This lesson is the sixth in a series called “The Different Colors of Beauty [1].” The goal of these lessons is to help students develop their racial or ethnic identities in a safe and open classroom environment, and appreciate the broad spectrum of beauty in our diverse, multicultural world.
Framework
After
working with difficult and complex themes in this series, it is essential for
students to reflect on the knowledge they have gained. It is also important for
students to value the artistic and literary works they have created and
acknowledge how their thinking has changed over time.
In this lesson, students will think about what they have learned throughout the series. They will brainstorm ways they can put their new and deeper understanding of race, racial identity and beauty to positive use in their community.
Professional Development
Reflection
is an important aspect of any kind of learning. By helping students to
consolidate newly acquired knowledge and insights, teachers can ignite and
accelerate young people’s ability to think critically about a range of social
issues. Some resources for helping students with metacognitive awareness and
growth are Reflection for Learning [2] and the overview of Reflection
available on infed [3] (the
informal education homepage and encyclopaedia of informal education).
Some websites that address writing reflections include Two Writing Teachers [4] and Teachers College Reading & Writing Project [5].
Finally, this lesson challenges children to take on roles as activists. A particularly useful book on the topic is Do Something: A Handbook for Young Activists, by Nancy Lublin (with Vanessa Martir and Julia Steers), and its accompanying website, Do Something [6].
Objectives
Activities
will help students:
Essential Questions
Glossary
reflection
[rih-FLEK-shuhn]
(noun) insightful thoughts
on something; a careful reconsideration of experiences
value [VAL-yoo]
(noun) an idea that holds
great worth to you, or the worth that you attribute to an object, a relationship
or a cause
celebration
[sel-uh-BREY-shuhn]
(noun) festivities to mark a
special event or occasion; to congratulate oneself or others
activism
[AK-tuh-viz-uhm]
(noun) engaging in work toward
the achievement of a particular goal, often of a political or social nature
Materials
Activities
Ask students what they have learned from listening to their classmates’ reflections.
ELL Extension (optional)
Now that
you have come to the end of this series, choose 10 to 20 key vocabulary words
for concepts that have been part of this series. Write the words in your
language journal or notebook. Write a sentence to help you remember each word;
then, challenge yourself to include this vocabulary in the poster or letter you
create in Step 5.
Extension Assignment (optional)
Reflective
thinking around important and challenging issues often leads to activism, which
can take a lot of time and energy. Form working groups in your classroom around
the ideas for creating change that you brainstormed in Step 4. Set aside one or
two periods a week to work on these projects over the course of the year. For
instance, maybe you want to create your own picture book with a positive impact
on racial identity. Perhaps you can write letters to people who you feel use oversimplifying
racial labels, or start a poster campaign in your school or neighborhood. Get
creative—the possibilities are endless. Build in time for community meetings
and reflections to report on how the work is going. Put your thoughts and hard
work into action!
Standards
Activities
and embedded assessments address the following standards from McREL 4th
edition [7]and Common Core State Standards for English
Language Arts [8].
Language
Arts
Standard 4. Gathers and uses information for
research purposes.
Standard 5. Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
Standard 6. Uses skills and strategies to read a variety of literary texts.
Standard 8. Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.
Civics
Standard 9. Understands
the importance of Americans sharing and supporting certain values, beliefs, and
principles of American constitutional democracy.
Standard 11. Understands the role of diversity in American life and the importance of shared values, political beliefs, and civic beliefs in an increasingly diverse American society.
Life Skills
Working
with Others
Standard 1. Contributes to the overall effort of
a group.
Standard 3. Works well with diverse individuals and in diverse situations.
Standard 4. Displays effective interpersonal communication skills.
Self
Regulation
Standard 2. Performs self-appraisal.
Standard 5. Maintains a healthy self concept.
Common Core State Standards, English Language Arts [8]
Speaking
and Listening
Comprehension
and Collaboration
Standard 1. Engages effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions.
Standard 2. Comes to discussion prepared, having read or studied required material.
Standard 3. Asks and answers questions about information from a speaker.
Presentation
of Knowledge and Ideas
Standard 4. Reports on a topic or text, tells a
story, or recounts an experience.
Standard 6. Speaks in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.
Links:
[1] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/different-colors-beauty
[2] http://sites.google.com/site/reflection4learning/why-reflect
[3] http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-reflect.htm
[4] http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/writing-celebration-in-progress-writing/
[5] http://readingandwritingproject.com/news/2011/06/09/burnet-school-celebrates-writing.html
[6] http://www.dosomething.org
[7] http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp
[8] http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards