Los Dichos
Students learn that they can use individual or collective assets to navigate and challenge systemic injustices or inequity of opportunities, or to increase pride in cultural identity.
Los Dichos is a program created by YMCA Project Cornerstone. Los Dichos promotes parent engagement in children's education while increasing pride in cultural identity. At my school, one parent is the lead for Los Dichos. This parents works with the teachers to ensure communication is being sent to parents. Parents are involved in the lessons, ensuring the lesson is executed, and provides the materials for the lesson. Los Dichos would not be possible without parent engagement. Not only are students able to increase pride in cultural identity, parents are also able to do so. Parents are engaging in the lesson with their children which is an excellent opportunity to continue the lesson at home and connect with family members to heighten cultural pride. Not only are students able to learn more about their own culture, but also the culture of their peers. We have had lessons in Spanish and Vietnamese, this is appropriate because majority of my students either identify with as Latino/Latina or Vietnamese. Not only are these lessons culturally responsive, they also teach values through proverbs that can help students reflect on the world around them and feel empowered to use their voice and know that it matters.
To read more about Los Dichos from YMCA click on the Los Dichos button.
To read more about Los Dichos from YMCA click on the Los Dichos button.
Below I will explain the ways I initiate the lesson, how students engage, and my follow-through.
How I Initiate
Parent Contact
As I mentioned above, Los Dichos would not be possible and as impactful without parent engagement. To invite parents I send flyers, text messages, and make phone calls to tell parents when Los Dichos is and why I believe it is important they come to volunteer. My school values parent engagement and strongly believes in Los Dichos. To ensure teachers are connecting with parents and seeking parent engagement, we capture on a document what parents we have reached out to and how. The image below shows the tracker of parents I have reached out to. In addition to the tracker, on the right is a screen shot of a message I have sent to ask parents to volunteer.
Parent Contact
As I mentioned above, Los Dichos would not be possible and as impactful without parent engagement. To invite parents I send flyers, text messages, and make phone calls to tell parents when Los Dichos is and why I believe it is important they come to volunteer. My school values parent engagement and strongly believes in Los Dichos. To ensure teachers are connecting with parents and seeking parent engagement, we capture on a document what parents we have reached out to and how. The image below shows the tracker of parents I have reached out to. In addition to the tracker, on the right is a screen shot of a message I have sent to ask parents to volunteer.
Lesson Plan
Lesson Plans are created by Project Cornerstone of YMCA. I receive the lesson plan and text in advance and annotate the text with pausing points for students to engage in. The annotations are in multiple languages for any parent to be able to read, no matter their predominate language. Below is a lesson plan for a text read in Spanish and English.
Lesson Plans are created by Project Cornerstone of YMCA. I receive the lesson plan and text in advance and annotate the text with pausing points for students to engage in. The annotations are in multiple languages for any parent to be able to read, no matter their predominate language. Below is a lesson plan for a text read in Spanish and English.
This lesson builds pride within students who identify with the Latino/Latina culture. Students are being exposed to more texts in their first language while learning an important message from their culture. Students walked away from this lesson feeling proud to be a part of the Hispanic culture and were excited to share their culture with their peers.
Student Engagement
Read Aloud
Los Dichos lessons begins with a read aloud. If there are multiple parent volunteers, one parent reads in English and another parent reads in either Spanish or Vietnamese. For this particular lesson I am showcasing, a parent read in Spanish. Students are at the carpet, sitting in a circle eager to engage in a text from their own culture. They get so excited and show so much joy when parents come in and are speaking Spanish. Many of my students are English Language Learners and their first language and language spoken at home is Spanish. They show so much pride in their culture and I notice higher levels of engagement when students are speaking in Spanish and engaging in a text from their own culture. This text was chosen to build pride in cultural identity because the setting is in Mexico, where many of my students are from and connect to. This story has lots of vivid colors which represent Mexico. This text is also primarily written in Spanish but translated to English. Students enjoy learning about their culture and lessons in a text read and written in Spanish. In addition, many parrot species are found in many rain forests in Mexico, students are able to learn new details about their culture and country through the text. Below are images of a text with annotations that show the text in English and Spanish and opportunities for students to engage in the text.
Read Aloud
Los Dichos lessons begins with a read aloud. If there are multiple parent volunteers, one parent reads in English and another parent reads in either Spanish or Vietnamese. For this particular lesson I am showcasing, a parent read in Spanish. Students are at the carpet, sitting in a circle eager to engage in a text from their own culture. They get so excited and show so much joy when parents come in and are speaking Spanish. Many of my students are English Language Learners and their first language and language spoken at home is Spanish. They show so much pride in their culture and I notice higher levels of engagement when students are speaking in Spanish and engaging in a text from their own culture. This text was chosen to build pride in cultural identity because the setting is in Mexico, where many of my students are from and connect to. This story has lots of vivid colors which represent Mexico. This text is also primarily written in Spanish but translated to English. Students enjoy learning about their culture and lessons in a text read and written in Spanish. In addition, many parrot species are found in many rain forests in Mexico, students are able to learn new details about their culture and country through the text. Below are images of a text with annotations that show the text in English and Spanish and opportunities for students to engage in the text.
Activity
After each read aloud, students engage in an activity that connects to the overall meaning of the text. For the text Cuckoo, students learned to show humility and to act in un-selfish ways. Cuckoo was proud of her beautiful, colorful feathers then lost them all. Students were able to learn to help others no matter their cultural differences and as much pride that we have in our own cultures we can still help others and relate to others from different cultures. Students worked in pairs to recreate Cuckoo's beautiful feathers. They showed teamwork and collaboration. Naturally, some students take on a strong leadership role in the classroom so I paired students together who need a little more encouragement to advocate for themselves. Students were not only learning teamwork, but students were able to advocate for others and learning to advocate for themselves.
Below is a slideshow of students working in pairs, learning to advocate for others, and engaging in an activity connected to the meaning of the text. Also included are completed work samples.
Activity
After each read aloud, students engage in an activity that connects to the overall meaning of the text. For the text Cuckoo, students learned to show humility and to act in un-selfish ways. Cuckoo was proud of her beautiful, colorful feathers then lost them all. Students were able to learn to help others no matter their cultural differences and as much pride that we have in our own cultures we can still help others and relate to others from different cultures. Students worked in pairs to recreate Cuckoo's beautiful feathers. They showed teamwork and collaboration. Naturally, some students take on a strong leadership role in the classroom so I paired students together who need a little more encouragement to advocate for themselves. Students were not only learning teamwork, but students were able to advocate for others and learning to advocate for themselves.
Below is a slideshow of students working in pairs, learning to advocate for others, and engaging in an activity connected to the meaning of the text. Also included are completed work samples.
Writing
In addition to the creative activity, students also worked in pairs on a writing assignment. Students were comparing and contrasting their lives and cultures with their partners. This reflects the text because we read how Cuckoo was different from the other birds and changed to help another friend. Students were able to reflect on themselves, their cultures, and their preferences while showing pride in talking about their cultural traditions and using their voice to express themselves.
In addition to the creative activity, students also worked in pairs on a writing assignment. Students were comparing and contrasting their lives and cultures with their partners. This reflects the text because we read how Cuckoo was different from the other birds and changed to help another friend. Students were able to reflect on themselves, their cultures, and their preferences while showing pride in talking about their cultural traditions and using their voice to express themselves.
Follow-Through
Communication
Follow-through after any lesson is crucial to ensure students were able to retain the key take-aways from the lesson and that they have internalized the purpose of this lesson. In this case, the purpose was to boost cultural pride and learn about peers cultures. Students should have learned to show humility and to be advocates for others and themselves through Cuckoo's journey. One of the ways to follow-through on this lesson was the communication sent to parents after the lesson. This communication is important so parents know what we are doing in class, show culturally responsive teaching, and if students are not Hispanic- that they are getting cultural lessons to heighten their cultural awareness. A one-pager is sent home after the lesson to explain the activity we did and the deeper meaning of the lesson. Below are images of the parent communication.
Communication
Follow-through after any lesson is crucial to ensure students were able to retain the key take-aways from the lesson and that they have internalized the purpose of this lesson. In this case, the purpose was to boost cultural pride and learn about peers cultures. Students should have learned to show humility and to be advocates for others and themselves through Cuckoo's journey. One of the ways to follow-through on this lesson was the communication sent to parents after the lesson. This communication is important so parents know what we are doing in class, show culturally responsive teaching, and if students are not Hispanic- that they are getting cultural lessons to heighten their cultural awareness. A one-pager is sent home after the lesson to explain the activity we did and the deeper meaning of the lesson. Below are images of the parent communication.
In addition to the one-pager, I also check in with students individually to ask what they learned in Los Dichos and why it was important. Students came up with a variety of responses, but the majority of students are able to make connections to their own cultures. They also explain they like being read to in Spanish because it's how their parents communicate at home. Also, students express pride in their own cultures when talking about Los Dichos. They light up when they are learning about something from Mexico or able to express their own cultural identities through activities or writing. Overall, Los Dichos is an excellent program that not only increases pride in cultural identity but also engages parents in the classroom and their childs education. Parents and students are able to take finish a Los Dichos lesson with a sense of pride and new knowledge of their own or another person's culture.
Action
Parent communication is important to increase cultural pride in students and give parents the opportunity to teach their children more about their own cultural. Another way for students to reflect on this lesson is to work with students from other grade levels to express their thoughts about the Los Dichos lesson and share texts that represent their own cultures. In order for students to work together, I planned with a fifth grade teacher to invite fifth graders into my kinder classroom to share texts about their own cultures, what they know about their cultures, and for kinders to make connections to their own cultures and learn about other cultures. Not only are students showing pride in their own culture they are also learning about others cultures and what makes them special. Fifth graders and kinders are grouped together and start with a conversation about Los Dichos, what they liked and took away from the lesson, and why it was important to them. Then, fifth graders shared a text from their own cultures with the kinders. Since my school is predominantly Hispanic, many students were able to relate to all of the texts brought in. This not only allowed for kinders and fifth graders to build relationships but also discuss cultural similarities and differences with each other, from what they learned through Los Dichos. Both grade levels enjoyed this reflection process and ask to do it quickly after each Los Dichos lesson. This extension of Los Dichos helps build pride in students cultural identity by discussing their cultures with another class and with older students who may have more insight or knowledge about the culture to inform the younger students. Below are pictures of my kinder students reflecting with fifth grade students about Los Dichos and cultural pride.
Action
Parent communication is important to increase cultural pride in students and give parents the opportunity to teach their children more about their own cultural. Another way for students to reflect on this lesson is to work with students from other grade levels to express their thoughts about the Los Dichos lesson and share texts that represent their own cultures. In order for students to work together, I planned with a fifth grade teacher to invite fifth graders into my kinder classroom to share texts about their own cultures, what they know about their cultures, and for kinders to make connections to their own cultures and learn about other cultures. Not only are students showing pride in their own culture they are also learning about others cultures and what makes them special. Fifth graders and kinders are grouped together and start with a conversation about Los Dichos, what they liked and took away from the lesson, and why it was important to them. Then, fifth graders shared a text from their own cultures with the kinders. Since my school is predominantly Hispanic, many students were able to relate to all of the texts brought in. This not only allowed for kinders and fifth graders to build relationships but also discuss cultural similarities and differences with each other, from what they learned through Los Dichos. Both grade levels enjoyed this reflection process and ask to do it quickly after each Los Dichos lesson. This extension of Los Dichos helps build pride in students cultural identity by discussing their cultures with another class and with older students who may have more insight or knowledge about the culture to inform the younger students. Below are pictures of my kinder students reflecting with fifth grade students about Los Dichos and cultural pride.
Following student reflections, students also wrote about why they enjoyed Los Dichos and why it was special for them. Students really enjoyed reading in Spanish because that is the primary language they speak at home. They also enjoyed having their parents in the classroom showing pride in their cultural and wanting to teach others about their cultures. Below are a few student written reflections form Los Dichos.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Los Dichos has been an amazing program that has increased cultural pride in my students and have taught them about their own cultures. It is evident students love this program and embracing their own cultures. Students are able to reflect on the Los Dichos lesson with other grade levels and given multiple opportunities to express their cultural pride. Not only are students showing cultural pride, but their parents are too. Parents are a big part of Los Dichos and the cultural pride is felt throughout the entire classroom with the joy and passion for individual cultures.
In conclusion, Los Dichos has been an amazing program that has increased cultural pride in my students and have taught them about their own cultures. It is evident students love this program and embracing their own cultures. Students are able to reflect on the Los Dichos lesson with other grade levels and given multiple opportunities to express their cultural pride. Not only are students showing cultural pride, but their parents are too. Parents are a big part of Los Dichos and the cultural pride is felt throughout the entire classroom with the joy and passion for individual cultures.