Using Diverse Literature and Materials

• By using reading material, multimedia resources and interviews from authors and creators from different cultural backgrounds can let students witness a different point of view and helps them approach the various traditions and opinions.

Include History Lessons

• When speaking about historical events like the Holocaust or World War II, having the viewpoints from multiple perspectives especially those that are the victims or usually overlooked, gives the students an inside look at how those events effected all the parties involved.

• It also gives students the ability to have a more comprehensive understanding of the event and how it affected people in different cultures.

Cultural Celebrations and Projects

• By including different holidays, festivals and heritage months on the calendar then creating a week of celebration, it gives the students the ability to research those events and if they celebrate that holiday or festival, it lets them share what traditions they do.

• It can also give the students a way to present what they have researched and opens up the dialogue with other students who may celebrate that holiday or festival and gives different perspectives.

Interdisciplinary Approaches

• Using different multicultural perspectives through all subjects which means exploring different mathematical concepts, study the different environmental issues that affect different regions or exploring different works of art.

Learn about the students

• When the school year starts, spending the first few days learning about each student can help learn about their likes and dislikes as well as their strengths and weaknesses. It gives the teacher a way to know how to approach teaching.

• Using questionnaires and surveys to learn about each student's interest and how they best learn gives the teacher a map on how to make their teaching a positive experience

Interview Students

• Creating a day where teachers can interview each student one on one can give the teacher a glimpse into the student's hobbies, favorite lessons and activities and helps them know what techniques that student uses to remember lessons.

Having different forms of content through learning stations

• Creating stations that use different teaching skills can give students a sense of being seen and understood. It also allows other students to learn a different way to learn.

• Stations can range from playing a game to creating artwork to completing puzzles

Encourage students to propose ideas for projects

• Letting students submit ideas for projects can let the student feel empowered but it also showcases their different ideas.

• It can also help teachers to possibly generate new ideas for future cultural exercises and assessments.

Classroom Setup

• Creating a classroom that represents holidays, authors, artist and heritages can make students feel welcoming because they see the holiday that their family celebrates or an artist from their cultural.

• Including areas where during free time, students can go and read about the different cultural holidays, authors or events. An example is a map and interviews from soldiers who were part of Pearl Harbor.

Inclusive Language

• Using language that includes everyone no matter their background, gender, ability or beliefs. It lets the students know that they are all equals.

Community Norms

• Each community is different so learning the norms that are a part of that community can be incorporated.

• Norms that can be used in the classroom that are also used in the community are being respectful, knowing right from wrong, showing kindness and empathy.

Parent Workshops

• Having the parents and families involved can definitely help the students thrive. It gives the students that ability to thrive whether it be at school or at home. Creating parent workshops where parents can gain the knowledge and tools to help foster the same values that are being taught in the classroom.

Community Projects

• Creating a project where students get assigned a specific cultural or heritage and they have to go out into the community and interview someone who is a part of that cultural or heritage. An example is a student interviewing someone who celebrates Hanukkah. This gives the student the chance to learn about someone else beliefs.

Cultural Events

• Teachers can plan a field trip where they take students to a festival or event, and the students have to talk to people who are there about the event and their point of view. An example is if a teacher took the students to a Pow Wow which is an event for Native Americans. At that event, students can talk to Native Americans about what a Pow Wow is and the importance.

Heritage Week

• A school can do a Heritage week where students and their families can create a display for their heritage or cultural for people to read about and then at the end of the week, hold a potluck where families and students bring in traditional foods to share with everyone.