I found this wonderful book about how students prepare to go back to school around the world and thought I would share some of the contents with you.
I think the information provided in this book is for school-age children, so I have also provided links for preschools in those specific countries.
Note from the Author: “I have tried to capture the diversity of school experiences.”
This would be a great book for social studies; talk to your students about how each student’s class is different in comparison to their own.
Children in Kenya
The students either share a desk or sit on a straw mat, they go to school from January to November.
Children in Kazakhstan
The first day of school in Kazakhstan is a celebration, the students bring flowers to their teacher and one new student is chosen to be carried around to be introduced to the other students.
Children in Nunavut, Canada
Their school year starts in the middle of August and ends in May. The students learn English and Inuktitut.
Children in Australia
For Australia’s children, school starts at the end of January and ends mid-December, and the students go to school from 9:00am- 3:00pm.
Children in Japan
Japanese children begin school in April and attend school five days a week and two Saturday mornings.
American Children
Most of our pre-school students have been in school throughout the summer, so they really don’t have a first day of school. However I do try to rearrange the room, provide back to school bags and make labels for the table, so the students have a specific seat. This makes things more exciting and new to them. I think that all students should have some form of summer vacation so they will return refreshed and ready to learn.
The information about each school was from the book ” It’s Back to School We Go! By Ellen Jackson. The portion of American children is based on my experience working in the Early Childhood field. I also provided additional information for your reading pleasure. Hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think.
