Polish au pair Katarzyna M. had the opportunity to share Polish history, tradition, and language to a group of 19 4th graders at the Peter Noyes Elementary School in Sudbury, MA.
Katarzyna explains: “I started my presentation with geography of Europe and the comparison of Poland vs the United States. Then, I presented a little bit of history and explained to them the meaning of colors in the Polish flag and the meaning of the emblem with an eagle. I would never expect the kids would be so interested in Polish history! They had so many questions, which I willingly answered. Later on I displayed the map of Poland with the biggest cities and showed them a short movie about my home city. Once we finished with the geography and history, we discussed typical Polish traditions, such as Fat Thursday.
Later on there was time to learn some Polish phrases and numbers. The kids were so eager to try reading Polish words without my help! As one of the activities, they were created short dialogues in pairs and groups. We also played games using Polish numbers on flashcards, but learning Polish did not end at this point. The kids wanted to know other words and phrases in Polish, such as “alien,” “whole wheat bread”, or :I like candies”. To revise the material, I showed them 2 short animated movies concerning Polish numbers and phrases. Also, the kids watched “Holiday in Poland” movie depicting all of the beautiful places in Poland.
I used to teach in Poland, so it was not my first time in the role of a presenter or a teacher. However, it was the second time I had been able to present Polish language, culture, and history. I was so glad the kids enjoyed it and had so many questions about my country! I was quite impressed they still remembered Polish numbers at the end of the class and could put them in the Global Awareness fact file books!”