The first way that culture can be added in the classroom is through language. This can be used seamlessly throughout different subjects. It’s important to include languages that can be found in the home for the students in the class. For example, you could incorporate Spanish into the math lesson by teaching the students that “uno” means “one” in math. The same can be done for science lessons. While teaching about the solar system, you could mention that “sol” means “sun” (Drexel University, n.d.).

The second way to incorporate other cultures into the curriculum is through relating the lessons to other countries and cultures. For example, you could expand a history lesson to beyond U.S. history and incorporate profound historical events from other countries (Drexel University, n.d.).

The third way to incorporate other cultures into the lessons is through reading books that focus on the perspectives of children from other cultures and socio-economic groups.

The last way to incorporate other cultures is by giving the children themselves the opportunity to teach their peers about the different traditions and cultures that they practice (Drexel University, n.d.). This could be done during the times of specific cultural celebrations. For example, a Jewish child could teach their peers about Chanukah. A Mexican child could teach their peers about Cinco De Mayo or the Day of the Dead.

The first strategy that can be used is to give children the opportunity to showcase what they already know. Introduce the lessons by asking the children what they already know about this topic (Burnham, 2024)

The second strategy that can be used in the classroom is to connect the lessons to something relevant to their lives. Why is it important to learn about this moment in history? What does it mean for us today (Burnham, 2024)? The same can be done for math and science lessons as well.

The third strategy would be to ensure that the library and pictures on the walls depicts different cultures and lifestyles. This could also mean incorporating other languages into the bulletin boards (Burnham, 2024).

The first way to ensure that all of the children feel represented in the classroom is through the displays shown throughout the classroom. Having pictures showing children from different cultures and backgrounds is crucial (Burnham, 2024).

The second way is to teach the children to show respect to others who are different than them (Drexel University, n.d.). A teacher can do this by modeling this behavior in front of the students.

The third way is by incorporating bilingual books, and books that depict different cultures and lifestyles. It’s important for children to see themselves in the stories that are being read in the classroom. Having bilingual books will also show the children that their primary language is important while also teaching them English (Burnham, 2024).

The last way for children to see themselves represented is by posting both English and the other primary language of the students on the bulletin boards, and also teaching the children both languages during circle time or morning meeting time (Burnham, 2024).

One strategy that can be used to involve the families in the cultural discussions is by providing questionnaires that the families can fill out that gives them the opportunity to detail what their cultures and backgrounds are. It also gives the families the opportunity to provide any important and relevant information that a teacher might need to in order to effectively educate that child.

The second strategy builds off of the previous strategy. Once the families are able to inform the teacher what their primary culture and background is, it gives the teacher the ability to include the families more in the lessons and discussions. The family could be invited to come to the classroom one day, at their convenience, and teach the class about a specific tradition that the family practices.

The third strategy that can be utilized in the classroom would be to implement field trips that give children the opportunity to interact with the community (Ecker, 2022). One way that this could be done is by having a field trip where the children can volunteer at a food donation center. This is could be geared towards classrooms with older children. The younger classrooms could set up food donation boxes where they can collect food and other necessities that can be brought to a donation center.

Drexel University. (n.d.). The importance of diversity & multicultural awareness in education. School of Education. https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-teaching/advice/importance-of-cultural-diversity-in-classroom/

Ecker, J. (2022, January 26). Five ways to connect your classroom to the community. Education Reimagined. https://education-reimagined.org/five-ways-to-connect-your-classroom-to-the-community/