Why this theme?

Karolyne Fabian


The reason I chose the topic Cinco de Mayo is because I wanted to show something
different which is culture. For me being Hispanic I didnt really know much about this topic just
that its a celebration where we get to wear fun colors and dance to music. By talking about
Cinco de mayo children get to know more than just this holiday like the history which leads to
being able to locate the state in a map, learning different language that Cinco de mayo is
translated to May the 5
th
also if there are students that know about this culture they might bring
information from home about this holiday as well as show other children how their family
celebrates. There are many activities that children can do with this holiday and I saw myself
doing them as well so having an interest in a topic will make it more interesting for children as I
see it. This topic will show children about culture, how they celebrate and the reason for the
celebration.
This topic is relevant to children three to five because there are many ideas that can be done for
this like making a sombrero which can work as roll play for children, there is also making your
own maracas which are great for music and listening to what other cultures listen and dance to.
With Cinco de Mayo children can learn many subjects like math, science, Spanish, etc. With this
topic children can do teacher guided activities as well as hands on activities like dancing, role
play, making music etc.
Cinco de Mayo lends itself to activities that support Howard Gardners multiple intelligences
like math children can begin to learn about numbers and language can be learned in Spanish. For
music and movement children will see how other cultures dance to their music and see what they
wear and the meaning. Children will use social skills by working together in decorating the
piata. Children will learn about cultural and how Cinco de Mayo began.
My goal is for children to know that its important to understand that there are many different
cultures and holidays that many people celebrate and we should respect their beliefs. By having
the theme Cinco de Mayo children will learn about another culture while still learning all the
subjects in school.

Karolyne great discussion of Howard Gardner. Based on what you have written, I am not
sure you have as good an understanding of what is meant by developmentally
appropriate or integrated curriculum. Please review these concepts.
Let me know if you have any questions.
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