Rationale
Our curriculum in Fairfax
County requires the introduction of architecture to elementary students
at the Kindergarten level. Kindergarteners begin to understand concepts
related to architecture by simply examining where they live. What
kind of home do you have? A house? Townhouse? Apartment
building?
As a way to connect these young
learners to the differences that exist among people around them, these
children learn that not everyone lives in the same type of building as
they do, or even lives with the same family members. Once these students
discover their own living environment, they are able to compare and contrast
their situation with their classmates.
As these learners move on in
school they are introduced to other ethnicities, possibly different from
or similar to their own. Ethnic studies include ancient civilizations,
as well as, current events in other countries. Students are shown
different “modes of communication,” such as, language, dress, food art
and music (Andrus, 2001). By introducing each new group
of people using the connection of house or living environment and comparing
it to our own, we hope these growing members of today’s society will learn
to understand and accept the differences of each of the ethnicities they
study, and more importantly learn to see the similarities as human beings.
