Date of Lesson __11/13/08 Time _9:00am-9:40 am
Length
of lesson 35-40 minutes
Curriculum Area Social Studies Content
Area: Diversity
Title of Lesson We are all
differentÉLetÕs celebrate!
Age/Grade level 4th Grade
1. Learning Objectives
á Students will be able to identify and describe different types of diversity they have learned from the stories they have read (Understanding/Comprehension).
á Students will also be able to recognize similarities and differences among classmates in the classroom, after participating in the snowball activity. (Analyzing/Analysis).
á Students will be able to define diversity as ÒDifferences and similarities that we all have that make us unique and special.Ó
2. Assessment
(a) Learning outcomes of previous lesson related to this topic:
Throughout the past month the students have been reading books that exhibit different types of diversity such as heritage, job, and culture. The books listed below are the books that have been previously read.
á Tomas and the Library Lady by Pat Mora
á TanyaÕs Reunion by Valerie Flournoy
á Boss of the Plains by Laurie Carlson
á A Very Important Day by Maggie Rugg Herold
á Julia Alvarez- One Author Two Cultures by Jiang Qingling
á Gift of the Dineh by Barbara Simons
á A Breath of Fresh Air by RhondaRodriguez
The students also researched where their families have come from around the world and are able to identify them on a world map.
(b) Focus of assessment in this lesson:
The focus of the snowball activity is on the students recognizing, respecting and accepting the diversity among peers in their own classroom. The snowball activity will show that not every student has the same heritage, or likes the same things. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to understand one another better and hopefully connect with classmates on a deeper level.
(c) Method of assessment used in this lesson:
An informal assessment of this activity will be conducted. After the snowball activity, each student will share what the snowball they have says and who they found it belongs to. After everyone has shared, the teacher will then ask what things the class had in common, and what things made each student unique. During these questions the teacher will be checking for types of diversity discussed and attitude of class when discussing, to make sure students gain an understanding of the types of diversity among the class, respect other people for their differences, and accept them a positive aspect of the class. A writing journal assignment will be homework (questions below) that can also be used as a time extension if needed.
(d) Differentiation:
á Some students may not be able to think of things to write down on their paper for the snowball activity. For those students, options will be provided to guide their thinking.
á For Visual Learners, the teacher should write highlights of the discussion/ notes/ or lists on the board for students to see. The directions will also be posted on overhead.
á For Auditory learners, directions are read aloud and discussion will take place.
á For Tactile learners, the finding the person who belongs to the snowball and talking with them is beneficial.
á This activity can also be adapted to be completed seated at the desks the entire time. After teacher redistributes snowballs, each student can read it aloud and the class can guess as a whole whose snowball it could be. This might work best for a substitute teacher who needs more control.
3. New York State Learning Standards
Standard 5 – Civics, Citizenship, and Government. Students will use a variety of intellectual
skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations, the U.S.Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.
Key Idea: 2.
The state and federal governments established by the Constitutions of the United States and the State of New York embody basic civic values (such as justice, honesty, self-discipline, due process, equality, majority rule with respect for minority rights, and respect for self, others, and property), principles, and practices and establish a system of shared and limited government.
Performance Indicator:
Students understand the basic civic values that are the foundation of American constitutional democracy
4. Materials
á 25 copies of the 4 squared paper
á All of the books listed above to use as reference
á Box for snow blower machine
á Writing journals (students already have)
5. Lesson Process
(a) Introduction (15 min.)
The lesson will begin by discussing the different characters in the seven stories, previously mentioned in the assessment section, that they have read. Each character will be written on the board. For each character the students will be asked to name some qualities that make the character unique. If the students are confused the teacher will add, ÒWhat makes this character different from you?Ó A possible response would be, ÒTomas is from Mexico, and I am not.Ó After the students identify many differences, the teacher will ask each student to think about what diversity means. After students share their ideas, the teacher then sets the final definition of diversity by saying ÒThe concept of diversity requires acceptance and respect. It means that you understand everyone is unique and is different in many ways from you. This is what makes everyone special. People can be different in many ways from you. It is import and that we explore these differences in a positive way. Diversity is about understanding each other and embracing the special differences we have.Ó Once the definition of diversity has been established students are ready for the snowball activity. The students will be told that they are going to do an activity to find out differences among students in the class. Understanding, respecting, and accepting peopleÕs differences will be emphasized throughout the activity.
(b) Learning procedures relating to objectives (15 min.):
The rules to the activity will be clearly explained before the activity has begun:
ÒToday we are going to have a snowball
activity. I am handing out a piece of paper that is split into four sections of
paper. I would like you to look at the example I draw on the board. Do not
write your name on your piece of paper please. In the top left box I would like
you to silently write where your family came from (write example on
board.) In the top right box corner I would like you to write a family
tradition (write on board). We have talked about traditions before,
remember that this can be something your family does to celebrate a holiday, a
special food that you make at a certain time, a fun activity you have such as a
family game night, or anything that your family does together. In the bottom left
box corner I would like you to write what you would like to be when you grow up
(write on board). And lastly I would like you to write in the
bottom right box, what book you liked the most out of this unit (write on
board).Ó (A list of books will be on the overhead so the students can
reference.) Now I would like you to
crumple your piece of paper so that it looks like a snowball! I am now going to
collect all of your snowballs into my snow blower. Okay, I would like all of
you to quietly stand up, push in your chairs, and stand behind your desk facing
me. I am going to throw each of
you a snowball from my snow blower! Now you may un-crumple your snowball. Raise your hand if you have the one
that you made because I want you to have someone elseÕs snowball. These are the important
directions. Your job is to find
who the snowball you have belongs to. You must walk around the room and ask
questions like, ÔKelly, is your family from Ireland?Õ or ÔJohn, does your
family make turkey every Friday?Õ
If your person answers yes, then ask them another question to make sure
you have their snowball. If you do not have their snowball, then continue
asking other people. Now here is the tricky part so listen closely. When you have found the person whose
snowball you have, you must link arms with them. Once you link arms, you cannot talk anymore and turn into a
silent snowflake. The other person who you are now attached to, can continue to
walk around the room asking people questions. The silent snowflake stays attached and can only talk if
someone asks them a question.
Everyone continues linking until the whole class is linked together.
When everyone is linked together everyone should be silent snowflakes waiting
for the next directions. You may start the snowball activity.
While students
are completing activity, make sure directions are being followed and help where
needed.
(c) Conclusion (5-10 min.)
Once the entire class is linked choose a child to start with. ÒNow we are going to go around the circle and share whose snowball we had and what was on it. Pay attention to the differences and similarities we have in our class and how special they are.ÓAfter each student has shared, direct students back to their seats. There they will be able to show that they met each of the learning standards:
o Students will be able to identify and describe different types of diversity they have learned from the stories they have read (Understanding/Comprehension).
o Students will also be able to recognize similarities and differences among classmates in the classroom, after participating in the snowball activity. (Analyzing/Analysis).
o Students will be able to define diversity as ÒDifferences and similarities that we all have that make us unique and special.Ó
After, the students are sitting ask for what similarities the students heard within the class. The similarities will be written on one side of a T-chart on the board. Then ask students for differences in the class. Those will be written on the other side of the T-chart. The students will then be asked whether or not they would all want to be the same, or if they like their differences. The goal of this question is for students to understand that similarities and differences are all good things, because they make each person unique and show who they are. The definition of diversity and its importance will be re-iterated here for clarification. ÒThe main idea of this activity is to show that similarities and differences among our classmates are the interesting features that make us who we are. Our uniqueness makes us special.Ó Questions can also be asked at this time.
6. ÒIf timeÓ/ extensions
If there is time, the following homework can be completed silently in class.
The students will
be asked to reflect in their reading journals about what the snowball activity
taught them in regards to diversity. The writing prompt questions will be on
the board and written in planners for homework: What is
diversity? What did this activity
teach you? What are some
similarities you had with people in class? How are you different than people in class? What are your feelings about the
activity and what you learned?
7. References
ÒSnowball ActivityÓ, a community builder taken from Kimberly Rombach in EVTMB Fall 2008.
Carlson,L (2007). Boss of the Plains. Houghton Mifflin.
Flournoy, V (2007). TanyaÕs Reunion. Houghton Mifflin.
Herold M (2007). A Very Important Day. Houghton Mifflin.
Mora, P (2007). Tomas and the Library Lady. Houghton Mifflin.
Qingling J (2007). Julia Alvarez- One Author Two Cultures. Houghton Mifflin.
Rodriguez R (2007).
A Breath of Fresh Air. Houghton Mifflin.
Simons B (2007). Gift of the Dineh. Houghton Mifflin.