Grade 3s Share Family Cultures

March 11, 2022

Academics

GNS

Grade 3s presented their most recent inquiry based projects to their peers this week. The students designed culture boxes, which illustrated their different cultural backgrounds. They then decorated a shoebox and chose three important items from home that they would like to pass down to future generations.

The culture box presentations marked the conclusion of their “Where we are in place time” IB PYP Unit of Inquiry, where they studied the central idea that “Cultural Knowledge shapes a society and its future.”

Before creating their boxes, the students had conversations with their families to learn more about their cultural backgrounds and the many celebrations, traditions and beliefs that inform them.

Bentley’s box showcased his background from the Netherlands and England. In his box, he included wooden shoes, a ‘Kissing Couple” figurine and a photo of his great, great grandfather.

“It was really fun being able to make the box and putting all the stuff together and deciding what I should bring,” he explained. “I want to use this box to pass down to future generations because I want them to see where our culture is from.”

Elizabeth included her Singapore, Chinese and British roots in her box. She said that before building the box she knew a bit about her family’s background, and this allowed her to share information about her family with her peers and classmates.

“I added this feather with metal discs. It’s a game plan played in Singapore,” she said. “I also added a red envelope from my grandparents—they believe to be and stay healthy (they are from Hong Kong and so is my mom). I also added a book by David Walliams Fing. He’s from the same country as my dad.”

Brinley included her Mexican background in her shoebox. Included in the box was an avocado stuffy, a small sombrero and a bird whistle. She even added a photo of herself and a friend with a Mexican dancer.

“Avocados are grown all around Mexico, a sombrero is what musicians wear and the bird whistle my Abuela gave me,” she described. “The best part of the project was learning new stuff that I didn’t know like avocados grow all over Mexico and are sold all over the world.”

Oliver’s box contained a mix of Dutch, German, Russian and Canadian facts in the form of his father’s old license plate from Manitoba, a postcard from Berlin, and a photo book named Holland.

“I liked learning about my great-great-grandfathers,” he said. “Before I didn’t even know my dad had cars back then so seeing his license plate from when he was 16 was neat.”

Congratulations to all the Grade 3s for putting together wonderful culture boxes and thank you for sharing your knowledge with the rest of the school!