PROMOTING CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Free Resources

Teaching Tips, Resources, Planning Blueprints and Strategies for your classroom. Educating Children to have respect for diversity. 

FUN FACTS ABOUT SCOTLAND

Cultural Diversity

We have a new freebie for you! Fun Facts about Scotland is a great way to interest your students and engage them from the very beginning of the lesson. Here are some great ways to use these 'fun facts'. 

 

  • Create an around the world fun facts board and include one of these fun facts from Scotland. 
  • Decorate your door with Scottish Fun Facts and images for Tartan Day in April or Robert Burns Birthday in January. 
  • Engage your students at the beginning of a lesson about Scotland by sharing with them one of these fun facts! Capturing their interest from the beginning with some familiar - like Unicorns! 'The Unicorn is Scotland's national animal'. My 8 year old boy loves this fun fact! 
  • ​Share the fun facts with students and then assign them a country to find similar fun facts about to share with the class. 

Download the images and fun facts now and get started with a quick win in your classroom! 

 

MUSIC CLASSROOM

Scottish Music

As I launch this new site and program, I am slowly curating my resources from over 20 years of teaching Scotland, Ireland and Brazil as an artist in residence to over 200 schools throughout the United States, Europe and South America. 

 

My Free Resources - and paid - will start off slow.  However, I will put my time and attention into everything in order to give you the best.

 

The very first free resource is a collection of 3 Scottish Children's Songs and Games. Scotland has three official languages!

 

English, Scots Dialect and Scots Gaelic. 

 

The three songs I have for you are in Scots Dialect which the kids love to learn! It is very similar to English but has a full dictionary of words not spoken in the English language.

 

Example: 

Bee baw babbity, Babbity, babbity.

Bee baw babbity, A lassie or a wee laddie?

Choose, choose who you'll tak,

Who you'll tak, who you'll tak.

Choose, choose who you'll tak,

A lassie or a wee laddie?

 

This is a great chance to talk to them about the difference between Lassie (a girl) and Laddie (a boy). You can even sing the popular children's song: Did you ever see a Lassie. 

 

The Song example above, Bee Baw Babbity comes with a really fun children's game that is very easy to play. 

 

I recommend this with the k-1 graders.  

 

This free bundle comes with: 

  • 3 Scots Dialect Children's Songs all including a movement or game
  • A listening activity 
  • A Writing and Reflection activity
  • A Scots Dialect Work Matching game
  • PYP Theme discussion

 

Children learn naturally when they are engaged in songs, games and activities. 

The history and culture of Scotland make a great foundation for teaching about traditions through music, dance, arts and language.  Scottish immigration is a part of American history and played a huge role in American folk music.  

 

The music and dance of Scotland are familiar, yet unique.  With instruments like the Bagpipe and Bodhran the students are engaged. With the variety of dance styles found in Scottish culture, the movement is a natural progression to feeling the stylistic rhythmic approach to Scottish Folk music. The history of the folk music in Scotland was purposeful which teaches the students about who the Scottish people are and how they have expressed themselves through time. 

MUSIC CLASSROOM

Cultural Diversity

Creating a music lesson on Cultural Diversity that gives the students a chance to experience the reason for diverse musical expression,  is something I believe is a very important part of our jobs as educators.  

 

Many of the cultural music classes I’ve seen have included some really cool music and dance - that as musician I enjoy and I’m sure the kids enjoy. Most the time, the musical lesson is fantastic and it seems like a success. So why aren’t we seeing the respect for diversity change?

 

Exposure alone isn't enough. We need to dive deeper into the stories behind the music in a way that is relatable. 

 

After 20 years of teaching cultural music & dance workshops and lessons, I’ve created a blueprint that will help get you on your way to creating a cultural diverse music lesson on the country of your choice.  

 

 

This free blueprint comes with: 

  • A video tutorial to get started
  • facebook message and group support
  • A swipe file to show how I used this blueprint for one of my own lessons
  • ​Step by step instructions on creating a cultural diverse music lesson that will be memorable, activate national standards, encourage PYP theme curriculum ideas and help boost respect for diversity. 

 

Jenny Licko

Celtic Musician, Dancer, and Educator

​"...Such wonderful feedback from teachers and parents. Some parents said that their children came home singing and dancing. One teacher said that it was the best Cultural Arts program that they've ever seen."
Robbin Smith,Huntersville Elementary PTA 

Celtic Album of the Year, 2014
Celtic Music Radio, Boston USA

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