Unit Description
This unit approaches race from a tolerance stand point, which is expressed in the essential question. These lessons incorporate multiple perspectives and culturally relevant pedagogy throughout. Multiple perspectives are shown through the various sources I have used like children's books, videos, and songs. Through these forms of information, students get different information as to what racism is, and what they can do to stand against it. As for culturally relevant pedagogy, these lessons apply to my students' lives in that they see racism around them: in school, and their home community. Even if they say they do not see racism, it exists, and will become more noticeable as they get older. The unit is preparing students early on to deal with racism, by first acknowledging its existence and then developing ways to respond to racism. The academic rigor part of each lesson is shown through discussions, as well as the assessments that are developmentally appropriate for first graders. The critical consciousness piece of the unit appears in the form of the summative assessment, where students will be applying their knowledge from the lessons.
Essential Question: What is race, what does it mean, and how does it affect us all?
Lesson 1-First Person Observations:
In this lesson, students are drawing how they appear to themselves. Students focus on their skin color and recognize the differences in skin color in the classroom. Students are building consciousness towards existence of race in society and how it does not relate to actual color of skin.
Lesson 2-Interviewing Family Identities:
This lesson has students interviewing two adult volunteers to discuss how their race has shaped them and is or is not a part of who they are. The objective of this lesson is to expose students to different views of race.
Lesson 3-What Does Respect Mean?:
From the content, students will examine the definition of respect and how we can show respect to people who are not the same as us in appearance.
Lesson 4-Differences Beyond Race:
All the students will look at culture, and how it differs for people. The lesson is to also get students to see that race and culture are too different things. People can be of the same race, but have different cultures. Students are to also develop ways in which they can show respect to people who have a different culture.
Lesson 5-Collective Action:
Students learn about ways in which people have stood up against racism. They are given a few examples and then come up with a list of possible ways to stand against racism. The students also engage in using tableaux to express scenarios.