KIDWARE Neighborhoods Link
with Multicultural Activities
Promote Understanding of Diversity, Language, and CultureTeachers make a personal and professional commitment to incorporate cultural sensitivity into their classrooms when they use KIDWARE. KIDWARE offers exciting curriculum activities that incorporate computer experiences, books, and hands-on materials. All are discussed in the Teacher's Guide.Additionally, teachers using KIDWARE easily respond to Federal and state mandates regarding social and emotional development. KIDWARE supports students as they develop an appreciation for differences in culture, language, and ethnicity. This awareness helps them become good world citizens in a diverse and democratic society. With ever-increasing classroom diversity and globalization students of today must become critical thinkers who can identify and demonstrate an understanding of different points of view. In order meet this challenge educators must provide relevant and meaningful learning opportunities. KIDWARE includes multicultural software as the centerpiece of its multicultural curriculum for young learners. Students engage in hands-on experiences through multimedia and literature-based materials. Four simulated computer environments, called microworlds, give teachers opportunities to introduce and illustrate multicultural concepts. Children have access to and control over these concepts. Some of these concepts include: people are similar; people are different; some physical attributes stay the same and some change; everyone is equal and worthy; everyone is lovable |
and capable; everyone deserves respect; everyone is important; everyone has feelings; we can learn about the daily life of people we know; culture comes from parents and family; there are different kinds of families;
and families live in different ways; and families are made up of different members that are connected in some way.
The four microworlds in KIDWARE give young learners an opportunity to explore and connect to each community in their own special ways. These four Neighborhoods reflect different geographic and cultural elements. Farm depicts a rural community in the Midwest with grazing sheep and peaceful landscapes. City displays high-rise buildings, crowded streets, and multicultural workers. Village represents an arctic aboriginal community with natural wonders. Island shows a Latino culture in the Caribbean. With the software children have the ability to meaningfully manipulate and control concept components. Youngsters create life-like scenarios with a variety of animals, vehicles, props and multicultural characters. Youngsters role play the dramatic episodes of those different from themselves. They experiment with different points of view and take on the roles of different cultural icons. Children replay and re-arrange each scenario time and time again as they take different perspectives. Automatic access to KIDWARE Writer (a robust word processing program) dramatically enhances oral language and improves written expression. Students practice reading and writing in the content area of social studies when they explore cultures and communities. |
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