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10 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Microagressions

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10 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Microagressions

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When a student is pushed in the lunchroom or otherwise physically bullied, it's a clear case for intervention. But it can be trickier to know how to handle more subtle hostile behavior-or microaggressions. While not always targeting an individual, these verbal barbs or actions often disparage a particular group and can contribute to an unhealthy school climate.

Here's what teachers should know about microaggressions so they can effectively address this toxic behavior at different ages before it turns into bullying:

Behavior that might not look like bullying, but communicates hostile or derogatory attitudes toward a particular group-by race, sexual orientation or disability-can be microaggressions. They may be spoken words that obviously victimize, such using the word "retard" or referring to something as "gay." But linguistic microaggressions take subtler turns, too. Continually mispronouncing a student's name can be considered a microaggression, for example. So can making assumptions about a student's background. You're Hispanic! What do you mean you don't speak Spanish? Here's a list of other common microagressions that happen in schools.

You can make a difference by being aware of the words you use, what your students are saying, and by providing corrective feedback about what is and isn't appropriate, says Jessica Toste, assistant professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Texas in Austin. It's about being conscious of how our language has an impact on everyone in the classroom.

Microaggressions can also be actions that exclude or tear down certain people-sometimes without the intent to harm, although that's the result. For instance, for someone in a wheelchair it can be a microaggression for the class to arrange a field trip to a location that is not accessible. Having gendered bathrooms or activities can have a negative impact on transgendered students. "It's not targeting [those students] in any way or trying to make them feel bad, but it's something that can have a huge impact on them as they have to maneuver that situation," says Toste.

It's important for teachers to set up a classroom community where diversity and differences are not only accepted, but celebrated, say Toste. Stigmas and negative perceptions can be diminished when teachers talk with students. "Be open that people need different things to learn and to be successful. We all come from different experiences and have different strengths," says Toste. "Sometimes we try to just make everything feel exactly equal without recognizing the fact that we all need different things."

Include literature and have conversations around various kinds of family structures, identities, and backgrounds, suggests Toste. "Never representing a family structure that is similar to one lived in by a kid in the class can be difficult for them," she says. Check out educator resources for the classroom from the Oleweus Bullying Program.

Microaggressions are often linked to gender or sexuality. Rather than assuming all students want to date someone of the opposite sex-or date at all-a supportive school environment is sensitive to hosting activities such as a "Sadie Hawkins" dance, for example, and responsive to the needs of all students, says Toste.

Bullying is like a ladder that kids climb, testing out their skills along the way. And the first rung is microaggressions, says Jan Urbanski, director of Safe and Humane Schools at Clemson University. "Whether intentional or not, microaggressions can cause and perpetuate a power imbalance based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or other identity status," she says. "When these aggressive behaviors are not systematically addressed, patterns of bullying may emerge. If unchecked, they can also create a climate that allows bullying to happen."

Relational microaggressions happen when someone intentionally embarrasses another person-often with some form of gossip-designed to isolate or humiliate them, say Paul Coughlin, founder and president of The Protectors, a nonprofit anti-bullying organization based in Medford, Oregon. A bully can appear friendly to the victim, but the friendship is actually highly conditional and if the victim is dropped the hurt can be profound. Teachers should be aware of this, particularly in middle school, and be available to support students who are victimized.

"Bullying is a cultural problem, not a school problem," says Coughlin. "Schools are unfairly saddled with solving it. They do not have all the tools necessary for this topic. Parents are the frontline defense." Host special evening programs to talk about bullying and microaggressions with parents and encourage them to continue the dialogue at home to convey positive parental expectations to do the right thing.

Teachers are limited in what they can do when kids say cruel things, admits Coughlin, but they can help promote the idea that it's "cool to be courageous" and empower others to speak up when they hear hostile behavior. The ones with power and who bully are often the popular kids. "Cruelty, meanness and unkindness are currency. You get ahead socially by being awful," says Coughlin. "We have to make civil courage a currency in school settings."

Bystanders need scripts to follow-non-violent words-that can denounce the behavior. Teachers and parents can encourage kids to intervene, report what they heard, and comfort the victim afterwards. Helping someone in need can actually help children develop a strong character and capacity for leadership. "There is no neutrality when it comes to bullying. We are affected when we witness it," says Coughlin. "If we can get our kids to stand up against bullying, we are going to that make our schools better and grow greater civility in the American population."

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10 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Classroom Microagressions

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When a student is pushed in the lunchroom or otherwise physically bullied, it's a clear case for intervention. But it can be trickier to know how to handle more subtle hostile behavior-or microaggressions. While not always targeting an individual, these verbal barbs or actions often disparage a particular group and can contribute to an unhealthy school climate.

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Identity and Privilege: Thoughtful and Engaging Activities

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This unit includes whole group and individual activities for teaching students about identity and privilege. The goal is for students to build understanding and awareness about who they are and their privilege. This unit was a labor of love built out of social justice conversations with my class.

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Discussing Identity with Kindergarten Students

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Discussing Identity with Kindergarten Students

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Hi y'all!
I am so excited to share with you one of my favorite classroom lessons,

Star of the Day!

Today I want to talk about identity and how to get your kinder darlings talking about themselves in positive and thoughtful ways.
I've done this activity with my students for the past 10 years. Each year I change something or add something new but at it's core, it stays the same.
I'm sure many of you do a Star of the Week or Student of the Week activity. These moments serve as an opportunity for students to discuss what makes them special and gives the class community a peek into their family life.

The interview portion of Star of the Day focuses on a variety of simple questions:

I am __ years old.

My favorite food is ___.

My favorite color is ___.

I have ___ brothers and ___ sisters.

My questions vary from year to year but more often than not these are the top questions.
Each Star gets to sit in a chair at the front of the class next to me. Before I begin, I remind students that they need to be respectful participants. I remind them that part of the excitement of being Star of the Day, is getting to know one another. We practice whole body listening, and when the Star thinks everyone is ready....we begin.

I ask each question in style similar to Oprah! I really try to act as if I don't know any answers to the questions, I am intrigued with their answers, and ask additional questions to find out more about our Star. I try to model inquiry and interview behavior for students. I really feel that students do not have many opportunities to learn how to effectively present information to a group. The Star of the Day interview is an opportunity to practice.

My most favorite part of the interview is the very last question. In my silliest but also very serious voice, I ask my Star...What do the loooooovvvveeeeee, more than anything else in the whole wide world?
And the answers my kiddos give me.
Oh how they warm my heart.
Sometimes I hear, "I love my family" or "I love my friends". Sometimes I hear "I love helping people" or "I love learning"! I melt!!

After the interview, I sit and draw a picture of the Star of the Day. As I get the color crayons I need to make my very best picture, I talk about the color choices I've made. I hold up a purple crayon and say, "Ok, time to draw Bobby's eyes purple. That's my favorite color so it's ok!" My kiddos shout, "NO! You need to make the picture look like the person". It's an idea I've hammered into their heads since the very first interview. When we talk about each other's identity we always mention how we need to respect the individual whose portrait we are creating. Their skin needs to be the right color, their eyes should be they right color, their hair should match what it looks like in real life. When we talk about portraits and identity we talk how how we look in the mirror is a representation of what the world sees. And while we are all different (and similar), we all have an identity that is important to us. We must do our best to represent the identity of our Star in their portrait.

I'm always the first Star of the Day. This portrait is on point!

Y'all, I know it seems simple- Vera, you're just having them pick a color that matches their skin tone.

You're right. I am. But in that matching process, there is conversation.
"Hey Bob, are you this color brown or lighter?"

In those conversations there is respect.
"Please don't color my eyes blue. My eyes are brown. Can you fix it?"

With respect, we learn empathy.
"I have the same eye color as you, but I am different skin color."
"I also love playing with Legos, do you want to play Legos with me during centers?"

It is that easy...but as the teacher you must facilitate conversation. You must get your students thinking beyond a crayon color choice...and thinking about the identity of their peers...and the importance of respecting that identity.

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How to get 5 year olds talking about identity

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Hi y'all! I am so excited to share with you one of my favorite classroom lessons, Star of the Day! Today I want to talk about identity and how to get your kinder darlings talking about themselves in positive and thoughtful ways. I've done this activity with my students for the past 10 years.

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The final photos from my visit to Rosa Parks Preschool:

This is a child painted embroidery hoop with a fine netting. I love the multi-colored yarn that the children used to sew on the netting.

A wonderful collaborative art piece made with bottle caps. Love, love.

These are called "Identity Panels." I adore child's self-portraits. I like the clothes pins on this fence section. It makes a great little art gallery.

You can not tell by this fuzzy photo but the drawings are standing off the wall. The teacher used pieces of foam core. It looked so nice.

These were so adorable! Oh my word. This teacher's "Identity Panel" had the self-portraits made out of natural materials. Amazing!

Thank you Rosa Parks Preschool!
You are a huge inspiration to us!
Keep doing what you are doing - it is pure magic.

Hugs,

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Reggio Inspired: Child Art - Fairy Dust Teaching

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The final photos from my visit to Rosa Parks Preschool: This is a child painted embroidery hoop with a fine netting. I love the multi-colored yarn that the children used to sew on the netting. A wonderful collaborative art piece made with bottle caps. Love, love. These are called "Identity Panels."

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Books for Learning About Different Identities, Cultures, and People

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Books for Learning About Different Identities, Cultures, and People

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Help create a lasting impression using the best kid literature on bias, diversity and social justice from ADL's recommended collection of children's books.

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I recently developed an Avatar Lesson. The inspiration for this lesson was trying to come up with a lesson that could turn into a collaborative project with each student's work on a square. I wanted students to show their identity in a visually interesting way. The visual in my head reminded me of a friends list on Facebook, where each student was represented by a profile picture or avatar. I looked online at avatars and was inspired by the graphic cartoon-like avatars that some people create.

I particularly like the avatars where there were no facial features. Each identity was described by the hair, clothes, and accessories. What if students did the same thing? Each of those things is a choice we make based on our identity; what we prefer and what we want others to know about us. Many of these choices come from our culture and the groups we belong to. The lesson could get really interesting if students had to trace their choices to something in their culture. This would be a fun extension!

What I've come up with, however, is a lesson packet that will have students learn about the concept of "Identity" through a presentation. There is a formative assessment where students will write a few things about their identity. The teacher can assess that they understood the presentation and class discussion about identity. The teacher can also assess that they have a few ideas for their avatar drawing.

Next students will write a mission statement. The mission statement can be about school or life. There is also a "work" mission statement writing sheet in case you or colleagues want to try this.

They will write their name at the top of the page with BOLD letters. I've included a guide to help them out with that.

Then they will draw their avatar using the Avatar Gal and Avatar Guy drawing sheets.
If you like the idea of making the avatar on a square and displaying a grade level or school's avatar's together, you could use a square paper instead of the sheet I provided, or you could make the sheet included in the lesson the practice drawing and have the final drawing on a square paper that gets displayed with the others.
You can take a look at the Avatar Lesson lesson here.

If you'd like to save this post to your Pinterest board, please use the image below. Thanks!

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Avatar Self Portrait Lesson with Mission Statement

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I recently developed an Avatar Lesson. The inspiration for this lesson was trying to come up with a lesson that could turn into a collaborative project with each student's work on a square. I wanted students to show their identity in a visually interesting way.

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Helping Young Children Explore Diversity

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Helping Young Children Explore Diversity

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This diversity collection is geared towards younger students and helping them recognize and embrace differences among their classmates. This ideas in this unit were developed by April Chadwick. Thanks so much for helping us get this put together!

This unit is comprised of three books. These books can be shared as read alouds. They would also be good books to place at a listening center. If a recording is not available, record yourself or a student in an older grade reading the book aloud. Below we have included ideas to accompany the reading of each book along with printables when needed. Do you have other activities you would use for this unit? Please share your ideas below!

Shades of People by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M Kelly

The Colors of Us by Karen Katz

The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler

As you read each book, spend time locating the title and author. Also find the front and back covers along with the title pages.

Discussion Starter: What colors of skin can different people have?

Use our PERSON OUTLINE. You may choose to print 4 or 5 of these sheets or use this version with 5 people on one page: PEOPLE OUTLINE. As students answer about skin colors, have volunteers color each person a different color. We love the idea of having a pack of Crayola Multicultural Crayons, Assorted Specialty Colors, Box Of 8 (click on the underlined words to purchase via Amazon.com.) As students discuss different skin colors, they can use the Multicultural Crayons to color in the people. These posters can serve as a visual representation as you go through the unit. Children this age need concrete evidence for their understanding. If you would prefer, post the people in the room uncolored and have students color in the forms as part of your unit conclusion.

Introduce Vocabulary: Shades - range of colors between dark and light (example: white, gray, black)

To help students better understand the concept of shades, place a large bucket of assorted crayons in the center of your class discussion. Have each student find a red crayon (make sure there are not enough true red crayons for every student.) When each student has found a crayon, compare the different colors they see and explain that each is a shade of red.

Egg Lesson (science): One page in the book says "Our skin is just our covering, like wrapping paper. And, you can't tell what someone is like from the color of their skin." Use this Eggs: Alike or Different recording page. Show the students different eggs (such as white and brown). Have them show what they see on the outside. Then, they will predict what the inside of the egg will look like based on their observations. Once the eggs are open, students will record what they see. Compare what we learned from the eggs and relate it to the passage in the book.

This book may also be used as a mentor text for writing workshop. Create a text for the class called "Shades of our School" Take pictures of adults and children around the school. Walk around the school as a class and look for shades of people in other places throughout the school (cafeteria, office, library etc.) Use the pictures in a class book. Put a picture on each page and then do a group writing activity using two sentences. One will tell what the person looks like on the outside. The next will tell something about the person on the inside.

Introduce Vocabulary: Similar - When things are alike. Different - When things are not alike.

To reinforce the vocabulary words, we suggest using concrete items. Gather familiar items, possibly an apple, orange, chocolate and lollipop. Have students identify which items are similar and explain how they are similar (an apple and orange are fruits, shaped like spheres, juicy.) Then students will find objects that are different (an orange and chocolate.) They will explain how the items are different. Continue to review these vocabulary words throughout the week.

The book Colors of Us can be used to get children thinking while they listen to the story. While reading ask questions:

After looking at the cover of the book and hearing the title of the story what do you think this book will be about?

After reading the first page asks, "How old is Lena?" After soliciting answers ask "Why does Lena say she is the color of cinnamon?"

After reading about Isabella ask, "Does Isabella's skin color look like the color of chocolate cake?"

After reading the story ask, "Do you think it is ok that Lena and her friends are different colors?"

Lead a class discussion on foods that each child's skin can be compared to. Create a class book using our ABOUT ME page. Students will share their name and the food they can compare their skin color to. Have students draw a picture of themselves or take a photo to add that emphasizes the color.

We have created this anchor chart to help children get started. I am the color of... Anchor Chart

Ha nd Print Art: Have students trace their hands. Then have student work together to mix paints till they get the shade of their skin. Color in the outline of their hand and then cut it out. Hang hands on bulletin board under the title "The colors of us".
The Skin You Live In
While reading ask questions:

After reading the page "It's baby born new skin and your family too skin, and glows when it shows that it knows we love you skin!" As students if the people pictured on the page is a family. Why or why not?

After reading the book discuss how in our class we are the same or different. What makes each of us special in our classroom?

Descriptive Writing: Give each student a copy of the MY SKIN book page. Students share what they do in their skin and illustrate. When all students have completed the task, you can put the pages together to create a class book. For the cover, take a picture of your class.

What Makes Us Special? Use this Venn Diagram to conclude your study. Have students work with a partner to list ways they are alike and different. For younger students, you might pick two characters from a book and complete this task together.

Songs can be a great way to get students moving and to help them remember what is being studied. Here are two songs we like that fit this study on diversity:

Sesame Street : Color of me Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sqN2J9_axY&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop

Everyone is Different by Lanny Sherwin http://freesongsforkids.com/audios/everyone-different

CCSS Literacy Standards Met In This Unit:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.4: Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.5: Recognize common types of text

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.6: With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.5: Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.10: Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

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Diversity: Differences Make us Unique - The Kinder Corner

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This diversity collection is geared towards younger students and helping them recognize and embrace differences among their classmates. This ideas in this unit were developed by April Chadwick. Thanks so much for helping us get this put together! This unit is comprised of three books. These books can be shared as read alouds.

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This semester in my graduate studies I have been focusing on diversity in the early childhood classroom. That, coupled with the political climate in the United States where I live, raise my children and teach has solidified my commitment to creating inclusive and diverse environments for my own children as well as my students. These multicultural classroom materials and diverse toys are ones that I have or had in my class, or on my wishlist. No class or school can be expected to make big or costly changes immediately, but these materials can be bought over time to help any school reach that goal.

When our children understand and appreciate the differences that surround them, they will respect those differences more easily and not use them to divide. My goal as a parent and as an educator is to teach my children and students to be proud of who they are, where they are from, their culture and family and to respect that everyone should be given that same opportunity. With that goal in mind, these are materials and diverse toys that help make diversity the norm, to bring multiculturalism into a homogenous classroom or to reflect the students, their families, and their experiences in a more diverse one.

This list includes affiliate links.

Diverse Dolls and Figurines for Block and Pretend Play

These toys allow adults to discuss differences and similarities naturally as children notice them while playing, as questions arise, or not at all. The goal is not to turn playtime into lectures, quite the opposite, it is to provide a wonderfully diverse set of options and to spark curiosity and viewing and accepting diversity as normative.

Soft Inclusive Dolls - these dolls include a child who uses a wheelchair, a child who is visually impaired and uses a seeing eye dog, a child with a prosthetic arm, and a child with leg braces and crutches.

Basket of Babies - I love these little soft dolls so much I bought some for my daughter when she was a young toddler. They are perfect for a young class where children like to travel around the room with a baby because they are soft and there are so many in one basket! Also, the basket is great for grocery store pretend play.

Set of 4 Multi-Ethnic Dolls - What I like about this set is that there are boy and girl dolls. As preschoolers explore their own identity, it is common for them to become very focused on all things related to one specific gender. Having the boy dolls can help encourage some of the most reluctant boys to explore doll play, though I caution never to force, just provide materials if needed. Doll play is a wonderful tool for exploring compassion, responsibility and caring for others.

Multicultural Duplo People - I wish there was a way to get this set for a low cost. The thing is, is that this set will last and have no trouble standing up to daily play by years and years of students. Duplo is not a fad, so you know you will be able to use these figurines in your block center for ages.

Diverse Memory Games, Puzzles, & Mix and Match.

Haba Children of The World Mix & Match puzzles like this are always popular with preschoolers, and they don't just promote diversity, they promote fine motor skills too!

Never Forget A Face was a favorite in a toddler classroom of mine many years ago. The game is fun and works on memory skills as well.

Children Of The World Memory is great not just because of the visible diversity, but because diversity isn't just what we see, it's also what we hear. This game incorporates language diversity as well.

Friends And Neighbors - This game isn't about diversity, it's a matching game about emotions, but the game itself promotes cooperation which is essential for inclusion.

Diverse Art Supplies

Multicultural Skin Toned Craft Pegs - These are perfect if you are going to make people with the pegs, even if you only have Caucasian students I would still urge you to diversify your art supplies to help show that all the same light skin tone is not the only available skin tone.

Multicultural Crayons - Self portraits and drawing your family are an important part of preschool, and that makes these crayons a must for all early childhood classrooms.

There is also multicultural paint too!

Multicultural Paper People - I use these in my classroom when we talk about first aid and my students cover them in bandaids, trust me it's a class favorite. This is a simple way to reinforce the idea that skin color is not homogeneous.

Diverse Family Toys and Materials

I love these Wooden Stack-A-Family blocks because children can create their own family with so many variations.

Multicultural Family Puzzles offer children a look into different types of families while promoting the development of spatial and concentration skills.

I use cards like these when I teach about families as a circle time activity we count the family members in a handful of photos and notice that families are all different. You can use these cards with counters as math mats, get two sets and make a matching game, or even as posters in a collage.

These family counters are awesome, yes the people are all primary colors but there is a wonderful mix of shapes and sizes, so students can create their own families no matter how many parents, what gender, or how many siblings they may have.

Diverse Play Food

There are a lot of cuisine specific play food available, and while I think those sets are lovely, I am focusing on sets that represent multiple cultures.

Multicultural Food set - add this set to your existing food play for a more diverse kitchen play.

This International Foods set is perfect for grocery store play too.

This is by no means a definitive list of diverse classroom materials or toys. I would love to hear about how you represent multiple cultures, abilities, languages, and family structures in your classroom.

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Multicultural Classroom Materials & Diverse Toys For Preschool

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Diverse toys and multicultural materials for preschool classrooms and homes. Create a more diverse environment with these suggestions.

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Help students become informed and effective civic participants in today's digital landscape. This unit is designed to develop students' critical thinking, news literacy, civic engagement, and social-emotional skills and competencies.

Civics & Citizenship

History

Social Studies

Democracy & Civic Engagement

Racism

The resources I'm getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable.

- Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

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Facing Ferguson: News Literacy in a Digital Age

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Help students become informed and effective civic participants in today's digital landscape. This unit is designed to develop students' critical thinking, news literacy, civic engagement, and social-emotional skills and competencies.

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By Filed Under: Tagged With: Homeschool, Culture This post may contain affiliate links. Montessori, Parenting, Preschool

Roots and Wings by Stacey York is an amazingly resourceful and inspiring book for your home and your classroom. The author give tangible guidance on bring culture into early childhood programs including themes and lessons across a variety of areas. I highly recommend the book.

How to Bring Culture into the Classroom

Mixing Playdough
Place a four or five colors (choose from colors like white, red, orange, yellow, brown or black) out for the kids to explore. Encourage them to mix the colors to create new colors. Encourage them to try to create a color that matches their skin.

Exploring Hair
Ask children to touch their hair and to look at their hair in the mirror. Ask them to describe it. Then show pictures of how people from around the world use hair to express themselves and their culture. This Sesame Street clip: I Love Hair is an excellent conversation starter. If you can, gather wigs, scarves, rubber bands, hair clips, turbans and other items to create different hairstyles.

Everyday Images
Simply look at images from around the world and ask questions. Take time to either print out images and prepare cards or simply call your child over to your computer. I found this great Pinterest board called " People/Faces from Around the World" that is a good resource. This site's around the world project is also very interesting. If you google "houses around the world" or "food around the world" you will find good images for the exercise. This book Children Just Like Me: A Unique Celebration of Children Around the World is excellent too.

What is Different?
Gather images of African American children, Hispanic children, Euro American children and Asian American children. Start with images that exemplify the most obvious differences, then move onto the more subtle differences. Kids may want to sort into similar and alike. Encourage them to do so. I have found Melissa & Doug's Create-A-Face Pad to be a great basic learning tool in discussing skin color differences.

Family.
My MEIPN instructor demonstrated a fabulous lesson to introduce the concept of family to children. All you need is a basket preferably with a cover or deep enough so you can reach into it and various "people". I purchased Pretend & Play Families. The figures are detailed and fairly "real" looking. I purchased Black, Asian, Hispanic and People with Differing Abilities. Start by asking the children what makes a family. Then introduce various types of families using these figures: "This is Joe. He is married to Bill. They have a daughter, Melissa. They are a family." or "This is Rosa. She lives with her grandmother, Helena. They are a family." The possibilities are endless.

Mothers & Babies
This activity introduces similar features and similar cultural heritages. You need images of mothers & images of babies from around the world within various cultures, an image of a cat and her kittens, card stock and a glue stick. Prepare the cards and invite the child to match mother and baby. Ask what is different about the mothers' faces, then ask why the child chose that mother to go with that particular child. Then show the image of the cat and her kittens. Explain how she is still their mother even though they might look different from her.

Crack the Egg
I saw this diversity activity on Kids Activities Blog and fell in love with it. Take a white and brown egg. Ask the children what they notice is the difference between the eggs. When they answer the color, crack the egg open and show the children how the eggs are the same on the inside even though they look different on the outside.

Bread Tasting Party
This one might be my favorite. Go to the grocery and gather various "breads from around the world" such as naan, corn bread, tortillas, matzo, pita, scones, etc. Introduce the name of the bread and from which culture it originates. Then invite the children to taste it. Talk about the traditions of those cultures. Maybe even make your own bread together. I love this learning activity because it brings in the senses and is truly hands on. If you don't have access to the breads, then seek out images from a library book or the internet.

Thank you for reading this post today!

I hope that we inspired you!
Marnie

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How to Bring Culture into the Classroom and the Home: Anti-Bias Activities for Kids

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Roots and Wings by Stacey York is an amazingly resourceful and inspiring book for your home and your classroom. The author give tangible guidance on bring culture into early childhood programs including themes and lessons across a variety of areas. I highly recommend the book.

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Books to Discuss Social Justice and Human Rights

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Books to Discuss Social Justice and Human Rights

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Talking to children about social justice is no easy task, but it's such an important one. Reading and discussing books about human rights topics is a perfect way to start a conversation.

When I want to explain something that is unjust to our four year old, I often find myself reminding him of the books we have read. It makes it easier to unpack the real life situations he comes into contact with.

These stories also help me to explain why our family does the things we do to protest injustice and support human rights.

Today I'm sharing 15 of the best picture books that address social justice, human rights, and the power of organizing against injustice.

If you want to help your children apply what they learn through these stories with concrete actions, be sure to download my free guide Growing Kid Activists 101.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to my Amazon Associates account, as well as links to my Barefoot Books storefront. If you purchase items through these links, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy .
This fictional account is inspired by the real life of Reverend John Berry Meachum who established a school on a steamboat because of a law against educating Black children. Missouri passed a law in 1847, saying that neither enslaved or free Blacks could be taught to read or write. Because of this, Meachum moved his school onto a steamboat in the Mississippi River, which was federal property.

The story follows James, who begins attending Rev. Meachum's first school (on land) before the law is passed. He is not enthusiastic about school at first. Yet when the school closes, he begins practicing reading and writing on his own. When the steamboat school is opened, he can't wait to tell the other children.

The last line of the story is particularly powerful. James tells us "being brave can sometimes be a small thing, like lighting a candle, opening a book, or dipping an oar into still, deep water." (Recommended for ages 5 - 10).

This tale is based on a true story from the Bishnoi tribes of India. Amrita has a special tree in the forest where she daydreams, plays, and rests in peace. One day the peace is disturbed by the terrible sound of axes. The Maharajah's woodcutters are cutting down the forest.

Amrita runs back to her village, determined to protect her tree. Amrita and her mother gather all the women and children of the village to confront the woodcutters. Amrita's mother tells them that without these trees, their fields and homes will be washed away in the monsoon rains.

When no one will listen to their pleas, Amrita wraps her body around her special tree. Despite orders from their leader, the woodcutters cannot bring themselves to chop down the forest in the face of such resistance. (Recommended for ages 5 - 10).

This biographical tale tells of how Clara Lemlich, an Ukranian immigrant to the United States, became a leader of New York City's garment workers in the early 1900s. As a child Clara goes to work sewing clothes for just a few dollars a month because no one will hire her father.

Clara quickly becomes angry at the terrible treatment she and the other girls face. She hears from some of the men that they've been thinking of going on strike, but they don't think the women are tough enough to participate.

Through tireless organizing that results in Clara being repeatedly fired, arrested, and even beaten, Clara shows just how brave girls can be. At a huge union meeting, when the men are cautious, it is Clara who stands up and calls for a general strike. (Recommended for ages 5 -9).

There are other children's books that deal more directly with Gandhi's organizing for freedom and peace. I chose Grandfather Gandhi because it can give children insight into the inner work that must accompany work for justice and peace.

Written by one of Gandhi's grandsons, Arun Gandhi, the book tells of when Arun arrived at Grandfather Gandhi's ashram. Silence and peace seem to come easily to others, yet Arun repeatedly finds himself filled with anger. He thinks everyone else must be wondering "how could he, a Gandhi, be so easy to anger?"

After an incident on the soccer field in which he loses his temper, Arun runs to his grandfather and confesses his troubles. Grandfather tells him not to be ashamed, because we all feel anger. Grandfather explains to him how anger, like electricity, can be channeled for good or bad. Anger can be used to fuel the desire for lasting change. (Recommended for ages 5 - 10).

I cannot do this moving and remarkable book justice in just a couple of paragraphs, so I've written a full review here on the blog here as part of Multicultural Kid Blogs' Read Around the World series . It's a must read for anyone wanting to help kids understand the plight of undocumented immigrant families.

This is a true story of how Alfredo Alva and his father immigrated from Mexico to the U.S without papers. We learn from Alfredo what life was like in his village when both his father and grandfather worked in the pine forest. But when his grandfather becomes too old to make the daily 5 mile trip to the forest, Alfredo and his brothers start to go hungry.

His father decides that he and Alfredo must go to America where he can earn more, while the other children will stay behind with his mother. During their journey, we not only experience their hardships. We also see how Alfredo's father encourages him with warmth and humor through their difficult journey.

The book includes several pages of illustrated educational notes that help children explore important questions about why people immigrate and what their experiences are like. (Recommended for ages 6 - 12).

This remarkable book tells the true story of Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese consul serving in Lithuania during World War II. With the encouragement of his wife and children, Sugihara disobeyed his superiors' orders so that he could write thousands of visas for Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi violence.

The story is told from the perspective of 5 year old Hiroki (who also offers an afterword to the book.) Hiroki doesn't understand why, one day, there are hundreds of people, including many children, standing outside their gate. When his mother explains that they need her father's assistance or they may be killed, Hiroki pleads with his father to help.

Several times, his father asks his superiors to allow him to write visas for all the refugees, and he is refused. Chiune brings the entire family together to ask what he should do. When they are all in agreement that he must help them despite orders, he begins writing hundreds of visas, which eventually become thousands.

When the family is forced to leave Lithuania by train because of the Soviet takeover, little Hiroki sees crowds of refugees watching him, promising to never forget his father or what he has done. (Recommended for ages 7 - 12).

While most Americans have heard of the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, far fewer of us know that a lawsuit by Sylvia Mendez's family nearly a decade earlier paved the way for this historic decision.

When Sylvia's family moved to Westminster, California, they were told that Sylvia and her brothers had to attend "the Mexican school," not the one closest to them.

Sylvia begins attending Hoover Elementary ("the Mexican school"), which has no playground and where children must eat lunch on the ground outside next to a cattle field. Many of the teachers expect the children to drop out. Mr. Mendez knows this is not right, and begins organizing other Mexican-American parents who want change.

A truck driver connects Mr. Mendez with a lawyer who had helped force the integration of public pools in the area. When the lawsuit goes to court, Sylvia hears school officials tell lies, such as testimony that most children at the Mexican school are inferior academically and in other ways.

Though Sylvia is not called to testify, she's ready to tell the truth. When the judge rules that school segregation is illegal, Sylvia is able to attend the local school. Though some of the children are mean to her, Sylvia remembers her mother's advice to hold her head high, knowing what her family has fought for. (Recommended for ages 6 - 10).

Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving fell in love like many young couples do, and wanted to get married. But they lived in Virginia in 1958, where people of different races were not allowed to marry.

They crossed state lines to be married legally in Washington, D.C. Not long after they return to Virginia, police burst into their home in the middle of the night. Richard and Mildred were locked up in jail, because Virginia police don't consider their marriage valid.

The Lovings moved to D.C., where they had three children. But they wanted to return home. So in 1966, in the midst of the civil rights movement, they filed a lawsuit. It went all the way to the Supreme Court, where a message from Richard was read: "Tell the Court I love my wife, and it is just unfair that I can't live with her in Virginia."

Their court victory paid for the way for the many multiracial couples who have married since. (Recommended for ages 4 - 8).

Fannie Lou Hamer is one of the most inspiring and under-appreciated heroes of the Black Civil Rights Movement, so I was thrilled when Voice of Freedom was published. The book tells her life story in free form verse with stirring collage illustrations.

Hamer grew up in a sharecropping family in Mississippi, where she saw that race meant the difference between having enough and poverty. When she asks her mother why she isn't white, so that she could have enough, her mother tells her that being Black is not bad. Her mother soon buys her a Black doll, telling her "if you respect yourself enough, other people will have to respect you."

As an adult, Hamer was one of the first Black Mississippians to try to register to vote. After she failed the literacy test, she and her husband were evicted from their land and home. Hamer continued her work for voter registration, and became known for the spirituals she led at meetings and marches.

She continued her work even after she was brutally beaten and imprisoned, determined that she was "marching toward the Promised Land." When her Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party was denied seating at the national Democratic convention, Hamer made sure that the delegation didn't give in to deals aimed to silence them. (Recommended for ages 8 - 12).

Cesar Chavez may have seemed an unlikely person to become a leader of the labor movement. He was from a farmworker family, a group of workers who had never been organized before. He was quiet and shy. Yet his family's experience of poverty despite brutal work, physical pain and danger, and humiliating racism fueled his determination to organize his fellow farm workers.

People soon saw that "Cesar showed a knack for solving problems." His quiet stubbornness motivated him to continue a fight many thought was impossible, even in the face of violence.

Harvesting Hope shares in vivid detail the 300 mile march from the grape fields of Delano to California's capital of Sacramento, where the United Farm Workers planned to ask for the governor's help. Near the end of the March, Cesar received a message which he was sure was a joke, saying that grape company officials wanted to meet.

In Sacramento, they were able to announce that Cesar had just signed the first union contract for farmworkers in American history. (Recommended for ages 4 - 8).

Carlitos' mama is one of the many hard-working janitors who clean the tall glass office buildings of Los Angeles at night. One day, his mother sits him down to explain that she can't take care of him and his grandmother like she wants too. That's because even after her work as a janitor, and her weekend work cleaning houses, her wages are too little for basic necessities.

That's why his mother is joining with other janitors to go on strike. Carlitos wants to help his mother, but he's not sure how. At school, he discovers that there are other children whose parents are on strike. He has an idea that he shares with his teacher. Together his class makes signs for those who are on strike.

Carlitos is proud to surprise his mother with his sign: "I love my Mama! She is a janitor!" (Recommended for ages 3 - 7).

A variety of artists collaborated on this picture book which shares illuminating quotes about human rights. Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi writes that "the only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear..." Illustrator Alexis Deacon accompanies the quote with a picture of a brave but cautious mouse moving forward in a forest full of unfriendly faces.

On another page, Armando Valladares, who was a prisoner of conscience, writes that "wings will grow some day. On my wheelchair I will be able to fly over parks carpeted with children and violets." Ros Asquith has brought the quote to life with a striking picture of a man in a wheelchair with boldly colored, enormous wings.

The book provides children with many different examples of what freedom means, with quotes from heroes including Anne Frank, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Malala Yousafzai, and more. (Recommended for ages 4 - 10).

A Is For Activist is a delightfully unusual alphabet book, introducing children to words like abolitionist, co-op, environmental justice, feminist, trans, and union. While the justice and human rights issues the book points to are quite serious, the book also has a playful tone. Its rhymes and examples of things children will love (like the demand for healthy hot dogs) keep the book from becoming too heavy. There is also a cat hidden on each page, adding an interactive element. (Recommended for ages 2 - 6).

On the surface, Swimmy is a book about a plucky little fish. It's also a story that can teach children the power of organizing together against injustice.

Swimmy is the lone black fish in a school of happy little red fish. One day, a fierce tuna swallows the entire school. Swimmy is the only fish who escapes. Though Swimmy is scared and sad as he swims alone, he soon discovers many amazing sea creatures.

So when he happens along another school of fish just like the one he lost, he wants them to come and play and "SEE things!" with him. The red fish protest that the big fish will eat them.

In a sudden brainstorm, Swimmy realizes that they can all swim in a formation together that will make them look like a big fish. The red fish form the body, and Swimmy is the fish's black eye. Their plan works, and they chase the big fish away as they explore the sea. (Recommended for ages 3 - 6).

In When I Get Older, poet, rapper and singer-songwritter K'Naan shares how he came to write the now world famous song "Wavin' Flag," starting in his home of Somalia. While many Westerners are only familiar with the heartbreaking war in Somalia, K'Naan describes Mogadishu as "a city that was like a sparkling jewel."

When war breaks out, his grandfather, a famous poet, helps him write a poem to comfort himself: "When I get older, I will be stronger. They'll call me freedom, just like a waving flag." When he must flee the violence with his siblings and mother, but without his grandfather, his grandfather reminds him that "poems will be your courage."

Being a refugee in Canada is difficult and confusing, but K'Naan meets other children at his school who also had to leave their homes far behind. When the teacher announces that the class must sing a song in front of the entire school, K'Naan offers his grandfather's poem. "I wasn't afraid anymore," he writes. "Grandfather was right. Music had made me safe." (Recommended for ages 5 - 9).

Largely using Malala Yousafzai's own words, this book tells how the young Pakistani girl became so passionate about the importance of a free education for all children. The collage illustrations are remarkable in the way that they convey both the beauty and color of the land and of its people, as well as the pall that Taliban rule cast on the country.

After the Taliban decreed that girls could not be educated, and many schools were destroyed, Malala became sad and angry. First blogging under a secret name, and then openly, she bravely stood behind the message that "Education is our basic right."

When a member of the Taliban shot Malala in the head as she rode the bus, the world rallied around her as she recovered. She went on to found the Malala Fund to continue to educate girls in Pakistan. The book closes with Malala's own words of encouragement: "let us pick up our books and pens. One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world." (Recommended for ages 4 - 7).

What are your favorite children's books about social justice and human rights? Share in the comments!

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15 Picture Books about Social Justice and Human Rights - The Barefoot Mommy

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Talking to children about social justice is no easy task, but it's such an important one. Reading and discussing books about human rights topics is a perfect way to start a conversation. When I want to explain something that is unjust to our four year old, I often find myself reminding him of the books we have ...

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Picture Books That Teach Kids About Prejudice, Inclusion, and Kindness

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Teachers and parents have asked me to share picture books you can use with children to teach about prejudice, acceptance, inclusion, and tolerance.

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For current events and news, there is no better website than CNN Student News. CNN Student News is a free ten minute video posted each day that school is in session. They take off on the weekend, holidays, and during the summer.

The show begins with front page headlines kind of news. Yesterday it was the Boko Haram and terrorists in Belgium.

About three minutes into the show, is the "roll call," a shout out to schools watching the show.

For the next two and a half minutes (from about 3:30-6) an issue or topic is covered in depth. Yesterday's topic was a letter written by a Titanic survivor being auctioned off.

The next in depth topic/issue is introduced by "ID Me,"

which gives students clues about a person, place, invention, etc. before revealing its identity. Yesterday's "ID Me" led into a segment about two men who free-climbed El Capitan, part of Yosemite (from about 6:20 - 8).

At the end of the show is usually a funny video, often something with animals. This one was a dog who rides the bus by himself. See him sitting by the window?

CNN offers an advisory about previewing the content. I teach ninth graders and show this in my homeroom and never have I been concerned about the content. Unfortunately our national and global news so often includes violence, so I might not show it below fifth grade, but even lower grades could use parts after teacher pre-screening.

Each show is roughly broken into the same segments with the time (minutes/seconds) shown at the bottom so it would be very easy to start and stop to just watch a segment about a specific topic.

If you don't want to watch it everyday, you can sign up to get a daily email letting you know the topics covered. Then you will know when what they are featuring may directly connect to what you are teaching. I personally love watching it everyday with my students because it keeps me up on current events and provides good topics of conversations.

You can also download the video podcasts. This is great if for some reason your district blocks their website (CNN though? really?) or if there is a topic covered in the video that you want to show at a later date.

Another great feature is the transcript. Need a current nonfiction text for class? Ta-da! Here it is. Click here to see a sample.

On Friday, in addition to the transcript is a weekly newsquiz. This could be used as an actual quiz, but would also be a great extra credit assignment. Perhaps you might want to assign these videos for students to watch at home and the quiz is the homework they turn in. Lots of possibilities.

I hope you start watching with your students. I would love to hear about how you make CNN Student News a part of your classroom.

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The Literary Maven: Bring Current Events into Your Classroom with CNN Student News

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For relevant, accurate, and appropriate current events to share with your students, try watching CNN Student News. With new content daily, the ten minute segments are an easy way to incorporate nonfiction into your classroom and engage your students with real world issues.

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This activity will help students better understand diversity, identity, and the importance of respecting differences and honoring their own uniqueness. This product includes: *A slide presentation (not PowerPoint but PDF). Includes a link to a "Cloudy with a *Chance of Meatballs" clip that can be watched as part of the lesson.

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Addressing Microagressions in the Classroom

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Addressing Microagressions in the Classroom