Unity in Diversity: A Toolkit for Bridging Gaps by Jasmine Booth

Multicultural Literature

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 17:29:12 UTC

One way to increase diversity and embrace cultural differences is by integrating diverse perspectives into the curriculum by providing students with literature from different cultures. "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich is a story about Native Americans and provides a unique perspective on how the Native Americans viewed and responded to European invasion. This resource can be used in the classroom as the main text to build reading comprehension and to coincide with their history class. The teacher would incorporate this text by reading a chapter a day and quizzing students on the basic information. To go a step further the teacher can create a graphic organizer that connects the major topics to the theme with an included section on cultural differences between the Europeans and the Native Americans.

"Developing Social Action" Case Study

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 18:18:00 UTC

One case study integrated the knowledge of Black historical figures in the classroom by doing a cut-and-paste exercise and presentation on one present or historical figure that is African American to gain knowledge. The teacher Abby Emerson, used several lesson plans, this one included, to teach tolerance and acceptance in the classroom. (Emerson, 2024)

"Too Many Tamales"

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 20:28:49 UTC

As a 5th-grade English teacher another story that has a unique perspective from the Hispanic culture. Knowing that my class has a large population of Hispanics I can incorporate stories that represent a piece of their culture. "Too Many Tamales" by Gary Soto can be read in Spanish and English and can have various elements of differentiation so that students of various backgrounds can learn from it.

"Roll of Thunder Hear Me Cry"

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 21:46:27 UTC

This story provides a historical event on an African American girl in the 1930s. It goes over all of the major historical events such as the Civil War and the aftereffects of slavery. This story highlights the struggles that the African American population has and still is going through.

Multicultural Connection Method

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 21:49:49 UTC

The Multicultural connection method is a teaching strategy that connects questions on a broad topic to different cultures, ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic staus, and abilities to provide a deeper understanding of those around us.

Background Knowledge

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 21:54:27 UTC

this method. involves building off of prior knowledge when discussing something new that may have a point of familiarity. For instance, when teaching about themes the teacher can ask if any of the students remember studying topics in third grade. To differentiate students who have not previously studied topics can be grouped and work together to first learn how to find topics on a worksheet handed to all students. Those who do remember topics can find themes. Then, once everyone is done both groups can share out their responses. This allows for differentiation and can help bridge the gap for those who might not have had the same experiences growing up such as those who come from a different country.

Non-linguistic or Hands On Strategy

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 21:57:09 UTC

Some students may learn important concepts more easily by kinesthetically mapping the concepts with their hands or using motions to put two pieces of information together. For instance, in my English class, I can teach the difference between topic and theme by using one finger point to represent the topic and a big hand motion to represent the overall theme.

Culture Jeopardy

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 22:08:34 UTC

The last strategy is where students create their own Jeopardy about their culture or another person's culture and then have the class play so that everyone can learn about new cultures. This activity promotes a deeper understanding of others' cultures and can limit biases and explore new perspectives (Howe, 2024).

Inclusive Classroom Setup

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 22:18:59 UTC

There are several ways teachers should design their classrooms to be inclusive to all students. First, arranging seats so that people with physical disabilities can be accommodated, putting other languages for keywords up on a word wall, and including images and/or messages that promote inclusivity such as hands of all races and/ or pictures of diverse characters from class stories or diverse historical figures.

Inclusive Language

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 22:24:49 UTC

A key way to ensure that my classroom will have inclusive language practices is by putting up a poster that describes clear examples of inclusion and exclusion so that students are made aware of acceptable language in the classroom. This example shows pins that represent a person's pronouns.

Classroom Rules

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 22:31:47 UTC

Classroom rules should be placed in an open view and repeatedly referred to in the classroom so that the expectations of all students are clear. These rules create an establishment of community norms so that students can know what is expected from them in the classroom, as their rules from home may be very different. This sets up the classroom for success and helps keep all marginalized groups safe.

Posting Student's Work

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 22:34:59 UTC

Lastly, teachers should ask to post student's work on the classroom bulletin so that students can feel pride in their accomplishments and promote a caring atmosphere. This helps students build their self-esteem while learning alongside their peers.

School and Parent Communication

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 22:41:22 UTC

First teachers and schools should collaborate with parents on a specific platform that is accessible to all students. One way to do that is paper handouts that go home with students, but recently schools have been advocating for a digital approach. I plan to differentiate based on if all of my students have a phone at home then I will use Class Dojo to provide a fast way to communicate small details to parents throughout the school year.

Shared Plan Event

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 22:45:13 UTC

To ensure proper connection to families and make sure I am meeting all of my student's diverse needs, I will provide a shared plan event where I will show all of the ways I plan to educate students and the strategies and topics I will teach. Then, I will allow families to give feedback and express their feelings about the shared plan. Altogether this creates a framework that can be used as a goal tracker.

"Youth rebuilding New Orleans" Community Project

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 22:55:02 UTC

To connect with the community, students can participate in volunteering for the "Youth Rebuilding New Orleans" community project. This is where students work to make New Orleans a cleaner and safer place through charity and cleaning.

Creole and Cajun Events

jasg248 — 2024-12-07 22:57:11 UTC

Students can attend Creole and Cajun Events to further their understanding of. culture for an assignment that they share with the class to further educate others about the diverse culture and history of a specific demographic.