Resource Unit Diversity

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Resource Unit - Diversity

• By Isabel Drees-Edmondson
• ED 417 Summer 2001
• Dr. Ronald G. Helms

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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Content
• Objectives
• Activities
• Evaluation
• Instructional Resources
• Teacher References
• Student References
• Media References

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Introduction

• The experience of communicating in every day
  situations is influenced by a persons ability to
  function and interact with others. Today
  communication and interaction are hindered by
  prejudice, social bias, socioeconomic status, and
  many other factors. People tend to be afraid of
  the unknown, anything outside the norm or
  majority culture. These hindrances occur in any
  environment. The most influential environment is
  the classroom.

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• Teachers have the opportunity, and possibly the
  responsibility, to engage students in thinking
  and viewing diversity not as hindrances, but as
  helps. What I mean when I say helps I mean
  that students are exposed to different cultures
  and are educated about disabilities. They become
  more open contributing citizens. They become
  more open to other cultures and learn not to be
  afraid of minority cultures and people with
  disabilities.
• This unit has been developed to introduce
  students to new worlds, cultures and allow
  students to be aware of disabilities.

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• This unit is prepared for third grade students
  and can be modified in order to make it
  appropriate for older or younger students. This
  is a five day unit. Because of the length of the
  unit, it will only be an introduction rather than
  in-depth coverage of the material.

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Content

• Day One - Differences
• On the first day the unit will be introduced. In
  a class discussion we will talk about our
  similarities and differences. The teacher will
  allow students to ask questions as well. The
  teachers goal is to engage the students to
  discover that despite obvious differences in
  appearance, hobbies, and tastes in food, they
  have much in common and share the same feelings
  and needs. Students will write about what we
  discuss in class

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• Day two - Prejudice
• On the second day the students will learn about
  racial prejudice, stereotyping, sexual bias, and
  other negatives. The goal is to get students to
  understand the results of these things. Ultimate
  goal is to help them build tolerance and help
  students overcome hurtful behaviors. Students
  will then watch video called How Were Different
  and Alike - a comical program that shows how
  prejudice springs from misunderstanding and fear
  and can be overcome if we take time to understand
  why differences exist.

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• Day three - Diversity
• On day three the students will be introduced to
  other ethnic groups around the world. Students
  will watch a fifty minute video that will show
  the students that differences are things to
  cherish. For homework, the students will choose
  a country and write a simple report giving facts
  about the country that are different from the
  United States.

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• Day four - Presentations
• On day four, students will present what they have
  written about the country they chose. When all
  students have presented, they will have free
  reading time to look at the many library books on
  diversity provided by the teacher.

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• Day five - Evaluation
• On the fifth day the students will be given a
  paper and pencil quiz covering material. The
  test will consist of multiple choice questions
  and objective questions.

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Concepts

• Ethnic
• Diversity
• Multicultural
• Prejudice

• Discrimination
• Differences
• Similarities
• Disability

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Objectives - As a result of instruction, students
will

• Identify similarities and differences between
  them and their classmates.
• Identify the terms listed under concepts.
• Present research theyve done on a chosen country
  to the class

• Identify situations depicting prejudice
• Observe videos enhancing knowledge of diversity
  and prejudice

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Activities

• Day one -
• Introduction The teacher will introduce the
  unit the students.
• Outcome The students are introduced to the
  unit. They will discuss differences and
  similarities and write a reaction in their
  journals about the discussion.
• Development Minimal resources are needed. The
  class does not need to be set up. The teacher
  will ask the students if they can identify
  something about her that is different from them.
  She will then ask them to identify something that
  is similar. Students and teacher will engage in
  a discussion about these differences and
  similarities focusing on appearance, hobbies,
  tastes in food, etc.

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Activities

• Day two -
• Introduction The students will be introduced to
  the effects of prejudice and other negatives.
• Outcome The students become familiar with
  different situations of prejudice on different
  levels.
• Development The teacher tells the students
  that they will be watching a video about
  prejudice, stereotyping, sexual bias, and other
  negatives. The teacher will then begin the
  video. Since the video is only ten minutes, the
  students will be asked to give examples of times
  they have experience prejudice and how it made
  them feel.

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Activities

• Day three -
• Introduction The students will be introduced to
  many other Ethnic cultures around the world.
• Outcome The students become familiar with other
  cultures by watching 50 minute video
• Development The teacher asks the students if
  any have traveled to other countries. She then
  asks them what country they would like to visit.
  She then introduces the video. The teacher then
  assigns the homework. Students are to choose a
  country of choice. They are not to tell anyone
  which country they have chosen. They need to
  find as much information they can about their
  country that is different from the United States.
  The students then watch the video. Since the
  video is so long, the students will be engaged
  for the rest of the class period.

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Activities

• Day four -
• Introduction Teacher will present the
  information she has found on the country she
  chose.
• Outcome Students sharpen their presentation
  skills by presenting their research on the
  country they chose.
• Development Teacher brings class attention to
  her at the beginning of class and reviews the
  video the class viewed the day before. She asks
  students what they liked best about the movie and
  what they didnt like. After a brief discussion
  about the movies the students begin
  presentations. The teacher wraps it up at the
  end of class.

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Activities

• Day five -
• Students will be evaluated on their comprehension
  of the material presented during the unit. See
  the evaluation on the next page.

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Evaluation

• 1. When someone makes a wrong judgement or
  opinion about you it is called______.
• A. Process
• B. Court ruling
• C. Prejudice
• D. Diversity

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• 2. Susie is from India. What is the word that
  describes her background?
• A. friendly
• B. Multicultural
• C. Society
• D. Ethnicity

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• 3. Diversity means_______.
• A. The same
• B. Changing
• C. Discrimination
• D. Variety

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• 4. Kaylas favorite food is pizza. Mias
  favorite food is rice. Kayla likes to play
  kickball. Mia likes to ride her bike. We have
  just described Kayla and Mias __________.
• A. Differences
• B. Similarities
• C. Holidays
• D. Prejudice

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• 5. When someone will not play with you because
  you are not a boy or you are not a girl, they are
  showing __________.
• A. Diversity
• B. Love
• C. Discrimination
• D. Similarities

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• 6. Similarities are things that are _______.
• A. Different
• B. the same
• C. Changing
• D. Reproduced

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• 7. A physical or mental impairment is a _______.
• A. Sickness
• B. Problem
• C. Disability
• D. Racist

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• True / False
• 1. Racism is a good thing
• 2. It hurts people when I call them a bad name
  or make fun of them.
• 3. Kelly and Greg live in a city called the
  Bronx in New York. They both like to play in the
  park. These are some similarities.
• 4. It is ok to beat someone up because of what
  they are wearing.

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• Write four sentences about the country you chose.
  Tell me what you learned about it.

• Tell me about a time when you felt hurt because
  of what someone said or did. Use two to three
  sentences.

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Instructional Resources

• Teacher References
• Student References
• Media References

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Teacher References
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1. A Trip Around the World Bringing Cultural
Awareness to Your Classroom With Activities
Across the Curriculum - Reproducible Activity
Book Carson-Dellosa 1993 This resource takes
primary children on activity-filled field trips
to Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Germany, The
Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan,
Australia, Canada, and the United States 2. The
Prejudice Book Activities for the Classroom -
Activities on reproducible pages Anti-Defamation
League 1994. This exercise-filled book employs a
two-pronged approach to teaching about prejudice
and discrimination. 3. Teacher, They called Me a
______! Anti-Defamation League 1995 This focuses
on racial prejudice, stereotyping, sexual bias,
and other negative attitudes. It provides 86
subject-related activities to build tolerance and
help children overcome hurtful behaviors. 4.
Appreciating Differences Multicultural Thematic
Units Teaching and Learning Company 1995 The 30
plus lessons in this book offer a variety of
whole-class activities encouraging students to
value the worth, contributions, and differences
of others.
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Student References
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1. Hispanic Heritage Poster Series -
Posters Knowledge unlimited. 1989-97 Subtly
toned, full-colored drawings distinguish these 12
large posters depicting Hispanic people famous
for excellence in their fields. 2. E Pluribus
Unum - Posters Child Graphics. 1992 Expressing
its quiet message of racial harmony, this
delicately evocative poster shows 13 Americans of
multiethnic origins standing with the red and
white stripes of the flag. The Latin phrase
means one out of many. 3. Ethnic Charts - 6
Charts Good Apple.1997 Full color charts
introduce students to the cultures of 6 different
groups. They feature photos and illustrations of
well-known members of each ethnic group. 4. Kids
Exploring Culture - Hardbacks Powerkids.
1997,1999 Each book tells about the daily life of
a child in a specific country or era.
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5. Young Geography Series - paperback Usborne.
1998 Books use maps with keys, foldouts and
cutaways to present unique childs eye view of
geography. 6. Smoky Night - paperback Harcourt
Brace. 1994 This is a story about cats and people
who couldnt get along until a night of rioting
brings them together. It is a story about a
little boy, his mother, and two missing cats. 7.
Cultural Rainbow Posters/ Banner An American
Alphabet Knowledge Unlimited. 1995 Banner
providing a stunning display of 26 brilliant
photographs of collections of artifacts,
clothing, food, works of art, and from a variety
of ethnic backgrounds 8. My First Amazing World
Explorer - CD-ROM Dorling Kindersley.
1998 Exercises offer an excellent way for younger
students to acquaint themselves with other
countries.
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9. Count Your Way Through the World - 16
paperbacks Carolrhoda. 1988-1996 These
introductions to world cultures not only show
students how to count to ten in 16 different
languages they also feature distinctive and
colorful art for each numeral that illustrates a
cultural characteristic. 10. Wisdom Tales From
Around the World - paperback August House.
1997 These 50 tales teach lessons about common
sense and simple virtue featuring different
traditions from different cultures.
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Media References
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1. Understanding Hate Crimes A Service for
Jeremy - video Cambrigdge. 2000 Intense dramas
expose deep rifts in a high school reeling after
the death of 15 year old Jeremy Wong - murdered
for being gay. 2. The Possible Dream? -
video Convergent Media Systems. 1993 This
program gathers together a multiethnic group of
students and administrators from a high school
where a racially motivated fight breaks out. 3.
Names Can Really Hurt Us - Video Anti-Defamation
League Teenagers in an ethnically diverse New
York City junior high school talk about their
painful experiences as victims of bigotry, and
they also reveal their own prejudices and
stereotypes. 4. The Persistence of Racism The
Phil Donahue Show 1993 This program follows four
groups of teenagers as they confront their own
prejudice.
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5. The Eye of the Storm - video ABC News. This
program is about a teacher who taught her third
graders about prejudice by dividing the class on
the basis of eye color. 6. Understanding
Prejudice - video Cambridge Educational.1996 Inte
rviews ten people who have very different points
of view, asking them how they define prejudice,
discrimination, and stereotype. 7. Prejudice
Answering Childrens Questions - video ABC News.
1991 Hosted by Peter Jennings, this childrens
forum presents young people voicing personal
experiences of prejudice against races. 8.
Valuing Diversity - video, guide Learning
Speed.1995 Designed to foster a realistic and
healthy appreciation of diversity, this program
covers learning that diversity means differences
that may stem from ethnicity, age, body type, or
disability.
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9. Stand and Be Counted - video NBC News
Productions. 1989 Illustrates how teenagers can
make a difference by rejecting racism. It
depicts personal interviews, news footage, and
insightful commentary. 10. Crimes of Hate -
video Anti-Defamation League This program
defines crimes of hate and explains what
motivates hate terrorists and documents the
messages of the victims and the perpetrators of
hate crimes 11. The Writing on the Wall -
video CBS Schoolbreak Special - video Based on a
true event about a rabbi who teaches three
teenagers about tolerance. 12. Prejudice The
Monster Within - video Knowledge Unlimited.
1996 Alternating between historical perspectives
and the candid opinions of American teenagers,
this program defines prejudice, exposes bigotrys
horrifying extremes, and sensitizes viewers to
everyday prejudices.
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13. A Class Divided - video PBS Frontline
Production. Explains the effect of an experiment
done by Jane Elliot at a prison facility. 14.
The Rosewood Massacre - video CBS.1994 Six
decades after the town of Rosewood was burned to
the ground and many of its residents killed in an
ugly 1923 racial clash, reporter Ed Bradley went
to Florida to interview survivors and get scoop
on what happened there. 15. Not in Our Town -
video The Working Group Heroes. 1995 Ideal
springboard for discussing prejudice and how to
fight it at the local level. 16. Why Cant We
Live Together? Dateline NBC - video NBC
News.1997 Tom Brokaw tests the reports on
Matteson, Illinois, an affluent, racially mixed
suburb of Chicago which is actively shopping for
white buyers in order to prevent the town from
tipping into black majority.
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17. School Ties - video 1992 This drama raises
issues such as the price one is willing to pay in
order to belong, peer and societal pressures,
cheating in school, prejudice, and
anti-Semitism. 18. The Birth of A Nation -
video Offers a flawed and profoundly racist view
of the Civil War and Reconstruction, but remains
a fascinating primary source for studying
American social history. 19. Gentlemens
Agreement - video Fox Exposes anti-Semitism in
a direct way. A writer pretends he is Jewish
then watches his relations with each person he
knows change. 20. Under our Skin Exploring
Racial and Cultural Differences - video HRM.
1989 This entertaining and uplifting documentary
chronicles a student-created, student-staged play
in which young actors explore their experiences
in confronting stereotypes and prejudice and
empathize with people from different backgrounds.