Faulkner, M. (2008). A taste of colored water. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
The story takes place in the 1960s during segregtion. The book revolves around LuLu and Jelly who want to go to town to taste colored water. The two children encounter difficulty in attaining a taste of water from a fountain reserved for "colored" people. They also discover the colored water is not what they expected. |
Yin. (2001). Coolies. New York: Philomel Books.
Shek and his brother Little Wong travel from China to the United States for work in 1865. Both brothers endure much hardships as they aboard the ship and land in the United States. The hardships continue as the boys work on the Transcontinental Railroad alongside other men of various races. |
Cheltenham Elementary School Kindergarteners. (1991). We are all alike...we are all different. New York: Scholastic Inc.
There are differences and similarities that exist among all of us. In the book, it addresses similarities and differences in terms of appearance, family dynamics, and living space. For everything that is different, there is a bigger concept that is similar between all people. |
Lester, J. (2005), Let's talk about race. New York: Amistad.
The book is a narrative of the author's experience with race. It begins by stating that everyone has a story, where the author then tells his story of childhood experiences with race. The author ties in the readers by leaving room for the reader to add their own story. |
Padmanabhan, M. (2011). I am different! can you find me?. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
Each page informs the reader about a different language, with the goal that each language should be celebrated. Each page consists of the phrase "can you find me?" in the one of the sixteen languages mentioned in the book. |
Fox, M. (1997). Whoever you are. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace & Company.
This book notes how people are different around the world, but everyone shares similarities as well. For instance, it mentions that people's lives and schools might be different from the reader's, but they all laugh, cry, and hurt. |
Ramsey, C.A. (2010). Ruth and the green book. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publishing Group.
Set in the early 1950s, few African Americans owned cars. Ruth's father just bought a car and has decided to take the family on a trip to Alabama to visit their grandmother. In the South, Ruth discovers how people of color are treated differently because of the Jim Crow Laws. She feels scared and helpless, but at an Esso gas station, Ruth was told about The Green Book and how it can help them on their journey. |
Kerley, B. (2005). You and me together: Moms, dads, and kids around the world. Washington, D.C. National Geographic Society.
The book consists of amazing images of people across the world, doing common activities a reader would. There are few words in the book, but the main attraction are the images that can get students to think about differences and similarities between people. |
Kay, V. (1999). Iron horses. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
Union Pacific Railroad workers are captured in this book as they work from west to east to build the Central Pacific Railroad. It entails how workers had to burst through rocks and mountains, as well as how the workers lived in tents or barracks. |
Sunburst Curriculum on Respecting Differences-Grades K-2
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Christensen, B. (Teacher's Guide), & Mazzarella, T. (Writer). (2000). Student Workshop: Respecting Differences. Pleasantville, NY: Sunburst Communications, Inc.
From this curriculum, I obtained the lesson I adapted for the unit. The curriculum focuses on respecting differences in the form of physical appearance in abilities, likes and dislikes, and cultural differences. In each of the three lessons, there is a video component that teachers can show to their students and then activity sheets that relate to the video and topic. |
Teaching Tolerance: A Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Looking Closely at Ourselves. Retrieved April 7, 2013, from http://www.tolerance.org/lesson/looking-closely-ourselves
Teaching Tolerance: A Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Family Colors: Interviewing Our Families. Retrieved April 7, 2013, from http://www.tolerance.org/lesson/family-colors-interviewing-our-families This website provides tools and resources to learn about social issues, and difficult topics. From the website I found a unit on teaching children they are beautiful and need to accept their skin color. I adapted some of the topics and ideas to match the way I teach and to match first graders. |