Fill - Free fillable Effective Teaching in Diverse Classrooms Module 3

Effective Teaching in Diverse Classrooms

Module 3 - Phase 1 Activities

C.A.R.E. Guide Resources

Standard 1 – Joint Productive Activities

• Community Building /Classroom Agreement Activity – If you have done a

community building Activity to create Classroom Agreements, describe your

activity and your classroom agreements and post them on the Discussion board

and tell us how they are working. If you haven’t done a Community Building

Activity to create a Classroom Agreement, do such an activity to create a

classroom agreement and then post the activity, the agreement, and how the

activity went on the Discussion Board. If you have an Agreement that the

students were not engaged in creating, start with the Agreement and do a

Community building Activity talking about those rules and discuss what

Agreements they want to make as a class and then post the Activity, the

Agreement, and how the Activity went on the Discussion Board.

o C.A.R.E. Resource: Page 2-6, Activity 1, Community Agreement

and Page 2-6, Activity 2, Template for Procedures:

Activity #1

Community Agreements

This activity can help each diverse student feel a part of the classroom

community, especially if the teacher elicits a response from each child

regardless of physical, academic, or language ability.

Lesson Preparation

Grades: K-12

Duration: 10-30 minutes

Grouping: Whole class

Materials: Chart paper, pens

Objective: Co-create community agreements/

classroom norms between teacher and students. Assessment: All students

participate in the process.

Lesson Delivery

Briefing

1. 1. Give students the objectives of the lesson (e.g., Today we are

going to think about how we want to treat each other).

2. 2. Briefly explain “the how” (e.g., We are going to develop a list of

classroom norms).

Instructional Frame

1. Ask students to brainstorm the following prompt:

What would help us work best together in the classroom?

2. Teacher records responses on chart paper.

3. Teacher and students work together to categorize the responses into

community agreements/norms for the classroom.

4. Teacher and/or students rewrite the classroom norms onto a chart to be

displayed in the classroom at students’ eye level. For English language learners,

be sure to include simple pictures/graphics to illustrate each of the agreements.

5. Teach and model the norms throughout the day.

Debriefing (Reflection/Closure)

1. Ask students to respond to the following questions:

. • What worked well in this activity?

. • What norms did we follow?

• What could we do next time to work better together?

Activity #2

Template for Procedures Lesson

Setting out expectations for how the classroom will operate helps students to

understand their role in the learning process. You can work with your students to

create procedure charts for common classroom routines such as:

. • Group work

. • Lining up

. • Transition times

. • Unfinished homework

. • Student-to-student disagreements

. • Turning in papers

. • Heading papers

. • Individual work

. • Activity centers

This activity helps to share the responsibility for an orderly classroom among

students and teachers.

Lesson Preparation

Grades: K-12

Duration: 5-20 minutes

Grouping: Whole class

Materials: Chart paper or tag board,

markers

Objectives:

To establish, model, and

reinforce classroom

procedures and routines

Assessment: Student participation and following through with classroom

procedures

Lesson Delivery

Briefing: Explain objectives of lesson to students so that they will help you to

create a procedure for a classroom routine (e.g., “Today we are going

to think about how we line up for recess. What would that look like?”).

Instructional Frame

1. Ask students to develop the steps: “When it is time to line up, what do we do

first? What is the second step?”

2. Continue asking students to sequence the steps, as you write these

procedures on a chart.

• Activity on Independent Activity – Design an independent activity that

most of your class can work on as you work with a small group of students

(5-8 students). Post on the discussion Board your Independent Activity

and how it went i.e. were you able to work with your small group

uninterrupted and did the students have trouble with the independent

activity.

C.A.R.E. Guides – Page 3-21, Activity 6, Student Generated rules

for Punctuation

Activity #6

Student-Generated Rules for Punctuation

Frequently, students make the same grammatical errors—punctuating dialogue,

capitalization, commas, etc. One way to deal with these errors is to ask students

to generate the rules. They remember their own rules far longer than when they

read the rule and correct the errors in a punctuation exercise.

Lesson Preparation

Grades: 6-12

Duration: 45-60 minutes

Grouping:

Small groups

Materials: Copies of story, chart paper,

markers

Objectives:

• To help students

understand

grammar and punctuation

• To identify patterns of errors

students are making and

correct them

Lesson Delivery

1. Copy a page from a short story or novel that demonstrates the rules you want

students to learn—for example, to teach about punctuating dialogue, choose a

piece of dialogue interrupted by an attribution, a question, a dialogue where the

speakers change but there is no attribution.

2. Put the students in small groups and distribute the passage. Ask them to

imagine that they are creating a new book to help students punctuate correctly.

3. Ask them to write up five rules that explain punctuation for your area of focus

(like punctuating dialogue) and to include an example for each rule from the

selected passage. Give them hints to help them start: for example, on punc-

tuating dialogue, look at where the commas, quotes, and capitals are located.

4. After checking to see if the rules are correct, consolidate where possible and

post the rules on the wall as a reminder during writing time. Students also learn

that if they forget the rules, they can just pull down a novel that has dialogue and

figure them out again.

5. See the “Patterns of Errors Check List” (page 3-22) for areas you may want to

focus on with your students. You can identify your own list based on what you

see in their work.

Linda Christensen, “The Politics of Correction,” Rethinking Schools, 18, 1 (2003): 20-24

www.rethinkingschools.org

• Joint Productive Activity – Design a JPA (Joint Productive Activity) that

your students can do with a small group of students. Have your students

do the JPA and then evaluate how it went. Post on the Discussion Board

how your JPA went and what you would do differently the next time you do

a JPA.

C.A.R.E. Guide – page 2-13, Activity 6, Community Based

Projects; Representation; Page 3-6, Activity 1, Venn Diagram,

Page 3-14, Activity 3, Text Representation, Page 5-8, Activity 2,

Think-Pair-Share

Activity #6

Community-Based Projects

This activity can help you learn more about what is happening in your students’

communities and what matters most to them.

Lesson Preparation

Grades: K-12

Duration: Two weeks or more

Grouping: Whole class

Materials:

Depends on project

Objective: To use academic concepts

and

skills in meaningful contexts

such as community-based

projects and/or service

learning projects

Assessment: All students complete a community-based project

Lesson Delivery

Briefing: • Educator investigates possible projects in community such as

recycling, taking care of the local environment, tutoring younger

students, and volunteer work with community service organizations.

. • Educator connects with community stakeholders to obtain feedback on

potential projects.

. • Explain to students the objectives and rationale for this project.

Instructional Frame

. • Teacher presents possible ideas and asks students to brainstorm

additional ideas.

. • Teacher and students agree on a project.

. • Teacher and students co-create a plan to implement project.

Example: Elementary and Middle School

. • Teacher and whole class decide to start a recycling program in the

school cafeteria.

. • Students and teacher decide to which organization earned money will be

donated from the recycling program proceeds.

. • They work with school administrators and custodians to set up a

“recycling center” in the school cafeteria.

. • Students create an “infomercial” about the project.

. • In teams of 3-4 students each, they go to other classrooms to present

the goals of the recycling program and ask for support and participation in the

program.

. • Students keep track on a weekly basis of amount of recycled materials

(plastic, aluminum foil, etc.) by pounds.

Example: High School Science

. • Teacher and whole class decide to start a “recycling car oil” program for

their Environmental Science class.

. • Students coordinate an “Oil Collection Day” in a nearby community

location.

. • Students make informational posters, flyers, brochures, and public

service announcements on radio and television about responsible ways to

recycle car oil.

. • Students disseminate the information in the community.

• Students organize their teams to staff the Oil Collection Day.

Activity #1

Venn Diagram

Conceptual understanding beyond rote learning helps to expand struggling

students’ ability to use their higher cognitive functions. The following activity

illustrates one way to do this.

Lesson Preparation

Grades: K-12

Duration: 20- 45 minutes

Grouping: Whole class or educator-led

small groups

Materials: Chart paper, pens

Objectives: • To compare and contrast

characteristics or qualities between two concepts (e.g., story

characters, geometric shapes, geographical areas, animals,

plants, etc.)

. • To develop critical thinking skills through analyzing similarities and

differences

. • To teach academic language

Assessment: Student participation in the process; student completion of Venn

diagram; student ability to interpret the information (orally or in

writing) presented in the Venn Diagram

Lesson Delivery

Briefing: Introduce the objectives of this lesson. “Today we are going to study

the similarities and differences between _________.” Briefly explain to students

how they are going to do this. “We are going to use our critical thinking skills to

create a Venn Diagram that will show how concepts are alike and different.”

Instructional Frame

• Part A: Introduction to Venn Diagram

To introduce elementary (K-3) students to the Venn Diagram:

1. Educator can bring in a set of the following: hula hoops/jump ropes/ yarn and

make two intersecting circles.

2. Educator introduces and models vocabulary of “same” and “different” ( ____

and ____ both have long hair. Their hair is the same. ___ and ___ are wearing

different shoes).

3. Educators ask students to identify similarities and differences from items in the

classroom (blocks, shoes, etc.).

4. Students place items in the Venn Diagram according to the similarities and

differences between the items. The space where the two circles overlap is for

items that hold characteristics in common. The external spaces of the circles

where they do not overlap are for items that are different from each other. Be

sure to give students the vocabulary term “Venn Diagram” so that you build

academic language.

To introduce upper elementary and secondary (4-12) students to the Venn

Diagram:

1. Educators can provide students with a Venn Diagram worksheet with two

intersecting circles.

2. Educators can ask students to think about the similarities and differences

between two concepts the class is currently studying.

3. During whole group discussion, model on an overhead or on the board how to

use the Venn Diagram to show the similarities and differences between the two

concepts. As you model, students follow along, completing their own Venn

Diagrams.

4. After the modeling and guided practice, have students work in pairs to

complete a Venn Diagram.

• Part B: Instructional Application: Character Analysis

This can be done as a whole group activity or as an educator-led instructional

conversation with 3-7 students.

1. Students read two stories by same author and/or different versions of the

same story (e.g., The Three Bears by different authors, etc.).

2. Educator creates a Venn Diagram on chart paper with titles of books. Educator

also provides a worksheet version for each student.

3. Students brainstorm similarities and differences between the main characters

of each story.

4. Educator and students discuss similarities and differences.

5. Follow-up activity: Students create a Venn Diagram comparing themselves to

one of the characters.

Debriefing

. • What worked well in this activity? In what ways did we follow our class-

room norms?

. • What was challenging for you?

. • What are other uses for Venn Diagrams?

• How could we do better next time with this activity?

Activity #3

Text Representation

There are lots of ways to test the reading comprehension of students beyond

standardized tests and traditional “read and respond” activities. This activity is a

reminder to look for alternative ways for your students to demonstrate their

mastery of text and their varying ways of understanding and communicating

what they have learned.

Lesson Preparation

Grades: 1-8

Duration: 30–60 minutes

Grouping:

Whole class or educator-led

small groups

Materials: Dependent on activity

Objectives:

• To demonstrate

comprehension

of a story using students’

words and creative

representations

• To teach academic

language

Assessment: Use a simple rubric to rate the quality of the representations that

students produce.

Lesson Delivery

Briefing: Introduce the objectives of this lesson. “Today you are going to learn

new ways to show what you learned from the story we just read.”

Briefly explain to students how they are going to do this. “You are going

to use your creativity to select a way to re-tell the story.”

Instructional Frame

1. Students read a story.

2. Students work in pairs to recreate the text using their own language. Activities

can include: role-play, written summary, diorama, cartoon sequence.

3. Students present their representation to whole class or small group.

Debriefing

. • What worked well in this activity?

. • In what ways did we follow our classroom norms?

. • What was challenging for you?

• How could we do better next time with this activity?

Activity #2

Think-Pair-Share

For the next activity, you may want to develop some ways to pair students with

classmates they don’t always work with in order to provide a variety of

experiences and stimulate different ideas. This activity helps to scaffold or

bridge content with academic language, especially for English language

learners.

Lesson Preparation

Grades: K-12

Duration: l0-40 minutes, depending on

number of prompts

Grouping:

Partners

Materials:

Depends on activity

Objective: To provide an opportunity for

students to build academic

and conversational language

Lesson Delivery

Briefing: Introduce the objectives of this lesson. “Today we are going to work in

partners to help us think about _______.” Briefly explain to students how they are

going to do this. “We are going to first think about ______, and then find a

partner, and share your ideas.”

Instructional Frame

1. Educator poses a prompt or question about the concept and unit of study. For

example, if a class was studying the fire department and its relationship to the

community, the educator might ask:

. • Elementary: What does a firefighter do? Think about this for a moment,

and share with your partner.

. • Middle: When we visit the fire department next week, what will be most

interesting to you and why? Think about this for a minute, and share your

responses with your neighbor.

. • High School: If you were a firefighter, what equipment would you be sure

to point out to students on field trips and why? Think about this for a minute, and

share your response with a partner.

2. To ensure that all students participate, you may want to have an objective

process for picking partners (choose someone wearing the same color, who has

a pet, etc.)

3. Allow each student one minute to share with his or her partner after

hearing the prompt. You may want to remind them about good listening skills and

ask them to listen without responding while the student’s partner is sharing.

4. With older students, you may want to give them another minute to respond

to what they heard, get clarification, ask questions, etc.

5. When pairs finish, ask students to share some of the ideas they heard.

Allow students to discuss

or ask questions as you connect this to the unit.

6. You may want to use several rounds on the same or different prompts.

Students can stay with the same partner to discuss the next prompt, or you

can have them choose a new partner.

Debriefing

. • What worked well in this activity?

. • In what ways did we follow our classroom norms?

. • What was challenging for you?

. • How could we do better next time with this activity?

Standard 2 – Language and Literacy Development

• LLD Activity: Design a small group activity for a lesson in which you

work with a small group of students exhibiting at least two of the three

guidelines for Standard 2. Complete the activity with your students and

then post on the Discussion Board a brief description of the Activity and

your analysis of how the activity went. If you are working with a colleague,

observe each other doing the lesson and provide feedback to your

colleague on the activity.

o Guidelines

 Model the Language of Instruction

 Design Tasks to Promote Students’ Language

Development

 Emphasize Word Meaning and Concept Development

C.A.R.E. Guidelines – Page 2-22, Activity 10, I Am From…;Page 3-7, Activity

2, Models of different Types of Paragraphs; page 5-12, Activity 5, Say

Something Write Something

Activity #10

“I am from…” Statements

This activity builds on the exploration of cultural identities and incorporates

writing skills.

Lesson Preparation

Grades: 6-12 Duration: 60 minutes Grouping: Whole class Materials: Paper,

pencils, copy of “I Am

From…”matrix, “I am from...” statement on either overhead or

chart paper

Objectives: • Help students examine the variety of cultural factors that shape

them

• Learn more about your students

Assessment: Completion of “I am…” statement by all students and the

teacher/ESP

Lesson Delivery

Briefing:

. • Explain purpose of lesson to students

. • Point out that each of us is influenced by a variety of factors in our lives

. • Focus of activity is expression and creativity vs. punctuation and

grammar

Instructional Frame

1. Show students a sample of an “I am from” statement. (Your own, or see

sample below).

2. Show students matrix of sample categories/factors.

3. Ask students if they have any more categories to add to matrix.

4. Give students time to write their

own “I am from” statements.

5. Students share their statements at tables.

6. Students discuss ways their statements were alike and different.

Debriefing

Process this activity by asking students the following:

. • How are you like your classmates?

. • How are you different from your classmates?

. • What did you learn about your classmates?

. • What did you learn about yourself?

. • What did you learn that surprised you?

“I am from…” Matrix Category/factors

Places Events

Products Phrases

Food Smells

People Sounds

Common things Sights

Pictures Ouches

Activity #2

Models of Different Types of

Paragraphs

Providing students with templates or models as they are learning a new skill can

be a good way to help them gain confidence in their ability. The templates in this

activity were developed for English language learners but are useful for learners

of varying ability levels. The “Expository Text Structures Chart” can be used to

help students compare different approaches in writing.

Lesson Preparation

Grades: 2-12 Duration: 20-40 minutes Grouping: Small group, pairs, or whole

group

Materials: Chart paper, markers, “Models of Different Types of Paragraphs”

(English and Spanish, (pages 3-10 - 3-13), “Expository Text

Structures Chart” (page 3-9)

Objectives: • To learn ways to use different writing structures to communicate a

variety of purposes

• To teach academic language

Assessment: Use a rubric rating to assess the quality of students’ completed

paragraphs.

Lesson Delivery

Briefing: Introduce the objectives of this lesson. “We are going to learn an easy

way to write a paragraph to describe ___________.” Briefly explain to

students how they are going to do this. “We are going to use a

paragraph frame to help us learn how to write our paragraphs.”

Instructional Frame

1. Engage students in a conversation about the topic they will be writing about in

their paragraphs. Ask the students to share their background experiences and

knowledge about the topic. List their ideas using a Web or other graphic

organizer on a piece of chart paper. (See “Expository Text Structures Chart,”

page 3-9).

2. Distribute “Models of Different Types of Paragraphs to students. Ask students

to write a paragraph on the topic they just discussed using the paragraph frame

structure to guide their writing. Model this process as guided practice if students

are not ready to do this as an independent or partner activity.

3. Ask student volunteers to read aloud their paragraphs to a small group or the

whole class. After each one shares, allow students to give appreciations or

feedback, such as: “I like the part where you said________ because

_______________.” Or “I have a question about ______________.”

Debriefing

. • What worked well in this activity?

. • In what ways did we follow our classroom norms?

. • What was challenging for you?

. • What are other things we might use a paragraph frame for?

. • How could we do better next time with this activity?

Cristina Sanchez-Lopez, Ph.D., Education Consultant, Illinois Resource Center, (2003).

Expository Text Structures Chart

Type of Text Structure Purpose Key Words

Description

Tells how something looks,

feels or acts. Identifies charac-

teristics or components.

Appeared, behaved, felt, acted

Time Order/Sequence Lists sequential information or

series of events. Gives direc-

tions for doing or making

something.

Before, then, after, following

finally, first, next

Cause/Effect Explains reasons. Tells why

something happens or exists.

So, so that, since, thus,

because, in order to, therefore,

as a result

Compare/Contrast Shows similarities and

differences.

Both, also, while, whereas,

however, yet, but

Enumerative/Listing Provides main topic, supporting

details, and examples.

First, another, next, also, most

important, finally

Problem

Resolution/Persuasion

Identifies need and importance,

suggests resolution, persuades,

enlists support, and describes

consequences.

Solution, problem, answer, so

that, because, as a result

Sanchez-Lopez, Cristina, Ph. D.; Education Consultant, Illinois Resource Center (2003)

Models of Different Types of

Paragraphs

Sequential:

In order to _____________________________________________, you must

follow several steps.

First,

________________________________________________________________

______________

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

Then,

________________________________________________________________

______________

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

Next,

________________________________________________________________

______________

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

Finally,

________________________________________________________________

_____________

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

Chronological:

At the beginning,

________________________________________________________________

___

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

After that,

________________________________________________________________

__________

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

Next,

________________________________________________________________

______________

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

The __________________ended

when__________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

Cristina Sanchez-Lopez, Ph.D., Education Consultant, Illinois Resource Center, (2003).

Models of Different Types of

Paragraphs

Compare-Contrast:

___________________________________________and

____________________________________ are alike and are different in

several ways. First, they are alike because ____________________

but they are different because

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

Secondly, one is

________________________________________________________________

____

while the other is

________________________________________________________________

___

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

Finally, they are alike because

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

But they are different

because________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

Problem-Solution:

The problem began

when____________________________________________________________

. The ______________________________________ tried

to__________________________________.

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

After

that,_____________________________________________________________

_____________

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

Then,

________________________________________________________________

_____________.

The problem was finally resolved when

________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

___________________.

Cristina Sanchez-Lopez, Ph.D., Education Consultant, Illinois Resource Center, (2003).

Activity #5

Say Something, Write Something

Culturally and linguistically diverse students learn best when there is an authentic

purpose in the lesson being taught. Authenticity is best developed when educators

incorporate diverse students’ lives and experiences into their lessons. The writing

process offers opportunities for educators to draw upon the students’ lives and

experiences.

This is an alternative strategy to help English Language Learners and other stu-

dents to master curriculum content as they read.

Say Something

Lesson Preparation

Grades: 2-9 Duration: Depends on content Grouping: Pairs or small groups

Materials: Assigned reading materials for

content

Objective: To provide students with an oral strategy for responding to literature

and nonfiction texts (science, social studies, etc.)

Lesson Delivery

1. Students choose a selection to read.

2. Students select their reading partner.

3. Partners decide how much of the text to read silently before stopping to “Say

Something.”

4. Both students comment on what was read, author’s style or tone, comprehension

problems, personal connections, what the passage made them think of, images that

came to mind, etc.

5. Process is repeated.

6. Can also be done in a large group when teacher is reading aloud and stops for

quick oral responses.

7. Can use the same process when showing a short video clip as a pre-reading

activity.

Write Something

Lesson Preparation

Grades: 3-12

Duration: Depends on content

Grouping:

Pairs or small groups

Materials:

Assigned reading materials

for

content

Objective:

To provide students with a

writing strategy for responding

to literature and nonfiction

texts.

Lesson Delivery

1. Copy a page of text and allow space for large margins in which students can write

their comments.

2. Students may write their comments while they read and follow the same

procedure as in the “Say Something” activity.

3. Students may also use “post-it” notes to write their comments and leave them on

the pages of the book rather than copying the actual text.

4. The notes students produce will serve as guides for “Say Something,” for studying

for a test, or for writing summaries.

Cristina Sanchez-Lopez, Ph. D.; Education Consultant, Illinois Resource Center, 2003.

Standard 3 – Contextualization

• Build New Skills on Student’s Experiences & Knowledge Activity –

Design a lesson for a small group in which you are presenting new

material incorporating student’s prior knowledge in the lesson. Use the

worksheet for planning your lesson. After you have taught the lesson,

identify what you have learned from the experience and post your

learning’s on the discussion Board.

C.A.R.E. Guide – page 2-14, Activity 7, Features of Culture; Page 2-22, Activity

10, I Am From…

Activity #7

Features of Culture

An example of engaging families as resources for learning is found in the

following lesson developed for use by the Peace Corps. The homework activity

should be completed by the student with his or her family members, and is appropri-

ate for a variety of grades.

Lesson 2: Features of Culture

Grades: 6-12

Duration: 45-60 minutes for each

worksheet

Grouping: Whole class and individual

assignments

Materials: Worksheet #1, Features of Culture (page 2-17) and Worksheet #2,

Everyone Has a Culture (page 2-18)

Objectives: Students will be able to:

. • Explain some of the features of their own culture;

. • Describe their impressions of how the culture of the United States and their

own culture have shaped them;

. • Explain some of the attributes of culture.

Instructions

1. Write the following statements on the

board:

. • No one is exactly like me.

. • I have many things in common with the members of my family and

community.

. • Every person in the world needs some of the same things I need.

2. Point out to students that people in various groups often look at people in other

groups as “different.” Ask students whether they have seen this occur in their school

or community. If so, why has it happened?

3. Ask students to describe some of these differences. Then ask why people in one

group might behave differently from people in another group.

4. Explain that many differences are related to culture—beliefs and ways of living

that are handed down from one generation to the next.

5. Working from the statements on the board, explain that all people share basic

needs, and ask students for several examples (e.g., food, shelter, love, respect). In

addition, each of us learns a set of behaviors and beliefs from the people we grow

up with. Ask students for examples (e.g., the manners we’re taught, the way we

celebrate holidays, how we are expected to behave toward neighbors). Finally, each

individual has unique talents and preferences. Again, ask students for examples

(e.g., I’m good at math, I’m good at soccer, I don’t like chocolate).

6. Explain that when we talk about behaviors and beliefs that a group of people have

in common (not individual talents and preferences), we are talking about culture.

7. Now have students look at some of the features of culture. Provide each student

with a copy of Worksheet #1, Features of Culture, (see page 2-17). Ask the stu-

dents to complete the worksheet by filling in an example for each feature of culture.

Work through a few of the features with the students to ensure they understand that

they are being objective observers of their own taken-for-granted customs.

8. Take the five features of culture that follow and ask students to discuss the fol-

lowing questions about these features:

• Celebrations: What kinds of celebrations are important in your family? In

the United States?

. • Greetings: How do you generally greet people you don’t know? People you

do know?

. • Beliefs about hospitality: How do you show hospitality in your community?

In your school? In your home?

. • The role of family: Is there a particular age at which you celebrate an

important event in your life with your family or community?

. • Attitudes about personal space and privacy: How important do you feel it

is to have personal space and privacy?

9. Conduct a class discussion: what conclusions can you begin to draw about the

culture of the United States? What are your impressions about how U.S. culture has

shaped you?

10. Review Worksheet #2, Everyone Has a Culture—Everyone Is Different, with stu-

dents. For homework, ask students to complete the worksheet. This will help them

identify unique aspects of their own culture.

11. When the students return with their homework (Worksheet #2), have them form

small groups and compare their homework responses. After the groups compare

their responses, ask:

. • Were your responses to the questions exactly alike?

. • What differences did you find among responses?

. • How can you explain the differences?

12. Explain to students that their responses to the worksheet questions were partial-

ly shaped by the culture in which they were raised. Make the point that if these

questions were given to students from a different culture, their answers would be

different because they have grown up in a different culture. Perhaps they have

already found significant differences among their small groups.

13. Write this on the board: “Everyone has a culture.” It shapes how we see the

world, ourselves, and others. Ask students now to address these questions:

. • What is culture?

. • How does it shape the way we seethe world, ourselves, and others?

14. Write the word “culture” in bold capital letters across the board. Ask students

as a class to come up with a definition. They may find it easier to list aspects of

culture—different elements that are true of culture—than to come up with a full

definition. Such a list might include:

. • Culture has to do with values and beliefs.

. • Culture involves customs and traditions.

. • Culture is collective, shared by a group.

. • Everyone has a culture.

. • Culture is learned.

. • Culture influences and shapes behavior.

. • Culture is transmitted from generation to generation.

. • Culture is often unconscious; people are sometimes not aware of how their

behaviors and attitudes have been shaped by their culture.

. • People in all cultures have common needs.

15. Then provide the following definition: culture is a system of beliefs, values, and

assumptions about life that guide behavior and are shared by a group of

C.A.R.E.: Strategies for Closing the Achievement Gaps • 2–15

people. It includes customs, language, and material artifacts. These are trans-

mitted from generation to generation, rarely with explicit instructions.

16. Use the following questions to focus discussion on the role culture plays in form-

ing our behavior and beliefs:

. • How do you think you learned your culture?

. • How do you think your culture has shaped you? How has it influenced your

values, preferences, and beliefs?

. • Despite the differences in culture in our classroom, what are some things

that everyone in our classroom has in common?

. • How does culture shape the way we see the world, ourselves, and others?

Building Bridges: A Peace Corps Classroom Guide to Cross Cultural Understanding. (Peace Corps/Coverdell World Wise

Schools, Washington, DC. 2003). http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/

Building Bridges: A Peace Corps Classroom Guide to Cross-Cultural Understanding. (Washington, D.C.: Peace

Corps/Coverdell World Wise Schools, 2003). www.peacecorps.gov/wws/.

C.A.R.E.: Strategies for Closing the

Achievement Gaps • 2–17 Building Bridges: A

Peace Corps Classroom Guide to Cross-

Cultural Understanding. (Peace

Corps/Coverdell World Wise Schools,

Washington, DC. 2003),

www.peacecorps.gov/wws/

Activity #10

“I am from…” Statements

This activity builds on the exploration of cultural identities and incorporates writing

skills.

Lesson Preparation

Grades: 6-12 Duration: 60 minutes Grouping: Whole class Materials: Paper,

pencils, copy of “I Am

From…”matrix, “I am from...” statement on either overhead or chart

paper

Objectives: • Help students examine the variety of cultural factors that shape them

• Learn more about your students

Assessment: Completion of “I am…” statement by all students and the

teacher/ESP

Lesson Delivery

Briefing:

. • Explain purpose of lesson to students

. • Point out that each of us is influenced by a variety of factors in our lives

. • Focus of activity is expression and creativity vs. punctuation and grammar

Instructional Frame

1. Show students a sample of an “I am from” statement. (Your own, or see sample

below).

2. Show students matrix of sample categories/factors.

3. Ask students if they have any more categories to add to matrix.

4. Give students time to write their

own “I am from” statements.

5. Students share their statements at tables.

6. Students discuss ways their statements were alike and different.

Debriefing

Process this activity by asking students the following:

. • How are you like your classmates?

. • How are you different from your classmates?

. • What did you learn about your classmates?

. • What did you learn about yourself?

. • What did you learn that surprised you?

“I am from…” Matrix Category/factors

Places Events

Products Phrases

Food Smells

People Sounds

Common things Sights

Pictures Ouches

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