Cultural Identity Appreciation Lesson Plan

Cultural Identity Appreciation Lesson Plan

Lisa Barfield-McCarty

EDU 321: Introduction to Serving ELL

4-30-2011

Cultural Identity Appreciation Lesson Plan

            In the following week long lesson plan the main subject focus will be within the realm of social studies, though other subjects such as language arts and music will be integrated as well. The type of program used in this lesson is primarily sheltered instruction strategies. (Echevarria & Graves, 2011, pp. 6-7) It is assumed that the level of language development of target students will be primarily intermediate to early advanced. (Echevarria & Graves, 2011, pp. 15-18), though special considerations must be made in the event that students are present which fall into the beginning or early intermediate range. This lesson plan is designed to demonstrate components relevant to the Humanistic Learning Theory as it calls for students to interact well together in a cooperative manner and to build on self-esteem and cultural pride. 

Also demonstrated within the components of this lesson plan are ideas relevant to the Social Interactionist Learning Theory as peer to peer and student to teacher as well as child to parent type interactions are emphasized throughout along with an emphasis on understanding and respecting other people’s cultural attitudes and traditions. (Echevarria & Graves, 2011, pp. 38-42) The lessons will adhere to Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) features and incorporate a variety of meaningful activities through writing, art, and conducting interviews. Many opportunities for interaction and discussion will be had and a variety of techniques will be utilized including scaffolding strategies, teacher modeling or demonstration, key concepts being linked to student backgrounds, and frequent assessment of student comprehension. Higher order thinking skills and activities which integrate necessary language skills as well as hands on practice will be promoted through the lessons. (Echevarria & Graves, 2011, pp. 46-53)

During the week long lesson, students will learn to identify cultural similarities and differences between themselves and others they know. They will begin by learning about terms such as culture and heritage and finding out personal details about each other. They will move on to learning about their own family’s background and cultural identity. Various activities will be integrated into the daily class routine to provide sharing times for the students learning progress. Students will create graphic journals similar to scrapbooks as part of their ongoing assignment. Parents and other family members will be included in the process as much as is possible. 

By the end of the week long lesson students will be more knowledgeable of their own cultural background, recognize what makes them unique and take pride in honoring their differences. They will learn to respect others in their differences and understand that strong communities are created through connections held together by each person’s ability to recognize commonalities while accepting diversity.  This lesson plan will take some preparation, gathering of materials that will be needed and obtaining support from family members and other community helpers as much as possible.

Unit Name: Cultural Identity Appreciation Week

Grade Level: 1-3

Subject Area: Social Studies

Topic: Learning and sharing personal cultural identities.

Objectives:

·         Students will learn to relate to each other and understand how aspects of their own family life affect their interactions with others.

·         Students will interact with each other in an academic setting and social atmosphere.

·         Students will become aware of their own culture and heritage and share with others aspects of what they learn.

·         Students will become confident with who they are individually and learn to take pride in their family’s culture and traditions.

·         Student’s will learn about cultures different from their own and learn to see them as equally valuable to the larger community as their own.

·         Students will learn to organize thoughts and ideas about what they’ve learned in a graphic journal (scrapbook) and in the creation process show respect for other cultures and pride in their own heritage.

·         Students will practice critical thinking skills, reading, writing, creative expression, and basic researching skills.

Content:

            Day by day content should be listed and gone over with the students prior to the commencement of weekly activities so that they may know what to expect. An outline of what is to come should be sent home with each student notifying parents of the upcoming content and asking for their assistance or participation in whatever form they are able to give. Classroom items needed for the entire week’s lesson should be obtained, organized, and prepared for instructional and classroom usage well beforehand.

Day 1 – Becoming Aware of our Cultural Identity

Provide students with information about what culture is and the numerous aspects of one’s life that can be attributed to culture. Talk about what heritage means and how each of us has a unique family history filled with obstacles that have been overcome, struggles that have been faced, and values and traditions that have been passed on to each new generation. Explain that if you look back into your own family history far enough that you will find a point where your family first came to live in a particular geographical region by picking up and moving from one location to another. Explain that this may have happened many times or only a few and that in so doing may have brought traditions and value systems with them from other locales. Also explain that through such moves other ways of life and languages may have been acquired.

            Gather students around for a group reading experience and share the book “Different Just like Me” with them. Afterward, lead an open discussion about the ideas being expressed by the book. Ask the students to share some thoughts about their own differences and also about what makes them similar to each other.

            Provide students with their own scrapbooking materials (one binder, several page protectors to get started, etc.) and allow them access to “as needed” materials such as stickers and scissors. Explain that the scrapbook will be added to each day as the class explores their own cultures and experience ideas about each other’s culture. Getting started with this activity should include using markers or paint pens to personalize the outside cover of the scrapbooks. Also, provide students with an introductory coloring page and guide them to create a cover page for the first page in their books where they write the words “My Culture.” Give students paper to list some of their own positive personal attributes related to their culture and add this to their journal.

            If episodes can be obtained either online or elsewhere, share some of the Global Grover videos or Arthur’s World Neighborhood videos in class. Selected Arthur’s World Neighborhood activities may also be incorporated to help students explore cultural diversity. (WGBH, 2011) These videos can be utilized on other days as well. Send students home with the task of interviewing family members about their history and special traditions. Ask them to bring in examples of their cultural heritage (things of cultural significance, photos that represent their culture, stories and traditions, or geographical information about where their family originated, etc.). These items can be brought in and shared throughout the week. Invite them to wear things of cultural significance throughout the week and/or to learn and speak some words or phrases in relevant alternative languages. Provide them with a classroom example of the word “Hello” as spoken in other languages either on a bulletin board or word cards that can be handled.

Day 2 – Recognizing Differences and Similarities (tie-ins to Day 4)

            Introduce students to various languages sharing similar expressions such as with a bulletin board or word cards created that indicate how to say hello in different languages. Explain that the words sound different and often greetings are different (shaking hands, bowing, etc.) but that the intent is the same. Go over the various greetings with the students, allowing them to greet each other using the different forms and show them how to pronounce hello in several languages. Selected reading/s of the day should be shared as a group and discussed.

Students participate in a peer to peer discovery time in which they pair up and interview each other about their family customs and traditions. Every few minutes partners change in order to give students a chance to discover new things about each of their classmates. The teacher will also share with the class information about their culture and answer student questions. Handouts copied from the Behavior Smart! book are given entitled “I Draw, You Run” (Ballare & Lampros, 1994) in which students find complimentary things to say about one another and teacher provides assistance to students in writing it down. Afterward, students will create scrapbook pages for their journal that reflect some of the things they have learned about culture as it relates to their peers and people they know. They should be instructed to concentrate on differences first and then similarities when creating their pages (can be more than two pages if desired by the student, allowing them to fully express their thoughts). All created pages can then be added to the student’s journals.

Day 3 – Sharing Family Culture

            Selected reading/s of the day should be shared as a group and discussed. Students share prepared worksheets based on at home interviews about their family’s culture. Parents or other relatives are invited to talk to the class about family traditions and history. Question and Answer time with guests is conducted. Families are also invited on this day to bring prepared food or beverage items unique to their culture to share with the class. 

            For the added journal creation activities, students should be introduced to making a simple family tree. This can be modeled on a blackboard or dry erase board and printouts can be given that depict the basic setup of a family tree (self, parents, siblings, grandparents) with areas to add names and drawings. Give students paper to list some positive aspects about their family culture and add this to their scrapbook journal.

Day 4 – Cultures of our Community (tie-ins to Day 2)

            Introduce students to the concept of both the global and the local community. Demonstrate through illustrations (globe, maps, or other forms of geographical picturing) the concept of a global community. Explain what makes people different (learned and developed responses to environmental factors, language, customs, etc.) and explain what makes people similar (basic needs, feelings, agriculture and industry development based on local resources and local community needs, etc.). 

            Ask the students to recall what was learned on day 2 and consider how a person’s differences might affect a local community if they were to move into it from another very different cultural location. Lead a group discussion about this. Ask the students then to think about and name some cultural influences they have noticed within the local community through previous classroom interactions and through outside connections and observations. Have the students draw representations of these observations and encounters to create more pages for their scrapbook. 

Give the students coloring pages that depict local community images and world geographical locations and allow them to choose images that resonate with their own observations and encounters to color and add to their scrapbooks. Encourage the addition of words in any language and whole sentences on their pages to help depict what they have chosen to create. 

If applicable and time permitting the teacher may opt to take the students to an outdoor community location such as a supermarket and have the students identify things in their surroundings that may have been influenced by different world cultures. Alternatively, the teacher may opt to bring in a variety of items found at a local supermarket to help students recognize influences of other cultures within their community. Selected reading/s of the day should be shared as a group and discussed.

Day 5 – Folk Tales and Customs

            Selected reading/s of the day should be shared as a group and discussed. Ask the students to share any handed down customs, traditions, stories, or historical data they may have learned over the week pertaining to their own family or others.  Students should create journal scrapbook pages that represent these customs and stories and show appreciation for their influence in their lives. Songs, dances, and other interesting traditions can be shared at this time, either as a group led activity or through visual depictions or auditory examples that have been gathered throughout the week or beforehand.

Procedure or Method of Instruction:

·         Model self-honoring behavior for students by expressing pride in one’s own heritage through personal dress, classroom discussion, and introducing them to a variety of items and stories of personal cultural relevance.

·         Frequently check for understanding and provide extra assistance where needed, utilizing methods such as teacher demonstration and language support along with body cues and one on one practice time.

·         Making sure to monitor student work and gently correct mistakes as well as provide appropriate pacing for each student.

Materials Needed:

Teacher Resources –

·         Book by Antonia Ballare and Angelique Lampros entitled “Behavior Smart!” (Selected Activities) (Ballare & Lampros, 1994)

·         Selected videos to be used on any day during free time periods or as supplemental material on particular days such as “Global Grover” or “Arthur’s World Neighborhood.”

Scrapbooking Activity –

·         Three ring binders, enough for each student to have one.

·         Page protectors and page size card stock in a variety of colors and designs.

·         Paint pens or markers and crayons or colored pencils.

·         Glue sticks and a variety of stickers and other page decorating items.

·         Primary writing paper and child safe scissors.

Day 1 – Becoming Aware of our Cultural Identity

·         Suggested reading: Book by Lori Mitchell entitled “Different Just Like Me.” (Mitchell, 1999)

·         Selected activity from the Arthur’s World Neighborhood Lesson Plan site. (optional)

Day 2 – Recognizing Differences and Similarities

·         Suggested reading: Book by Todd Parr entitled “It’s Okay to be Different.” (Parr, It’s Okay to be Different, 2007)

·         Language cards depicting the word Hello in various languages or prepared bulletin board for the same purpose.

·         The “I Draw, You Run” handout taken from the Behavior Smart! book. (Ballare & Lampros, 1994)

Day 3 – Sharing Family Culture

·         Suggested reading: Book by Todd Parr entitled “The Family Book.” (Parr, The Family Book, 2003)

·         Suggested Reading: Book by Caroline Leavitt entitled “The Kids’ Family Tree Book.” (Leavitt, 2007)

·         Worksheets for conducting family interviews (parents fill in responses or assist child). (F+W Media Inc., 2011)

·         Family tree worksheet handouts. (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2011)

Day 4 – Cultures of our Community

·         Suggested reading: Book by Mem Fox entitled “Whoever You Are.” (Fox, 1997)

·         Suggested reading: Book by David J. Smith entitled “If the World Were a Village: A Story about the World’s People.” (Smith, 2002) An alternative to this would be the DVD presentation by the same name. (Master Communications, 2009)

·         Geographical location and local community depiction coloring sheets. (DLTK, 2011), (Opportunity Knocks, Inc., 2010), (Crayola LLC, 2011), (Super Coloring Pages, 2011), (The Kidz Page, 2010)

·         Gathered cultural examples from local community. (optional)

Day 5 – Folk Tales and Customs

·         Suggested reading: Book by Selby Beeler entitled “Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World.” (Beeler & Karas, 1998)

·         Collected songs, dances, and/or illustrations to share with the class representing a variety of culture connections that demonstrate diverse world customs and art. Suggested resource for supplemental material: Mama Lisa’s World of Children and International Culture website. (Yannucci, 2011)

Evaluation or Assessment:

            Allow students to each share their completed journal scrapbooks with the class as a wrap up assignment, explaining in a narrative manner to the other students about each page. Separate the students into groups and give them the assignment of creating culture specific poster boards that depict some of the concepts and customs learned about over the week.

References

 

Ballare, A., & Lampros, A. (1994). Behavior smart!: Ready-to-use Activities for Building Personal and Social Skills in Grades K-4. Columbus: Center for Applied Research in Education.

Beeler, S. B., & Karas, G. B. (1998). Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World. Albany: Houghton Mifflin & Co.

Crayola LLC. (2011). Cut and Color, Cultural Celebrations. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from Crayola LLC: http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/cut-and-color/cultural-celebrations-coloring-pages/

DLTK. (2011). Countries and Cultures Coloring Pages. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from DLTK: http://www.coloring.ws/countries.htm

Echevarria, J., & Graves, A. (2011). Sheltered Content Instruction - Teaching English Learners with Diverse Abilities (4th ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

F+W Media Inc. (2011). Family Tree Forms. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from Family Tree Magazine Kids: http://kids.familytreemagazine.com/kids/forms.asp

Fox, M. (1997). Whoever You Are. Orlando: Harcourt Books.

Leavitt, C. (2007). The Kids' Family Tree Book. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.

Master Communications, I. (Director). (2009). If the World Were a Village: A Story About the World's People [Motion Picture].

Mid-Continent Public Library. (2011). Family Tree Coloring Sheet . Retrieved May 1, 2011, from Midwest Genealogy Center: http://www.mymcpl.org/_uploaded_resources/MGC-familytreecoloringsheet.pdf

Mitchell, L. (1999). Different Just Like Me. Watertown,MA.: Charlesbridge Publishing.

Opportunity Knocks, Inc. (2010). Color My Town - Community Coloring Book. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from Color My Town: http://colormytown.com/

Parr, T. (2007). It’s Okay to be Different. New York: Hachette Book Group.

Parr, T. (2003). The Family Book. New York: Hachette Book Group.

Smith, D. J. (2002). If the World Were a Village - A Book about the World's People. Toronto: Kids Can Press.

Super Coloring Pages. (2011). Paint the World - Super Coloring. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from Super Coloring Pages: http://www.supercoloring.com/pages/category/artsculture/

The Kidz Page. (2010). Free Printable Coloring Book Pages for Kids! Retrieved May 1, 2011, from The Kidz Page: http://www.thekidzpage.com/colouring_menus/index.htm

WGBH. (2011). Arthur's World Neighborhood - Lesson Plans. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from PBS Parents: http://www.pbs.org/parents/arthur/lesson/world/

Yannucci, L. (2011). International Music & Culture. Retrieved May 2, 2011, from Mama Lisa's World: http://mamalisa.com/