Inclusive Holidays – Part 2

• Wanda Vásquez Garcia
• Posted 2/7/22
• 0 comments

Have Yourself a Very Inclusive Holiday Season

Part 2: Application

In Have Yourself a Very Inclusive Holiday Season – Part One: The Research, I explained my evolution as a professional to provide an inclusive and equitable place for my students. I encourage you to read that article first to fully understand the research and rationale that went into creating this Third Grade Seasonal Program. 

Representative Musical Selections  

This program has had many iterations, reflecting the student population each year. One year I had a Japanese student-teacher in my classroom. We included a song from her culture, which provided many opportunities. She taught students the song, “Yuki.” 

• First, it allowed her to be in front of the classroom teaching something she felt comfortable with.  
• Second, my students researched and enjoyed learning about Sapporo’s winter ice sculpture festival. 
• Third, they experienced singing in a third language.  
• Last and most important, they built connections and relationships with their cooperating teacher. They appreciated learning about her and how she grew up in Japan.  

This year, one of our third-grade teachers is from Korea. With her help, students are learning a song in Korean. Interestingly enough, the song she suggested is an American song that transcended language barriers and is translated into many other languages. She told us that the song is very popular in Korea, and kids enjoy singing it.  

Communication is Essential 

Before I share the title and the cultures that we shared with our audience, I want to mention that it is also critical to offer as many choices as possible. I have students from the Jehovah’s Witness faith who do not participate in holidays or celebrations.

Many families are ok with their students staying in the room and doing something different, while others don’t want their students in the room. Luckily, technology now allows me to provide these students with engaging and meaningful activities to participate in without feeling excluded.  

I approach this seasonal program intentionally and communicate with families what students will learn in advance. I generally send a letter home informing families about our upcoming program, some general information about it, and my plan for differentiating.  

Winter Celebrations 

We planned a “Winter Celebrations” program where students sing and share traditions they learned about. These songs were carefully curated to represent our community’s diversity and avoid the harm that songs with controversial pasts might cause. The students participated in creating the script for the concert as they learned about the different traditions.  

We are starting with 창을 봐 “Look At the Window,” an original song interpreted first by Gene Autry in 1952 in his Gene Autry Ranch Radio Show that has become very popular in Korea throughout the years.  

Then we will acknowledge a tradition slowly dying from the Caribbean countries of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. I take this opportunity as a Dominican to share about what I remember growing up in the DR. We sing the Aguinaldo “Si Me Dan Pasteles.” I like to use an accompaniment in salsa style on the piano.

We continue with a similar tradition but heavily rooted in Mexico’s Aztec and Catholic tradition, The Posadas with “Las Posadas.”  

We celebrate the African American tradition of Kwanzaa with “O Kwanzaa.” My students enjoy this version.  

My Jewish population enjoys singing “Ocho Kandelikas” in the Ladino language, which is very close to Spanish.  

We anticipate the visit of Santa Claus by including “Up on the Housetop” and close with the crowd-pleaser “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano. It is a perfect fit for us as a bilingual Spanish-English school. 

When planning your future programs, I hope you look at your students for guidance and inspiration and that they see themselves represented in the experience.  

References

Cantos Para Pedir Posada (o villancico para pedir posada) – mexico. Mama Lisa’s World of Children and International Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=2111. 

Christmas song look out the window – youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-YK-QavJe8. 

O kwanzaa. Plank Road Publishing’s MusicK8.com. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://www.musick8.com/html/current_tune.php?songorder=10&numbering=62. 

Ocho Kandelikas – Jewish songs: Hebrew songs. OCHO KANDELIKAS – Jewish Songs | Hebrew Songs. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2021, from http://hebrewsongs.com/?song=ochokandelikas. 

Si Me Dan Pasteles. Beth’s Notes. (2021, April 9). Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://www.bethsnotesplus.com/2017/11/si-dan-pasteles.html. 

YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube. Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/?gl=DE.  

---

Shop This Article