Lake Zurich culture class: A taste of India
Sixth-graders at Lake Zurich Middle School South got a dose of what it's like to be Indian for three weeks.
Today they'll focus on traditional Indian fashions.
Students, parents, teachers and members of the Lake Zurich Indian community will put on a 15-minute catwalk show with 18 student models sporting Indian saris and other traditional garb.
The show starts at 7:45 a.m. in the school's cafeteria in front of 350 students, parents and teachers.
Students have been learning about world cultures past and present in three-week segments. They started with Far East Asian countries like China, Japan and Korea, and are just finishing a study of India.
Female student models will strut down the runway to tunes from Bollywood (the Indian Hollywood) and Indian classical and contemporary club music.
Sixth-grade social studies teacher Jack VanNoord said if he could, he would pack his students on a plane and explore all these places.
"But we can't. So I'm going to do my best to bring these fascinating cultures of the world into the classroom," he said. "Out of the 18 participants, only four of them have family ties to India. It is kind of a multicultural experience."
Students also learned about Indian music, history, the country's diverse religions and caste system.
"This is a nice way to bring it to life," VanNoord said.
The exercise also offers students a way to connect to their Indian peers, he said.
"There is this sense of otherness, and I think this just breaks down those barriers," he said.
Next stop is the Middle East, and understanding the region's issues, cultures and religions.