοριτσάκι
το μικρό Κατερινάκι
ξύπνησε σε τόπο ξένο
άγνωστο και μαγεμένο.

Δε θυμόταν τη μαμά του
δε θυμόταν το μπαμπά του
το πρωί τι είχε φάει
πούθε ήρθε και πού πάει.
Τα ’χε χάσει, τα ’χε χάσει
τ’ όνομα του είχε ξεχάσει...
 
Ήταν σ’ ένα περιβόλι
μακριά από την πόλη.

Μα, ολόγυρα -τι θαύμα!
(ποιος ξανάδε τέτοιο πράγμα;)
Δε φυτρώναν λουλουδάκια
αλλά μόνο γραμματάκια!

Άλφα άσπρα, φούξια Βήτα
Δέλτα μπλε, γαλάζια Θήτα
Ρο ροζέ, πράσινα Πι
Ζήτα κίτρινα και Φι
Κάπα κόκκινα, φλογάτα
Μοβ Ωμέγα, μυρωδάτα!

Τρέχει το Κατερινάκι
φτιάχνει ένα μπουκετάκι:
κόβει ένα μεγάλο Κάπα
ένα έψιλον, δυο άλφα
ένα νι και ένα γιώτα
ταυ και ρο και λίγα χόρτα…

Το κοιτάζει, το θαυμάζει
και διαβάζει και φωνάζει:
«κα και τε και ρο και ίνα
Κατερίνα! Κατερίνα!

Τ’ όνομά μου, το δικό μου
το πιο όμορφο του κόσμου!
Βρήκα, βρήκα τ’ όνομά μου
δεν κρατιέμαι απ’ τη χαρά μου!
 
Πόπο πώς το ’χα ξεχάσει;
Τα μυαλά μου θα ’χα χάσει…
Ξύπνια είμαι ή κοιμάμαι
Όλα πια θα τα θυμάμαι!»