Activities & Projects
Wedding Shoes Around the World
Level: Grade 2
Duration: 75 min
Materials: world mapGoals:
- locate various countries on a world map
- identify similarities and differences of wedding footwear around the world
- learn new vocabulary
Begin: Print and post (or project) images of bride and groom shoes from the main culture areas represented in the exhibition: Queen Victoria’s flats and man’s pumps (England); paduka and khussa (India); woman’s and man’s accordion pleated boots (Moravia, Czech Republic); woman’s and man’s opintsi (Macedonia); woman’s and man’s zori (Japan); woon-hye and moh-hwa (Korea); and embroidered boots and babouche (Morocco). (Alternatively, students can access these images themselves with simplified labels by clicking here to scroll through these pages.) Place the name of each shoe and its country of origin under the images.
Learn: Guide the students to locate the various countries on a world map. Pin an image of the country’s flag, and/or the shoe, on the appropriate country.
Hand out Worksheet 3: Investigating Wedding Shoes. Together as a class, answer the questions for each shoe. Ask the student to fill in the chart as you go along.
- in what country was it worn?
- what is the name of the bride’s shoe?
- what is the name of the groom’s shoe?
After the class has answered the questions for each shoe, as a follow-up discuss their differences and similarities. For example, the paduka and zori are sandals, brides in Moravia and Morocco wear boots, the flats and the woon-hye are made of silk. In general, brides are dressed in new clothes that are the best her family can buy. Discuss ways that the bride’s shoes reflect this fact. For example, the Indian paduka are made of silver, and the Moroccan boots are heavily embroidered. In general, with the exception of the Indian khussa, the groom’s shoes are less fancy.
How do the bride and groom’s shoes compare with the shoes the students made or brought from home in the “Shoe Museum”?
Apply: Students have learned to locate several countries on the world map, and they have encountered new vocabulary in the shoe names. Worksheet 3: Where in the World? will reinforce the location of the countries in the world. Worksheet 4: Pair the Shoes will reinforce the names of the countries and the shoes.
Get Adobe Reader