-Why might children not feel welcome at school? 

-What things can we do to make sure everyone feels welcome in our school? 

-Have you ever felt like you were not welcome? What was that like?

Citation: 

Penfold, A. & Kaufman, S. (2018, July 10). All are welcome. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing. 

Which books provided a mirror for you? 

Which books acted at a window? 

Could any of these books serve as both a window and a mirror? 

 

This video is based off of the book, “The Sandwich Swap”, and two girls of different cultures are best friends and enjoy doing everything together, besides sharing their lunches. The two girls eat lunches that reflect their culture, and they are not interested in what the other has to offer. This results in them hurting each other’s feelings and having an argument, but it gets resolved and they both accept one another, their culture, and lunch choices for who they are.

Questions for discussion or writing prompts: 

-Have you ever seen something that was different than what you are used to?

-How can you approach this type of situation showing eagerness to learn about something you are unfamiliar with?

Citation: 

The Sandwich Swap [Video file]. (2012, August 23). In The Sandwich Swap. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvEr6FsVoBI

This article is an opinion article written about how children should be able to see themselves on tv shows and movies in the characters. There are so many different people represented in the world, and tv shows and movies do not normally represent everyone we see in the world. The article also discusses how stereotypes can be seen in tv shows and movies. Lastly, the article discusses the importance of having a variety of ethnicities play both good and bad characters, not just the white people playing the good character and other races playing bad characters. 

-Why is it important for children to see people who look like them when they look at pictures, books, tv shows, or movies? 

-How does it make you feel when you see someone who looks similar to you playing the hero or heroine of a movie?

Dobrow, J., Gidney, C., & Burton, J. (2019, September 29). Opinion: It's important for kids to see diverse TV, movie characters. Retrieved July 07, 2020, from https://newsela.com/read/elem-diversity-tv-movies/id/43585/ 

The journal provides actions for educators to take in order to improve their school and classroom: host professional development opportunities for educators to allow discussions, both personal and researched, on racial identity; evaluate current school policies and principles while creating anti racist policies with families. The second set of suggestions was for teachers to reflect on their current teaching styles and think about those who do and don’t benefit from it, while personally reflecting on academic success and how that personally looks for you. After this, curriculum and/or lessons should be evaluated and written differently to make sure that it is inclusive for all students. Lastly, anti-racist pedagogy means that students have a safe space to discuss racial conversations that are meaningful and empathetic. Teachers must make sure their classroom reflects this safe space, and they must also make sure to support all students’ listening and speaking skills. 

Citation: Basque, K. M., & Britto, M. (2019). Anti-racist pedagogy: What does it look like in the 
classroom? Retrieved June 28, 2020.