BY MEGAN DELANEY & DAVID RUSSELL Multicultural Education

Multicultural Fridays Our unit focuses on incorporating elements of multicultural education into the curriculum. Our goal is for students to develop an understanding for their culture and the cultures of their classmates. We hope this unit will inspire students to expand their individuality and encourage them to take pride in their schoolwork by assigning work that engages the diverse cultures present in our classroom.

Context Burns Latino Studies Academy (Hartford, CT)  5 th grade  students per class  90 minute class periods  Classes will take place over the course of 5 consecutive Fridays

Objectives 1. Students will learn more about their own personal history, as well as that of their peers 2. Students will build an appreciation for the benefits of growing up bilingual in a multicultural household 3. Students will develop collaborative learning and research skills 4. Students will refine their ability to reflect thoughtfully in their writing

Burns Latino Studies Academy

James Banks Multicultural Education

Connecticut 5 th Grade Guidelines History  The study of events, documents, and people addressing the founding of the United States as a nation, with connections to Connecticut and local history, emphasizing how government works today, with the use of primary source materials Reading  Synthesize using multiple strategies/multiple sources for new insight, e.g., Visualizing, Think- Aloud, Question-Answer Relationship, List-Group-Label.  Determine the importance of ideas (main ideas, details and themes) in text. Talking  Pose questions, listen to the ideas of others, and contribute own information and ideas in group discussions. Music  Students will listen to, describe and analyze music.  Students will evaluate music and music performances. Comprehension  Understand the social and cultural perspective from which the author writes and how that contributes to the text.  Compare and contrast ideas, themes, and/or issues across texts, and across texts representing multicultural experiences.  Discuss and analyze how characters in text deal with conflicts of human experience, relating to real life situations.

1 st FRIDAY2 nd FRIDAY3 rd FRIDAY4 th FRIDAY5 th FRIDAY Lesson: Introduction to the idea of race and cultural identity Lesson: Investigation into the cultural richness of art Lesson: Exploration of the role of music in culture Lesson: Establishment of positive role models Lesson: Celebration of diversity Activity: 1.Read sections of Under Our Skin: Kids Talk About Race as a class 2.Students write a short paragraph reflecting on the question, “What does race mean to me?” 3.Class discussion where students share what they wrote Activity: 1.Class discussion on the role of art in culture 2.Introduction to seum seum 3.In groups of 3, students conduct mini research projects on El Museo del Barrio 4.Students complete handout worksheet Activity: 1.Field trip to the Sankofa Kuumba Performance Company 2.Watch performance that involves African dance, music, and storytelling 3.Class discussion on the cultural importance of music and expression Activity: 1.Guest speaker from Trinity College addresses class 2.Students create an “All About Me” poster that lists some of their goals for the future and the positive attributes of their culture that will help them achieve those goals Activity: 1.The class will hold a multicultural fair celebrating the class’ diversity 2.Each student will bring in something that they feel represents their cultural identity and share it with the class 3.Students will write a paragraph reflecting on race, culture and and their own cultural identity Objective: 1.Students will learn more about their own personal history, as well as that of their peers 2.Students will refine their ability to reflect thoughtfully in their writing Objective: Students will build collaborative learning and research skills Objective: Students will build an appreciation for the benefits of growing up bilingual in a multicultural household Objective: 1.Students will learn more about their own personal history, as well as that of their peers 2.Students will build an appreciation for the benefits of growing up bilingual in a multicultural household 3.Students will refine their ability to reflect thoughtfully in their writing

Students will be evaluated on… Ability to reflect thoughtfully in their writing  Students will write reflections on the first and last day of the unit and will be evaluated on their progress over the course of the unit.  These evaluations will take into account grammar, spelling, comprehension, thoughtfulness, and ability to apply lesson material into writing Participation in class discussions  Participation in class discussions  Are they actively engaged? Do they respond respectfully to their classmates ideas? Do they sit quietly and wait to be called on? Are they enthusiastic about their learning? (…etc.)

Resources Birdseye, Debbie Holsclaw, and Tom Birdseye. Under Our Skin: Kids Talk about Race. New York: Holiday House, Print. Sankofa Kuumba Performance Company Guest speaker Computer lab Arts and crafts materials (poster board, markers, scissors, glue…etc.)