Study of Ghana Broadens Horizons in 1st First Grade

First grade students at University School of Milwaukee completed their study of Ghana with a celebration that included visiting a simulated market, creating a Ghanaian necklace, and enjoying a special story with Dolores Brown, Preschool and Lower School librarian. They also learned about the Kente cloth, calabash bowls, and studied the differences between urban, suburban, and rural communities in Ghana. 

Students enjoyed visits from Maame ’31 and Kika ’35 Abrokwah, who continued their tradition of speaking with 1st grade students about their family’s traditions and knowledge. They were also visited by Steve Wallace, founder and president of The Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company, which produces chocolate entirely in Ghana.    

The weeks-long study of the West African country is woven into many curricular aspects of 1st grade. Popular Ghanaian games like Mancala and Dara involve critical thinking and strategy skills, while the story of Anansi, a trickster spider that originated as a Ghanaian origin folktale, is studied in language arts and social studies. Students read about Anansi's origin, made their own Anansi on a web, and practiced being oral storytellers by retelling the story. They also read many folktales that feature Anansi trying to trick others into doing work for him, and wrote their own versions. 

“Our young learners love immersing themselves in a long-term study of another country,” said Erica Melick, 1st grade teacher. “By incorporating Ghanaian culture into our read-alouds, writing assignments, and social studies projects, students are given many opportunities to use new vocabulary and use critical thinking to examine and appreciate another culture. I love teaching global studies to young children because it promotes respect and empathy while broadening their perspectives and knowledge of cultures that are simultaneously similar and different from their own.”