Encouraging Diversity

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Submitted by: Leah 
Category: Encouraging Diversity 
Age or Grade: Grade 3-Grade 5 

Title of Intervention: Who's In The Bag? 

Materials: Students will provide the ten items and their own shopping bag.  Instruct students not to bring valuable items. 

Intervention: Ask each student to bring an unmarked grocery bag from home and give it to the teacher.  The bag is to contain three or four items from the student's home that "say something about who the student is."  During the class period the teacher empties one bag at a time before the class.  The students are to react to the contents of the bag before guessing the identity of the owner.  As the contents of each bag are revealed, students should discuss the following questions: #1.  Was the bag brought by a boy or a girl?  How can you tell? #2.  What kinds of activities does this person enjoy?  #3. Is she/he an indoor person or an outdoor person? #4.  Why do you think she/he chose the items that are in the bag?  #5.  What one item in the bag do you think she/he is especially proud of?  Before having the person identify themselves, it is fun to say, "OK on the count of three, everybody point to the person whom you think belongs to this bag!" 

Reference: Hockett, L.,Lesson Plan #: AELP-MEH0004 

Link Description: Big Sky Telegraph

Submitted by: Stephanie 
Category: Encouraging Diversity 
Age or Grade: Grade 3-Grade 5 

Title of Intervention: Build Trust: Share information about your family's ethnic background 

Materials: none 

Intervention: A way to build trust in the classroom is to have students research and share information about their family's ethnic background. 
1. What generation in the United States do you represent? Are you and your siblings the first of your family to be born in this country? Were you foreign born? 
2. Where did you or your ancestors migrate from? Within the U.S.? From outside the U.S.? What made them wish to come here? 
3. Does your immediate family or extended family practice ethnic or cultural customs that you or they value or identify with? For example: foods, celebrations, traditios, social behaviors, manners, beliefs. What customs do you prize the most? Do you or your relatives speak your ethnic group language? 
4. What occupations are represented in your family background? 

After sharing, students analyze information in termas of their similarities and differences. Particpants have said this activity gives them an opportunity to share their background in a non-threatening way. The discussions have also heightened mainstream participants' interest in a dn appreciation for their own ethnic background. 

Reference: Jackson, F. R. (1993). Seven strategies to support a culturally responsive pedagogy. Journal of Reading, 37, 298-303. 

Submitted by: Karla

Category: Encouraging Diversity
Age or Grade: Kindergarten-Grade 2
Title of Intervention: Zombie

Materials: whistle 

Intervention: Procedure :  
1.  This is a game about conformity and the value of diversity.  Explain to the class that they will become zombies in a few minutes.  As zombie, they must all do the same things, although not necessarily at the same time.  
 

2.  Have the class decide what five things a zombie can do.  For example, stand up, sit down, sharpen the penicl, put your head down, and walk around the room stiff-legged.   Whatever five things theycan, they cannot do anything else. 

3.  Explain that you will be the zombie patrol.  If you see a zombie doing something zombies should not do, you will blow your whistle, and all zombies must freeze while you count to 15.  

4.  Discussion:  What was it like to be a zombie?  
                 After a while , how did it feel to always do the same thing?
                 How does diversity make life more interesting?  

Reference: Krieidler, Creative Conflict Resolution, Scott Foresman and Company

Submitted by: Karla
Category: Encouraging Diversity
Age or Grade: Grade 3-Grade 5

Title of Intervention: Class Gift

Materials: box wrapped as a present 

Intervention: 1.  Hold up the box Say" Let's pretend that I'm going shopping , and I'm going to buy a present for each boy and girl in this class.
2.  Hand thet box to one child.  Say" What present would you like?"  Well, since I don't have time to get all kinds of different presents, I'm going to geteveryone a ____."  
3.  Use this demonstration as the basis for a class discussin of the value of differences.  Witholder students, use it also to introduce the concept of generalizing.  
Discussion:  Would everyone be happy with that gift?  
Why don't you all want the same thing? 
How about getting everyone with black hair the same gift?  Would that be wrong?  

Reference: Kreidler, Creative Conflict Resolution, Scott Foresamn and Company

Submitted by: Karla
Category: Encouraging Diversity
Age or Grade: Grade 3-Grade 5

Title of Intervention: Prejudice Discussions

Materials: dictionaries, Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Intervention: Procedure:
 1.  Write the term prejudice on the board and define it.  Have the older students look it up in the dictionary.  
2.  Read Green Eggs and Ham to the younger students or let the older ones read the book.  Look for examples of prejudice.  
Discussion:  What kinds of prejudice do you know about?
What kinds are fairly harmless?
What kinds are very harmful?
Whom do they harm?
Could prejudice be beneficial?
What might cause a prejudice to develop?
What's the difference between prejudice and dislike?  

Reference: Kreidler, Creative Conflict Resolution, Scott Foresman and Company

Submitted by: Karla
Category: Encouraging Diversity
Age or Grade: Grade 3-Grade 5

Title of Intervention: All Kids

Intervention: Procedure : 

1.  Review the concept of generalizing.  Ask the class to think about generalizations adults make about kids.  Have them complete the sentence stub, "All kids____."  
On the board, make two tally charts , one headed Positive and Negative  and the other headed True and False.  
3.  Have the students read their generalizatins aloud.  Have the class decide if each generalization is true or false , positive or negaative.  
4.  Discuss the results , making sure the students uns\derstand theat geneeralizing is not inherently bad , but that problems arise when generalizations aren't rooted in fact.  
Discussion: 
Why do people make generalizations? 
How could it be harmful?
How might they be helpful?
how might generalizations fuel conflict?
What could you do if you hear someone making an inaccurate generalization?  

Reference: Kreidler, Creative Conflict , Scott Foresman and Company

Submitted by: Karla
Category: Encouraging Diversity
Age or Grade: Grade 3-Grade 5

Title of Intervention: Name Calling 

Materials: Name Calling Worksheet

Intervention: Procedure :  
1.  Have the children complete the worksheet, share their responses one at a time and discuss.  
2.  Emphasize that, at one time or another, everyone has called people names and has been called names.  Stress empathizing with the victim and looking for more appropriate way for the name-caller to express feelings.  
3.  Use the sheets for role playing , puppet shows ,skit material, or whatever activity might interest the class. 

Worksheet:

Have you ever called someone a name?    Yes or NO 
 If you answered no, think about it and try again.  Yes or No
 

Why did you call someone a name? 
How did it make you feel?
What else could you have done?
Have you ever been called a name?
Why were you called it?
How di it make you feel?
What did you do ?

Reference: Kreidler, Creative Conflict Resolution, Scott Foresman and Company

Submitted by: Troy 

Title of Intervention: Strategies for encouraging cultural diversity 

Intervention: #1 Capitalize on the students' background 
     -Learning is stongly influenced by a students background. Although students differ in their knowledge of oral and written language, research demonstrates that all children come to school with a background of experience that teachers can capitalize on during the learning process. 

#2 Encourage Active Participation of Parents or Guardians 
     -It is important that teachers inform parents of how important it is to  talk with their children, taking the time to read to them (in their home language), sharing oral histories and traditional folk tales, and labeling objects and events around the home 

#3 Identify and Dispel Stereotypes 
      -Teachers should use language and instructional resources that are nonsexist, nonracist, and nonethnocentric; if stereotypes are present in lectures or texts, teachers point them out to students. 

#4 Use Culturally Relevant Curriculum Materials 
      -Teachers use curriculum and instructional materials that are culturally relevant. These materials should recognize, incorporate, and accurately reflect students' racial heritage and the contributions of various ethnic groups. 

#5 Create Culturally Compatible Learning Environments 
     -Teachers recognize the influence of students' learning styles, culture, and native languages on the ways in which they learn and use language. 

Cole, R.W. (Ed.)(1995). Educating Everybody's Children: Diverse Teaching Strategies For Diverse Learners. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Alexandria, Virginia.

Age or Grade: Grade 6-Grade 8 

Title of Intervention: Surnames 

Intervention: Tell the students to ask their parents to tell them the national origins of their surnames.  End this unit by making a chart on butcher paper (or on the board) that shows each student's surname and the nation from which it came.  Ask the children to tell as much as they can about the nations from which their surnames came, and whether their families eat foods, celebrate holidays, or have customs related to those nations.  Note:  Some children in your class might not be able to find out the nations from which their surnames came.  It is difficult, for example, for many African Americans to find out the national origins of their surnames.  In these cases, label their names American on the class chart and ask these students to tell what customs their families practice. 

Reference: Banks, J.   (1991).  Teaching Strategies for Ethnic Studies.  Allyn & Bacon

Submitted by: Eva 
Category: Encouraging Diversity 
Age or Grade: Grade 6-Grade 8 

Title of Intervention: Value Inquiry Lessons 

Materials: Newspapers, ethnic literature, and/or photographs 

Intervention: For value inquiry lessons, you can use case studies clipped from the daily newspaper, such as incidents involving controversy between police officers and various ethnic groups or cases related to busing, open housing, and affirmative aaction.  Ethnic literature is an excellent resource for value inquiry.  Photographs, roleplaying actaivities, and open-ended stories related to ethnic events caqn also be used effectively. 

Link Address: Banks, J.  (1991).  Teaching Strategies for Ethnic Studies.  Allyn & Bacon.

Title of Intervention: Stereotypes 

Intervention: Introduce the concept stereotype to the students.  Tell the students that a stereotype is a rigid and simplified way of thinking about a group of people and that it often causes harm to individuals and groups.  Explain to the students how stereotypes lead to prjudice and discrimination.  Ask them to list some of the stereotypes of different groups they may have, such as stereotypes about boys, girls, rich people, poor people, and fat people. 

Link Address: Banks, J.  (1991).  Teaching Strategies for Ethnic Studies.  Allyn & Bacon.

Submitted by: Eva 
Category: Encouraging Diversity 
Age or Grade: Grade 6-Grade 8 

Title of Intervention: An Open-Ended Story 

Intervention: Open-ended stories present problem situations.  If carefully chosen or written, they are excellent tools for stimulating class discussions of issues related to race and ethnicity, as well as other human relations problems.  After reading an open-ended story to the class, you can have the students identify the problems within it, thea values of the characters, the courses of action they might take to resolve the problems, and the possible consequences of the proposed solutions.  The students can also act out or roleplay solutions to the problems. 

Reference: Banks, J.  (1991).  Teaching Strategies for Ethnic Studies.  Allyn & Bacon.

Name: Eva 
Category: Encouraging Diversity 
Age or Grade: Grade 6-Grade 8 

Title of Intervention: Immigration 

Intervention: *Ask the students if their families have ever moved from one part of the city to another, from one city to another, or from one state to another.  Also, ask if any students have moved from one country to another.  Record their responses on the board or butcher paper.  Discuss them.  *Ask the students why their families moved.  List their responses on the board or butcher paper.  Reasons may include "My dad had to move because he was out of work.  He moved to get a new job."  "We moved beacause we wanted a bigger house."  "We moved to be closer to relatives."  "We moved because the building that we were living in was being torn down."  Group and classify the reasons that people move.  Discuss the reasons.  *Introduce the concept of immigration.  Tell the students that some people not only move from one part of a city to another, or from city to city, or state to state, but also nation to nation.  In fact, every groupp of people in our nation, except the first Americans, came to this country from 

Reference: Banks, J.  (1991).  Teaching Strategies for Ethnic Studies.  Allyn & Bacon.

Submitted by: Leah Moritz 
Category: Encouraging Diversity 
Age or Grade: Grade 9-Grade 12 

Title of Intervention: Disability Sensitivity 

Materials: none 

Intervention: 1. Divide students into group of 4.  Have each group sit in a circle.  Give each student a "role." 
2. After each group has assumed the roles, place a puzzle in the middle of the group.  The goal: complete the puzzle.  The students must work together and get "around" each disability to complete the task. 
-person 1:blind 
-person 2:can't use hands 
-person 3:can't use hands or speak 
-person 4:can't see, hear, or speak,and can only use left hand 
-Blindfold the students who cannot see and use ear plugs for those who cannot hear. 
3. As the teacher, closely monitor because students tend to forget their roles. 
4. Afterwards discuss: What problems did you have? How did you feel? etc. 

Link Address: www.pacificnet.net/~mandel/index.html#anchor581196 

Link Description: Teachers Helping Teachers