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2. Does the way we see ourselves affect how we treat others?

3. How can we embrace our differences and still be ourselves?

Activity:
We will start the lesson talking about race.  We will make a KWL chart that discusses what we know about race and racism and what we want to know. We will then read the book Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester.  Next we will write stories about ourselves that answer some of the questions asked in the book using words and drawings.  We will then share the stories with our classmates.  To conclude the lesson we will complete the “L” section of our chart to fill in what we learned about race and racism.  

Activity:
The lesson revolves around the reading of brown girl dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson, a novel in verse for middle grade students. We will read the book as a class and have a discussion about how our family, upbringing,  and culture define us.  Students will use discarded books to cut out words and create their own poetry about cultural identity and how we can embrace diversity and still be ourselves.  

When Connie was eight years old there were a lot of things she could not do because she was Black.  One of the those things was sitting at the lunch counter in her town of Greensboro, North Carolina.  She knows change is coming when she sees four Black men take hold of their rights and sit at the counter.  The move sparks a movement and we get to see change through the eyes of 8-year-old Connie. 

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This book is a how-to on how to address racism and other types of oppression in everyday life.  It even gives advice for young people on how to address racism with adults.  This book gives us real things we can do in real life to help make our world a better place.

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The pictures in this book help tell the story of a little boy connecting with his grandfather through drawing even when they don't speak the same language.  Minh Le shows us how our elders and our culture help shape our identities and reminds us that we are better off together.

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This book addresses racism and colorism through the eyes Lekha, an Indian girl in a mostly white town.  When Avantika moves across the street, Lekha is happy to have another Indian girl in the neighborhood, until she realizes that Avantika doesn't feel the need to blend in but is unapologetically herself.