Unit Design: Thematic Unit on Rice – Part 1 (Part 2 will lead into Rice Field Ecology: the Creatures and Critters of the Rice Fields in Bali)
Subject: Across subjects to include: English, Science, Physical Education (Movement, Dance, Gross Motor Games), Balinese, Indonesian, Visual Arts, Mathematics, Cultural Studies,
Social Studies, Music
Grade: Kindergarten
Time Period: 2 months
Unit Goals:
Integrated learning (aesthetic, imaginative, tactile, musical, mathematical and literal) about rice in Bali with a focus on rice from seed to harvest, varieties of rice, tastes, types of foods, cooking with rice and creating offerings made from rice, stories, songs and games about rice.
Enduring Understandings:
Rice is a central part of life in Bali and as such can be seen growing all around and is a main food source and material source for offerings. There are many stories about rice which influence dances, the visual arts and perceptions about rice and rice farming in Bali.
Content/Knowledge
Direct experience with the rice planting, growth and harvesting process
Learning how to cook rice and cook rice dishes
Experiencing the taste, smells and textures of different rice varieties and different rice dishes
Stories and myths about rice to nurture and engage children’s imaginations with rice as a focus
Artistic expression with rice as focus (looking at painting and drawings of rice paddies, Dewi Sri, the rice plant)
Children’s own expression with rice as focus in drawing painting, movement activities and games
Observing shadow play about rice and creating their own puppets and performing with musical accompaniment
Songs, chants and poems about rice – language/vocabulary development, aesthetic/ imaginative development with rice as a theme
Skills
Tactile/sensory development through cooking – simple cleaning, stirring, tasting rice dishes
Work/caring for each other through serving, table setting, collecting dishes and washing
Mathematices – simple counting and measuring activites in rice cooking projects
Rice farming - direct experiences with planting, caring for and then harvesting rice
Visual expression – aesthetic- painting (non-toxic acrylic) – painting from the imagination (inspired by a story or shadow play)
Visual expression – scientific observation - from observing rice grow (drawing)
Literal/literary expression and development - vocabulary development through singing, chanting poetry in English
Familiarity with simple words in Indonesian and Balinese
through singing, chanting poetry
Motor skill development (fine and gross) – through movements with rice as a focus
Fine motor skill development through creation of shadow puppets
Verbal expression through shadow play performing
Musical expression through songs and chants and musical accompaniment of shadow play (percussion practice)
Sense of rhythm of nature (rice growing process/rice seasons), bodily (movement with rice as focus), musical (percussion, songs and chants).
Cultural awareness development around rice as culture by learning the harvest rituals and celebrations around planting growing and harvesting rice in Bali and taking part in our own ritual for rice planting, growing and harvesting
Social Studies – meeting a rice farmer and learning about tools they use, how to plant and care for rice, experiences with rice farming
Learning activities:
Seeing/observing rice planting and growth at various stages
Touching, cooking and tasting different varieties of rice
Making different foods with rice
Making and learning about offerings made from rice
Listening to Balinese folktales about rice and the story origin of rice in Bali
Learning and singing songs, chants and poems about rice
Learning and exploring simple movement patterns inspired by rice (the planting/growth cycle or taken from stories, chants or poems about rice)
Planting rice and monitoring it’s growth
Seeing paintings of rice paddies, rice and Dewi Sri, Goddess of Rice in Bali
Drawing and painting inspired by stories, songs, chants poems about rice and the rice planting/growth process
Games with rice as the thematic focus or with rice as a material used in the games
Counting with rice, measuring rice for cooking
Seeing a shadow play about rice and making puppets and performing with rice as the main theme of the story
Resources
Rice folktales (Bali and Indonesia)
Shadow puppet play and puppet-making (Me and My Shadows)
On site rice cultivation – Pak Chakra
Rice offering making (Ibu Dwi)
Rice songs and chants (created by Susan)
Rice movement and dance pieces (created by Susan – yoga/danskinetics)
Organic rice – red and brown – Sari Organic, Ubud
The Ecology of Java and Bali
The Flora and Fauna of Bali
Bookmark/Search this post with:
