Bollywood workshop and cultures

Our I4 students have just finished their IB Unit of Inquiry, whose central idea is ‘Different communities can be defined by their cultures’, in which they have been able to explore Chinese, African, Arabic and Indian cultures. 

First, the students were able to enjoy a fantastic celebration of Chinese New Year by cleaning the classroom, wearing red clothes, staging a parade (that included a dragon dance) and eating noodles with chopsticks! There were lots of surprises and lots of motivation.

After that, we observed how the Maasai tribes use music, dance and art to convey their beliefs. Therefore, we created masks and necklaces, as well as organised a jumping competition. The students also learned a lot about the animals of the savannah. This culture is always a success.

Another challenge was to learn about the Arab culture from our teachers Nassima and Hala, who helped us discover the beauty of the traditional costumes, the sound of the Arabic language, which is written from right to left, and the taste of the traditional food and drink. It was quite an experience.

The students then attended a Bollywood dance workshop, where they were introduced to the steps and movements of the famous Indian film production. We continued to experience the excitement of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, creating Rangoli with coloured salt, and closed the unit – literally – with an explosion of colours in celebration of Holi. The connection between learning and direct experiences creates the perfect combo. 

For this reason, this unit not only allows students to discover other cultures and places but also teaches them to open their minds, hearts and arms to all ‘diverse’ people, with their reality and baggage of experiences, learning to value personal differences as something valuable. This is what it means to be part of an international and IB school. 

I4 Teachers