Grade 5’s Field Trip to the Seoul Central Mosque By Jeff Underhill, Grade 5 Teacher
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ow does someone know how to behave, even when that person is not told how? What institutions have the greatest impact on people? These essential questions helped to guide grade 5 students through our social studies unit on culture and belief, and on December 17 we found ourselves searching out understandings on a field trip to the Seoul Central Mosque in Itaewon, Seoul. Our search for understandings of this major world religion commenced at Kervan Restaurant, where students were able to sample flavors of a land familiar to the Islamic tradition: Turkey. Following a delicious Turkish set lunch, Grade Five hiked the hill to the mosque at the top, and suddenly found themselves immersed in a captivating culture. Students learned of Islamic customs, such as praying five times each day, and were provided a question-and-answer session with a devout, soft-spoken Islamic guide. Grade 5 students may have left with more questions than they arrived with, as happens when dipping your toe into a new culture.
W W W. A P I S . S E O U L . K R
DEC/JAN 2013
E L E M E N TA R Y S C H O O L N E W S & E V E N T S
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