Citizenship Education

Manitoba Grants for Innovations in Citizenship Education

Project Descriptions 2007

Wellness Fair Project
Erickson Elementary School – Grade K to 12

Project Description: The grade six students developed a survey for all students, administered it and compiled the results to identify social and emotional needs within the student body. They then identified resources and coordinated speakers and presenters to deliver workshops for the students.

Program Summary: After meeting in groups, the grade 6 class decided to break down the needs into physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual ones. After meeting each grade in small groups, they compiled a school-wide list of needs, and then proceeded to arrange for speakers related to the needs. Speakers presented on Nutrition and Healthy Eating, Building Self-Confidence, Yoga Exercises to Relax and Strengthen the Body, Healthy Mind – Healthy Body, Building Strong Friendships/Relationships, and Stress-Relieving Exercises. Brandon Bobcat Pat Thompson and Brandon University Athletic Director Kirk DeFazio gave a motivational talk about the value of sports, commitment and team play. Local grade 12 Leadership Program students came in at the end of the day and ran a one hour Gym Blast as great way to de-stress and get some fun physical activity at the same time.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents, and Community Members: This project was a tremendous success. The strengths of the project included having the students themselves identify the needs by developing and administering their survey, the way it fit into various aspects of curricula, meaningful interactions between all members of the student body, and the inclusion of outside resources. By undertaking this Wellness Fair, students, staff presenters and other participants experienced working together to achieve their common goals, and learned a lot about citizenship as well as wellness.

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Talking About the Tough Stuff
Gimli High School – Grade 9 to 12

Project Description: Students created a one day workshop on the topics of teen dating violence, coping with loss, basic car maintenance, human rights, dealing with stress, self defense and delivered it in their school. They also created a film on homophobia in high schools.

Program Summary: Over a span of 3 months our Social Justice Committee planned and carried out a student workshop day during which 19 presenters were brought into our school to present on 21 topics. These topics ranged from teen dating violence, to coping with loss, to basic car maintenance, to human rights, to dealing with stress, to self-defense. Each student was given a choice as to which workshops they would attend. This feature allowed students to buy into the idea of attending, while it added considerably to the planning time required. Feedback from this day was very favorable. Staff, students, and presenters were agreed on how well the day went. Most students want to see a similar day next year.

The second part of this project involved a final edit for a student documentary film on homophobia in the high school. A professional film maker was hired to complete the final edit for this piece. This film has been seen by two Manitoba Teacher Society committees, our school board, and is being considered for the Gimli Film Festival. We are excited about the impact of the film on our audience, and in terms of the growth of our students in constructing this piece.

We created awareness of the issues among students, and to assist them in how to deal with these concerns. We established groundwork for staff and students to talk about these issues. We improved relationships within our school by developing empathy among our students and staff. We prepared grade 8, 9, and 10 students for the high school experience, and for the challenges that they will confront as teenagers.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: The Student workshop day received very favorable feedback. All staff, students, and presenters filled out a feedback form that asked for highlights, ideas for improvement, whether the day was well organized, feedback on the presenters, and whether the day was useful. Of approximately 280 returned surveys, only 5 of them reflected poorly on the day. Many of the presenters were impressed with the day and have committed to returning next year if it is offered again.

The Homophobia documentary has received a mixed review. We anticipated that people would be resistant to this topic, and the difficulty people have with the piece has more to do with the subject matter, not the quality of the film. Others have responded very positively, including our school board, the Teacher Action Cohorts Committee (MTS), and the school staff.

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CHOICES
Glenlawn Collegiate – Grade 9 to 12

Project Description: The goal was to create a website to showcase “Things That Are Important” for new students to know focusing on extra curricular school activities at Glenlawn Collegiate and staff in helping roles.

Program Summary: The Family Studies teacher facilitated a Think – Pair – Share session to kick off the project. Individual students, and later the whole class, created a web of “Things That Are Important” for a new student to know in our school. Groups of two or three students interviewed various staff members to collect information. Several intranet web-pages have been started and will continue to be expanded upon as students increase their knowledge of using computers to share information. Staff and students experienced the process of collaborating with individuals from diverse cultural and social backgrounds. Students learned to appreciate the talents as well as the shortcomings of their classmates and siblings. The website, with a reading level of approximately grade three, will be linked eventually to the school’s main page. This will increase the awareness of our school’s population to consider how difficult it must be to manoeuvre within a culture that is unknown and who to ask to seek important information. It is hoped that individuals will show empathy towards those who are new to our building.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members

Students: Most of the English as an Additional Language (EAL) students were keen to participate in this project. They saw the purpose and relevancy of creating a website for new students to learn about the activities and staff in our school. Working through this project gave students an opportunity to interact with adolescents and adults from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Staff: Those that were interviewed gained a greater understanding of the limited language skills of our EAL students and readily acquired an appreciation of the many challenges our EAL students encounter daily.  They became conscious of the need to use vocabulary that was jargon free and to speak in simple sentence structures, allowing ample time to record the conversations.

Project Coordinator: As time went by, many students were able to make decisions, independent of their teacher. Students gained confidence in their abilities to work alone and as a contributing group member. They learned how to express their opinion in ways that were helpful to the group moving forward.

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Thinking Globally, Acting Locally
Harrison Middle School – Grade 6, 7 and 8

Project Description: A student leadership team was organized which focused on building student spirit, strengthening student voice, and committing to community service. The goal was for students to realize that they have the power to facilitate positive changes within the school and the community through their actions and decisions.

Program Summary: In order to promote citizenship, charity and spirit at Harrison, the school held many fundraising events including snack sales, pennies for patients, and canteen sales, with the proceeds going to the Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Kidney Foundation and the One Love Project. To promote spirit, they held many assemblies, had sock hops, a Guitar Hero competition, and a school dodge-ball tournament. They also had a Student Leadership Team-building Day and assisted the Parent Council with the school barbecue. Along the way other students asked to join the group, were accepted, and made a positive contribution.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: Students enjoyed the experience. Many have commented that their parents are proud of them. Overall the project resulted in improved school climate as students bought into the nature of the project and the team. Parent Council asked for and was pleased to have the assistance of this team for their barbecue. Students with previously low self-esteem attained a sense of belonging and worth by contributing to the school in a positive manner. The project brought students together as a team and broke down some barriers related to grade difference, race, and cliques.

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Zoological Inquiry
Isaac Brock School – Grade 1 to 3

Project Description: The aim of this multi-aged early years classroom project was to educate students in local and global citizenship through a Zoological Inquiry focusing on environmental stewardship, specifically the issues of endangered species, habitat protection and climate change.

Program Summary: Students made a 2x2 metre diorama of the Assiniboine Park Zoo and an interactive map, using Smart Board Software, of the zoo which included information plaques about the animals being studied. While studying plants and vegetation, the class planted an indoor herb garden and then sold the plants in the spring to raise money for the zoo’s new Stellar Sea Eagle Enclosure. The field trips to the zoo, conservatory and the Zoological Museum at the University of Manitoba provided a wealth of knowledge and inspired the class to learn more. The class used a democratic voting system to elect managers of specific zoo areas. Students prepared speeches which were delivered to the class, with representatives from each zoo area voting for their managers. While building the diorama, students took the role of zoo employees and had to report to their managers, which in turn reported to myself (the Head Zoologist) regarding their progress. The class learned about endangered, threatened and extinct animals and how to help preserve habitats for the future.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: The zoo diorama and interactive map were presented at the school’s annual Heritage Fair and were well received by parents and teaching staff. Many parents and teachers commented on the amount of detail and thought that was put into the diorama and the quality of research and computer skills displayed on their information plaques. Parents were also impressed with the verbal presentation skills of the grade 1-3s. Students were knowledgeable not only about “their” researched animals, but also about the zoo (design, history, etc.). They spoke enthusiastically about the project, what they had accomplished and what they thought they should investigate next. The students learned a great deal about researching and demonstrated their skills when researching their second animal. Students gained team building skills from their learning buddies in the grade 4-6 class when researching. It was an excellent opportunity for older student to practice previously learned social, citizenship and leadership skills.

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ACT-NOW
John Pritchard School and other ASPnet chools

Project Description: A group of students was brought together from different UNESCO schools for a workshop to decide on the theme of an ASPnet conference and to plan various session topics, activities and tours. The goal was to better prepare children and young people to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex and interdependent world.

Program Summary: The project brought together a diverse group of students - by age , grade, culture, ethnicity, socio-economics, religion, geography - and asked them to work, discuss, learn and plan actions together, around the topic of Human Rights, especially the rights of the Child. Students were from Grades 5-12, public and private schools, from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The two-day conference or forum included keynote speakers Lloyd Axworthy, Fred Penner, and Gail Asper. A highlight for most of the students was the afternoon of Service Opportunity. The older students participated in volunteer work at various agencies throughout the city (example: Winnipeg Harvest), while the younger students assembled health kits for MCC at the conference site, the University of Winnipeg. Students listened and participated in four workshop sessions, chosen from an assortment of offerings, presented by organizations and individuals from Winnipeg. They were provided time (and guidance) during which they debriefed and reflected on their experiences, and planned the actions they could take to address Human Rights concerns in their local communities, and beyond.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: Feedback from the students and educators involved in the project has been overwhelmingly positive.

Some student responses:

"It definitely made me think of things in a new way."

"It's a opportunity to make a difference."

"The "Aboriginal Perspectives" was very informative & gave me a different perspective towards aboriginals, & it shows the inequality they face. "The Holocaust & Human Rights" was very touching, with the survivor talking face-to-face was very good experience.”

"This conference has taught me how to make a difference personally in my everyday life, in my society and in the world!"

"I loved going to Siloam Mission and having a chance to speak to some of the patrons. It made me want to get out there and volunteer my time to organizations like that. It was amazing. The workshops as well were very informative I loved it."

"I leave with an understanding of what I can do, and I plan to do it."

"I am young but I can make a difference."

"I think it was a great way to show how a little action can go a long way."

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Leila North is MAD – Making a Difference
École Leila North Community School – Grade 6, 7 and 8

Project Description: Using the theme of “We can make a difference,” students engaged in a variety of projects. The acronym MAD (Making A Difference) was used to unify these projects and student groups were recognized at assemblies for their MADness.

Program Summary: This project was started with an initial brainstorming session on the MAD concept followed by a week long campaign with t-shirts and posters using the MAD acronym to spark the students’ interest in the program. Through a series of meetings with students, criteria were developed to be used in awarding recognition of MAD efforts or learning experiences. Students participated in the Terry Fox Run, the World’s Largest Food Drive, and Pride and Action in Winnipeg Schools (PAWS). Through the PAWS program students painted and maintained areas of the school where graffiti was present, constructed a bench for the front hallway, designed and painted a mural surrounding an aquarium which they now maintain, shared time with seniors at a local personal care facility, held a “Keeping the Beat” dance to raise money for War Child Canada, and participated in a “Day of Giving” by creating gifts for local elementary students. Students also donated food and prepared hampers for the Christmas Cheer Board, participated in fundraising walks for Siloam Mission, raised money to buy bed nets for malaria prevention in Africa, and coordinated a fundraiser for a local family who lost their possessions in an apartment fire.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: The build-up to reveal the MAD acronym was exciting and engaging for the students. There was a sense that everyone including adults in the school community would become involved in this learning experience. Due to the positive results it is likely that many of these projects will be repeated next year and that some of the new ideas generated by this experience will help to continue the MADness.

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Promote the Vote (Vote for Youth)
Matheson Island School – Grade 5 to 7

Project Description: Students participated in information gathering on trends in voting behaviour of young people in Canada and specifically Manitoba. They also studied the history of voting rights, visited the legislature, searched the internet, and then, to promote voting in their community, students built their own website.

Program Summary: After a visit to our class by our sitting MLA, our students participated in lessons about the history of voting in Canada, including a timeline and video clips about when various groups received the right to vote, including women, immigrants, First Nations people, prisoners and the mentally ill. Students and parents then went for a guided tour of the Manitoba legislative building. We brought in a guest instructor to teach the students how to design a web site, and the class proceeded to create their own web site to promote voting amongst youth. Students also participated in class votes on various real issues.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: Parents and students commented favourably about the field trip; especially the lively and well-informed tour guide. Students enjoyed creating colourful web pages and seeking out relevant web sites to link to. They were surprised and full of questions about the various groups who were historically denied the right to vote in Canada. They came to realize the value of the right to vote by discussing how many people had to work hard to win that right. Being a Métis community, students now appreciate how recently First Nations people received the right to vote and how not having this right made them susceptible to discrimination.

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Citizenship – Leaders in Action
École McIsaac School – Grade 8

Project Description: All fifty grade eight students participated in a leadership workshop with focus on understanding the needs of others. These students then put their learning into practice by involving the entire student body in an effort to address the needs of the community, which included projects such as recycling, community enhancement, and helping sick children.

Program Summary: The goals of the workshop were to increase awareness of the issues surrounding bullying/prejudice, to encourage students to reflect on the consequences of their actions as they tease others about their color, sex, race, social status, etc. and to develop a school plan for addressing them. In the spring, all met as a group to determine whether things have changed and where they needed to go as a school. Issues arising out of citizens’ day:

• Stereotyping
• Gossip
• Being called brace face, metal mouth, train tracks, or tin teeth
• Made fun of because of your hair color
• Being called nerd because of glasses
• Being called lesbian or gay because of how you act or dress
• Made fun of because of how you dress
• Made fun of because of how you talk, your body shape or your face

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: Presentations which were done for parents, students and the school board were positively received and have encouraged further development of the concept. Students were very attentive and shared how the experience impacted them in terms of how we treat others. The Rich Man Poor Man meal gave students an appreciation of the things they have in their lives and how not everyone has the same opportunity. The project leader states, “I do believe that the students have a deeper appreciation of people with differences in appearance, culture and intellect. There has been a difference in the amount of negative behaviors we have seen in the hallways.”

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In the Eye of the Beholder
Meadows West School

Project Description: Students examined issues of basic human rights as they exist throughout the world. Using images from agencies such as Amnesty International, as well as images that they created themselves of their own community, students produced an exhibit.

Program Summary: The students began by learning how to look at and interpret pictures including how to tell the story of the pictures they were viewing. Using the books Imagine a Day and Imagine a Night and then using magazines to select a picture, they wrote poetry that depicted a story from their chosen picture. Then the tables were turned and students were given themes that they had to focus on and decide what images came to mind and how they could tell that story using photography. To prepare for this stage a videographer from CBC did a presentation to students on how he came up with images to capture once he was given the topic of the day’s story. Students also attended a full day workshop with the Radio and Broadcasting students at Tec Voc High School where the students were given the opportunity to use digital cameras and video cameras to gain experience in how to capture the intended images. Students then worked in pairs to capture images intended to tell the story about the disparity between our lives and the lives of children in developing countries, and then enhanced their photos through the use of a computer program. To further enhance students’ understanding of citizenship and appreciation of what we have in Canada, the students wrote a poem about their pictures. When pictures and poems were completed, their parents were invited to a gallery show of their work.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: There was a lot of positive feedback from students, staff and parents. Teachers from other classrooms were amazed at what the students had accomplished. During the art gallery showing, parents were also impressed and expressed that some of the photos “belonged in an art gallery,” and that it was amazing how thoughtful and deep the students’ poetry writing was. Students gained a real appreciation that what we have in Canada is not necessarily what all children from around the world have.

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Words into Action
Melita School – Grade K to 12

Project Description: Recognizing that each student can act in good character within their community and beyond, students became involved in a variety of causes such as visiting seniors, honouring veterans, protecting the environment and assisting people in need.

Program Summary: Each class chose a project that would put our “Good Character” into action. Some classes chose to help out locally and some classes chose projects on a global level. The choice was made after discussion about project possibilities. The projects were varied in time and resources – some working to improve environmental awareness, some networking with lonely elders, and various other causes. The goal of each project, whether local or global, was to develop students’ concept of citizenship by providing opportunities to put words into action.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: A staff member commented, “This multigenerational project really connected the students with stories of their past and gave them ownership of another generation.” The town mayor called to ask if he could put our project on the town web site. The fact that students made their own decisions about the projects really gave them ownership. Students helping each other as well as reaching out to the community and the world has really broadened their citizenship knowledge and skills.

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Broadening our Horizons
École Regent Park – Grade 5 to 8

Project Description: Students explored the seven essential virtues developed by educational researcher Michele Borba and the seven sacred teachings of the Aboriginal culture and created a partnership with community based charitable organizations in order to benefit the neighbourhood, the city, and beyond.

Program Summary:The school has created a partnership with some community-based charitable organizations that help people and animals in need. These included the United Way, Winnipeg Harvest, the Transcona Food Bank, UNICEF, the Mennonite Central Committee the Winnipeg Humane Society, and Siloam Mission.

Students and teachers worked together to develop three components of the project:

• an educational component to raise student consciousness
• the development of an action plan
• the preparation of an educational presentation to share with the members of our school community

The activities were varied. Certain groups did volunteer work, while other groups visited certain organizations to familiarize themselves with their work. Students collected and delivered food donations to the Transcona Food Bank and money and other items for the Winnipeg Human Society and Siloam Mission. Students involved with the recycling program went around the school once a week to collect material to recycle. We invited representatives of UNICEF and the Mennonite Central Committee to talk to the students. After that, the students collected funds for UNICEF by organizing a school dance and by soliciting donations from members of their families. Another group of students organized a film viewing to collect funds to dig a canal that will provide water needed for agriculture in a village in Vietnam.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: Students greatly benefited from the various experiences. For example, we noticed that our Grade 7 and 8 students showed a greater appreciation for their daily lunch after having volunteered at Winnipeg Harvest. Several parents accompanied the groups and made many positive observations. Each project elicited many discussions amongst students, their teachers and their parents, which demonstrated the profound impact the project had on the community.We have received thank-you letters from several organizations, and these letters are now framed and displayed at the main entrance of the building. Moreover, our project was written about in a feature article in the River East School Division paper, The Torch.

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Active Students Making History
Rosenfeld Elementary School – Grade 4

Project Description: Grade four students organized a democratic process by which the student body could select the first school mascot/nickname. The process included different parties that supported each name with their own elected leader, speeches and finally voting. The process demonstrated democracy in action. Community members who wished to vote had to register in order to obtain a voting card, and the election was held outside of school hours.

Program Summary: In September, the grade 4 Social Studies class decided to have an election to come up with a school nickname. In October, they sent out information about the school name and asked for input from community and other students. In November, they sent out survey results of names for people to pick as their top five, and the election was held in December. The project was presented at the Legislative building for a February in-service session hosted by MECY. A logo contest was then held in March and we printed 200 t-shirts with the new school logo on it in April. We held a celebration luncheon hosted by the grade 4 students on June 3rd where we handed out 200 t-shirts to invited guests and all.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: Feedback was very positive from all who attended. This was a great community event which brought some different people into our school who would not normally be here. This project did reach the initial goals of increasing awareness of citizenship and what the word means, promotion of student voice and choice, creating a new part of town history, understanding of the election process, and promoting the concept of life long community involvement.

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Citizenship Awareness
St. James Collegiate

Project Description: Students organized and participated in a wide range of activities aimed at social justice including a conference, a mentoring program, a poverty walk and other volunteer projects. Different groups were be formed including a Women’s Equality Focus Group, and a Student Social Justice Group.

Program Summary: The Women’s Equality Focus Group met biweekly to plan events, bulletin boards, etc. Our 1st Annual International Women’s Day Potluck was held on Thursday, March 6th. We had 65 guests who enjoyed a potluck dinner and were addressed by Dr. Janice Dodd (University of Manitoba Faculty of Women’s Studies and Faculty of Medicine) and also a representative from Osborne House. Grant monies were used to offset costs related to this event (rental of dishes, gift cards, additional food items, decorations, etc.) Eight of the students from our Student Social Justice Group attended the 1st Annual National UNESCO conference held in Winnipeg at the University of Winnipeg this past spring. This group of students continued their involvement in Social Justice activities this past year in the following ways: June Poverty Walk, Fair Trade Coffee Program, and Project Love. Additional activities that took place at our school included: The Stevenson Homework Mentor Program, Student Environmental Group, Aboriginal Student Group, Siloam Mission meal planning, and Variety Show funds donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: Attendance and participation was maintained throughout the year at all events and volunteer activities indicated a positive response. The students gained much from the experiences they participated in. The Women’s Studies Group gained a better understanding of equality issues from a historical perspective. Through their attendance at events planned specifically for women, they had the opportunity to explore traditional and non-traditional career and life choices. Students who were involved in Social Justice (Environmental Group, Stevenson Homework Club, Siloam Mission), gained a greater sense of their world at a community, local and global level. Many events occurred on weekends – so it was rewarding to see that students were willing to give of their own time outside the school week.

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Social Studies Symposium
Collége Sturgeon Heights Collegiate – Grade 11

Project Description: College Sturgeon Height students planned and hosted a Social Justice Symposium in May 2008 which provided students with the opportunity to be exposed to contemporary human rights and ecological issues occurring at the local, national and international levels.

Program Summary: The Symposium on Thursday, May 22, 2008 featured numerous guest speakers and workshop facilitators. The morning keynote address on HIV/AIDS work in Kenya was delivered by Myrna Ronald. Break-out sessions included such topics as Advertising & Consumer Culture, Surviving the Holocaust, Global Warming, Life During WWI, Landmines & Cluster Bombs, as well as numerous others. The plenary session featured participatory improv-theatre facilitated by local improv troupe Crumbs. The symposium allowed students the choice to pick sessions that matched their own interests. Presenters were chosen to highlight topics of both historic and contemporary importance. Students were provided with information on issues requiring concerted social engagement and were shown how positive changes are being made by concerned citizens. Further, some break-out sessions focused on employment possibilities connected to the social sciences and students were encouraged to think about their future working lives as members of the local and global community. Also, despite dealing with serious topics, the symposium was a fun and enjoyable event for participants. Overall, the symposium was focused on helping to develop active democratic citizenship skills and values.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: Feedback on the symposium has been overwhelmingly positive. Students enjoyed virtually all of the sessions and found them highly engaging and moving. The vast majority of students reported that they would participate in the symposium again next year if given the option. Workshop facilitators remarked on students’ levels of respect and participation. Sturgeon Heights is in its first year of existence after the amalgamation of the former Silver Heights and Sturgeon Creek schools. This event gave us an opportunity to continue to build our new school culture focused on citizenship and responding to social issues. Our school mission is the “development of global citizens with inquiring minds and compassionate hearts” and it was exciting to keep striving toward that goal.

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Developing Active Citizens
Wellington Elementary School – Grade 3 to 6

Project Description: Students examined the importance of being good citizens locally and from a global perspective by using information and resources provided by various cultural centres, agencies and resource people. There was also a focus on examining the cultures of new immigrant families.

Program Summary: Grade 3 to 6 students and the student council were engaged in issues and activities concerning human rights and social justice. Student council sponsored a read-a-thon to raise money for Project Love which sends school supplies to students in rural Africa. The result was enough money for 450 kits. A multicultural lunch was held at the school to celebrate the various cultures present in our school community. Guest speakers Muriel Smith and Strini Reddy spoke to all grade 4, 5 and 6 students about the importance of global citizenship and human rights. Students organized themselves into committees to facilitate regular meetings and special events. One group prepared the agenda, another advertised, and a third planned and prepared lunches. Student council planned and organized a culture fair and the grade 6 students researched different cultures by doing interviews and collecting artifacts. One class researched, built and played board games from around the world as part of their study of each country. The culture fair was held the week of student-led interviews so that parents could view student projects and develop their own appreciation of diversity in the school community.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: As a result of their participation in all of these activities, students discussed human rights and social justice issues throughout the whole school year. Students were surprised to learn about similarities in different cultures such as the structures from ancient Egypt and those of the Mayan people in Mexico. They also appreciated the modern contributions by Aboriginal people to Canadian culture.

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Drumming Across Cultures
Wolseley – Grade 4, 5, 6

Project Description: This project explored a number of different cultures through the use of drumming and its place in the development of social justice, entertainment, ritual and solidifying of community. All students created their own drum and learned the basics of drumming rhythms from a variety of local drummers of different backgrounds.

Program Summary: Each child made an individual drum from a recycled 25 litre water bottle. They painted them and created a carrying strap. We learned about drumming in different cultures and the traditions surrounding the drumming. We also studied some geography in relation to the countries involved. Children got group instruction in djembe drumming from an instructor and we had another drumming session with a First Nations drum group, and also with a parent. Our whole school came to part of our session and children danced. We viewed videos such as Stomp and Pulse which involved music making with everyday materials all over the globe. Children composed small group performances and we put small group sessions all together to create a ‘surround sound’. Children recorded their drumbeats on computer and could view sound-waves on screen. Children performed in a variety of settings, some when there was an announcement regarding green projects in schools, some during our School community picnic, some at McClure Place (a senior’s residence), and some at the school talent show. One student gave extra lessons to others at recess and several children jammed at recess or after school. As a wind-up we had a final drumming/sharing/snack session at our local park.

The children developed in working with the children from the other classroom and with children at various levels of drumming competence. They needed to collaborate and came to an understanding of the universality of music - one does not need to be rich or have fancy equipment to celebrate drumming, and they learned about other cultures. Children helped others out and shared what they were learning with their younger book buddies and continued to build their relationship with the residents of McClure through performance. Some children also helped younger groups of children by playing drums for them when they performed. One of the classrooms was also spending some time studying residential schools and the children discussed the drum in the legislature during Prime Minister Harper’s apology.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members: Children loved having their drums and sharing what they created and looked forward both to lessons and to performing. Many have indicated a continued interest in drumming. The guest instructor said he enjoyed working with the group and might try to start setting up lessons regularly. The music teacher said she would integrate some of what she learned into her classes. Parents asked for children to perform at a picnic and were positive. Seniors were very positive and enthusiastic about the mini concert. Someone from the community came forward a day after we were drumming in the community to say how much she had enjoyed it.

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