Did you ever wonder why the United States is called a melting pot? Do you even know what it means to call our country a melting pot? The United States has been attracting people from all over the world since we won our independence from Britain in 1783, at the end of the Revolutionary War. They came to this country leaving behind their homeland in order to make a better life for themselves. The result of the melting pot are American citizens who become part of the history of our nation, who become the defenders of our freedom and who bring their own individual talents and culture to meld into this great society. We are Asian American, Euro American, Mid Eastern American, African American. We are all Americans under the red, white and blue flag that represents the United States of America. This is all of our country and we are here because of what it stands for. It stands for life liberty and the pursuit of happiness and "All men are created equal".
Grammar note:
This post touches on the fact that even though we all come from different backgrounds, we are all still Americans. I believe this is a great way to have each student write their own paragraph about their culture.
Grammar activity:
In a composition, students will write about their own heritage. They will include at least two activities (verbs) from their culture that they practice, with at least two people and where they participate in their cultural events (nouns). Students also must be incredibly detailed about their cultural experiences (adjectives).
Vocabulary:
1. Attracting: to draw or bring people closer
2. Result: what happened because of an event or action
3. Citizen: to be apart of a country
4. Freedom: the idea that you are allowed to do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't hurt someone.
5. Individual: one person
6. Culture: what makes a country or area unique. Culture consists of people, music, art, sports etc.
7. Represents: an object or person that acts or speaks for something else
8. Liberty: the right to choose
9. Pursuit: to go after something
10. Society: how people relate or act with each other in a community
I think that the activity you have paired with this blog entry is perfect! It allows the students to bring their own lives into their own learning.
ReplyDeleteYour post brings up an excellent point. My German professor used to call this country a kaleidoscope. He didn't like the idea of melting, but rather of infinite combinations aof brilliant colors.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot your vocabulary words...