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Beginning on page 20 of this document, is a lesson on citizenship. The teacher reads "Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes. Students reflect on the book and how the characters were treated. It then moves into a math lesson using unifix cubes to count the letters in each students' name. In addition to this, the unit includes pictures for discussion. Students can discuss what students look like who are following the rules and what a good citizen looks like.

Citizenship Unit. (2012, November 19). Retrieved from http://www.highpoint.edu/education/files/2014/09/Citizenship_EE3_STEM_Infused.pdf

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In this activity, students create paper plate portraits. Students are able to take a gallery walk and look at their classmate's portraits. The activity concludes with a discussion of similarities and differences. This activity focuses primarily on prejudice, allowing students to explore a diverse community and learn about fairness. Students can discuss how a good citizen would treat others in the community and what they would do if they saw something that was wrong.

Teaching Tolerance (2017, July 27). Understanding Prejudice through Paper Plate Portraits. Retrieved from https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/understanding-prejudice-through-paper-plate-portraits.

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This lesson is most effective if students have already begun exploring social justice issues like racism or gender stereotypes. You will need one paper plate per student. First, review the meaning of the word prejudice, breaking down the word into its parts, "pre" and "judge."

Begin brainstorming about the types of judgments people might make without getting to know someone. Ask, "What is something someone might think about you just from looking at you?" I usually model with an example about myself. Younger children often mention judgments based on gender, age, size or clothing. My students have said, "Some people might see I'm a girl and think my favorite color is pink," and "People might think that just because I'm a kid, I don't know a lot." Older students may mention stereotypes based on race, ethnicity, religion, class or sexual orientation. Chart students' responses, writing the broader categories on the board, such as "gender" and "age."

Explain that students will be reflecting on the difference between what others might assume about them and how they truly are on the inside. Students will draw their faces on the outside or "bump" of the plate. They will then write a few words or phrases that they think someone might assume about them. On the inside or "crater" of the plate, students color in a heart and write words or phrases that describe their character/personality-who they really are.

For example, I have seen boys write down "rough" and "violent" on the outside of their plates and "gentle" and "loves stuffies" on the inside of their plates. One of my students wrote down "small," "dumb" and "weak" on the outside of her plate, while she wrote down "strong," "curious" and "loves sports" on the inside. When students are finished, give them time to participate in a short "gallery walk" to admire the collective work of the class. Then facilitate a discussion about the activity, asking such questions as:
What did you discover? Were you surprised by anything? Did you make any connections between your plate and a classmate's? How did this activity help you understand the meaning of prejudice? What can we do if we notice or experience prejudice? How can we try to stop it from happening?
Creating these "paper plate portraits" is a powerful, concrete and hands-on learning activity that encourages students to reflect on prejudice. It also helps them see how multifaceted they are as individuals (thinking about their "outside" versus "inside" selves). The lesson helps students to better understand the complex, pervasive issues related to prejudice and stereotypes, revealing why it is important that we all challenge biased assumptions.

Read answers to common questions about prejudice before teaching this lesson.

This activity addresses the following standards using Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

CCSS SL.1

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Understanding Prejudice through Paper Plate Portraits

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This lesson is most effective if students have already begun exploring social justice issues like racism or gender stereotypes. You will need one paper plate per student. First, review the meaning of the word prejudice, breaking down the word into its parts, "pre" and "judge."

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Students learn about how to be a good citizen online. They can explore how to treat others fairly in any community, including online. The lesson incorporates literature, a short story exploring how to talk to others online in a respectful and fair way.

Teaching Tolerance. (2017, November 02). Part of a Community Online. Retrieved from https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/part-of-a-community-online

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Vocabulary

community [kuh myoo nih tee] ( noun) a group of people who share something in common or the feeling of fellowship that can develop among a group of people

inclusivity [in cloo sih vuh tee] ( noun) intentionally working to ensure that all people experience a sense of belonging, especially those who might otherwise be left out or marginalized

empathy [ ehm puh thee] ( noun) the ability to understand other people's feelings and sometimes feel alongside them

Series Overview

As technology advances and the social landscape shifts, it is crucial for students to become digitally literate citizens. In this series, elementary students will learn the ins and outs of media literacy, from choosing reliable sources and understanding online searches to navigating online security and participating in digital communities.

Lesson Overview

This lesson focuses on helping young children learn to participate in different kinds of digital communities. Students will solidify and work on what they know about being part of any community. They will think about actions that make different people feel good and bad in communities, and they will learn about what it means to have a community with empathy and inclusivity.

Students will listen to a story that deals with the specific complexities of online communities. They will think about how they can use their general values and strategies for community building and translate them to an online environment. Students will focus on the need to stay alert for bias and hate within a community and get adult help when they see these issues emerge.

Procedure

Being Inclusive and Showing Empathy in Communities

1. Ask students, "What is a community?" Make lists of communities kids belong to. If they need help, get them started by thinking of their classroom or neighborhood as a community. Then, ask, "What are the things we need in a community to feel safe?"

Try to help students think about emotional safety as well as physical safety. Explain to your students that today, you will be thinking about how to be inclusive and how to show empathy in communities.

Ask your students, "What has been a time you have felt included in a community?" List their ideas about what makes a person feel included or not. Explain that being inclusive is making others feel included, welcome or like they belong.

As you talk about inclusivity, ask students to focus on times that they have felt included in a group and times they have felt left out. You can use these experiences to help them start thinking about what it means to include others.

If time allows you write the following prompt on the board: "I can be inclusive by..." Ask students to discuss with a friend and then share out. Write down their ideas as a list. This will get revisited later.

In talking about empathy, try to get students to identify a time they thought about someone else's feelings. You can use examples that you see in students' daily work in your classroom community to get them started. Try to get students to reflect on what they need to do within themselves when considering another person's feelings, as well as what it feels like to know that another person is doing this for them.

If time allows, write the following prompt on the board: "I can show empathy by..." Ask students to discuss with a friend and then share out. Write down their ideas as a list. This will get revisited later.

2. Ask each student to think of a time they felt included in a community or a time that they included someone else. Have them draw a picture representing that story and the concept of being inclusive. Give students a chance to share their pictures and talk about common themes, challenges and questions that come up alongside work around being inclusive.

Communities Online

1. Read the story "Being a Friend Online" to your students. Ask students what they thought about when listening to the story. Then, facilitate discussions of the following questions:

When were the characters being inclusive?

How did the characters show empathy in this story?

What experiences of your own does this story remind you of?

What can kids do to make their communities stronger?

What are some of the different ways iPads, computers and phones can help and harm a feeling of community?

After reading this story, would we add anything to our " I can be inclusive by" or "I can show empathy by" lists?

What Are Digital Communities?

1. Now, your students are ready to think about some of the characteristics that make digital communities specific. First, using In and Out as a jumping off point, ask them to name all of the different online communities they have ever heard of.

2. Chart all of their responses, and make sure they help each other understand what each of these communities actually is. Discuss what is the same and different about the communities kids have mentioned, and ask kids what it means to be inclusive and show empathy in each of the communities that came up.

3. You can revisit the "I can be inclusive by" and "I can show empathy by" lists and see what would be added to these lists based on being a participant in an online community.

If your students are unlikely to have heard of online communities, you can keep this conversation about communities they are normally part of, and mention to them that as they get older, they are likely to see the same issues come up online. The same behaviors and values are important when participating in online communities. For instance, you can focus on being inclusive and showing empathy in your classroom community, in a neighborhood, or on a sports team.

When People Are Not Inclusive and Don't Show Empathy

Break students up into small groups and ask them to make posters showing what kids should do if something does not feel right in a community they are part of. Their posters can include pictures, words, or both. Make sure to leave time for students to share their posters with each other, and you can hang them around your classroom for future reference.

Do Something

Would your school benefit from a set of guidelines for participation in digital communities? Who better to create this than your students? Work with your students to brainstorm sets of rules that might guide participation with empathy and inclusivity. Share sets of guidelines that other schools have created. When you have a list of rules or guidelines, plan an assembly where your students can share these with other classes and teachers in your school.
Alignment to Common Core State Standards CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.1
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1.a
Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1.b
Build on others' talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1.c
Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.2
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

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community [kuh myoo nih tee] ( noun) a group of people who share something in common or the feeling of fellowship that can develop among a group of people inclusivity [in cloo sih vuh tee] ( noun) intentionally working to ensure that all people experience a sense of belonging, especially those who might otherwise be left out or marginalized empathy [ ehm puh thee] ( noun) the ability to understand other people's feelings and sometimes feel alongside them As technology advances and the social landscape shifts, it is crucial for students to become digitally literate citizens.

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Students use an interactive game to explore digital citizenship. Students learn what a good citizen does online and interacts with the characters in the game. With all of the reading in this game, kindergarteners would need to work in groups or with an adult to complete the "academy." These groups would lead to discussions about what is right/wrong and fair to do online.

PBS KIDS. (2017). Webonauts Internet Academy. Retrieved from http://pbskids.org/webonauts/.

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In this picture, we see a  teenager working with young children. Though she was young, she had volunteered to help care for these children just after World War I. Students will be able to view this picture as a primary source and discuss how this woman in the past was exemplifying citizenship. Students will explore characteristics and explain how her actions helped others.

A "Little Mother" of Prague. (1919). Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017670201/.

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A "Little Mother" of Prague. Hundreds of girls and boys of Prague from 14 to 17 years of age have volunteered to care for groups of ten children younger than themselves helping to amuse them during the summer months and to

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This episode of Kid Citizen explores primary resources and the evolution of community helpers throughout history. Students will be able to compare the similarities and differences of citizenship through viewing the actions of community helpers. Students can discuss some of the traits the community helpers are doing and how they are being good citizens.

Berson, I. R., Berson, M. J., & Snow, B.  (2017). Community helpers. Retrieved from, https://www.kidcitizen.net/.

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The importance of community helpers is a building block of civics understanding. In this episode, children investigate who community helpers are, and how they have changed over time through exploration of a rich photograph (from the Library of Congress) of a man delivering ice to a schoolhouse in 1899.

Children explore the photograph by revealing it in sections, observing the details they find (See), and working with in-game character Ella to figure out what jobs the helpers are doing. Children collect elements of the photograph to their journal, and use what they have collected to help them decide what the jobs are (Think), and then to connect those jobs with community helpers today (Wonder).

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The importance of community helpers is a building block of civics understanding. In this episode, children investigate who community helpers are, and how they have changed over time through exploration of a rich photograph (from the Library of Congress) of a man delivering ice to a schoolhouse in 1899.

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This source asks students the question "What is a good citizen?" Students look at what they do in their classroom, at home, and in their community that makes them a good citizen. Students work in small groups to discuss what a good citizen does to contribute to society, brainstorming examples and characteristics of a citizen.

Chari, N. (2015, September 10). What is a Good Citizen? Retrieved from https://www.education.com/lesson-plan/what-is-a-good-citizen/

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Students will be able to understand what makes a good citizen, why we have rules, and why we need to follow authority.

Ask students what they think it means to be a good citizen.

Ask them for examples on how to be a good citizen.

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What is a Good Citizen? | Lesson Plan | Education.com

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Students will be able to understand what makes a good citizen, why we have rules, and why we need to follow authority. Ask students what they think it means to be a good citizen. Ask them for examples on how to be a good citizen.

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In this activity, students take action and contribute to helping their community. Students learn how recycling as citizens helps the environment. Students begin collecting caps within the classroom, or in an area of the school. The Wonderment website gives students (or teachers) to share their experiences and communicate with others doing the same activity.

Kidnected World. (2017). The Wonderment Cap Capture. Retrieved from https://thewonderment.com/paths/cap-capture

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Students explore how citizens contribute to their community. Students are also able to see how citizenship is exemplified in other areas through a classroom partnership. Through video communication, students are able to talk with other peers about citizenship and what they do to help at home/school. Students can compare and contrast activities, deepening their understanding of citizenship.

Empatico. (2018, January 19). Helping Hands. Retrieved from https://assets.empatico.org/HelpingHandsActivityPlan-20180119.1f8636d10a336ce00743b20298096433adc8eb90.pdf.

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In this activity, students become citizens of their classroom community. Students reflect on their strengths and struggles personally. Then, students think about how they can use their strengths to contribute to their classroom or to help their peers. It not only asks students how they can help, but asks them to reflect on their actions in a positive way and see that all citizens have some way they can help.