(no subject)

[lwoodbloo]

Class last night was amazing.

We did a little play illustrating what happened during the irish potato blight in 1845. I made up white t shirts with "Farmer O'Brien", "Farmer O'Leary" and, our favorite, "Hi. I'm a Fungus".

It was hilarious.

However, a question was brought up, and it is "How do you properly communicate the death and dissolution of irish life and culture to young children?"

Been mulling it over, and you all are quite intelligent. Let 'er rip.

Comments

[phoenixsong]

How young are you talking? Kindergarten? General grade-school age (K-8)? Only elementary or only middle school?

[lwoodbloo.livejournal.com]

k-6.

Two different ideas that could use refining...

[phoenixsong]

1) If you're talking about specifically North American/U.S. kids, perhaps a comparison to American Indians would work -- both cultures still exist in small pockets, but used to be widespread across the country/continent.

(Of course, that also would bring in the problem of lumping all "American Indian cultures" into an umbrella term that has no real definition or meaning...)

2) Ask them if they think it's OK for the government to tell you what language you're allowed to speak. Then to tell you what clothes you are and are not allowed to wear, what foods you can and cannot eat, etc. Put it in personal terms: how much control should the government have over how you live? Then shift it so that it's another country's government telling you how to live -- Mexico or Canada, or even Britain trying to reassert itself over the US, making us change the way we speak and write, who our leaders are, etc. Gives it a personal context they can wrap their heads around.

[nemesisbecoming.livejournal.com]

What exactly is to be explained? I feel stupid here.

And just to show you HOW stupid, when you say death and dissolution of irish life and culture, my first thought is the Potatoe Famine. Am I off base?

[nemesisbecoming.livejournal.com]

Duh, I should read the entire post more closely, you did mean the potatoe famine.

Will get more coffee now.

Well, I would think has honestly as one would introduce such a subject. One does not hedge when it comes to slavery or the Holocaust. As cold as it may seem, cold facts first then relate how one would feel during such a situation...

[merina888.livejournal.com]

It honestly depends on grade level. There is a huge difference in the comprehension and vocabulary levels of kindergarteners vs. 6th graders. And even among students within each grade level. The best way to help a child acquire new knowledge is to always relate it to what they already know. It gives them a hook to relate it to.

For more mature students (say 4th through 6th grade), it may actually work to relate it to Native Americans and government control. That won't work as well with primary (k-2) students. They are just not as sophisticated and you may actually scare them. I would choose something that they know really well in their social environment: television shows, the playground, playing with friends, foods that they like to eat, etc. Ask them how they'd feel if they were told they couldn't do that anymore. Work from there. I'd stick to the emotional with them since they are very literal at that level. Be sure and share some of the simple things from Irish culture such as songs, games or holiday traditions. This will help provide the link to what they know.

Hope that helps!

[ntang.livejournal.com]

However, a question was brought up, and it is "How do you properly communicate the death and dissolution of irish life and culture to young children?"

Well, that's easy. Over a glass of whiskey.