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Description
Are you looking to start DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) education in your elementary classroom? This is for you!
SUMMARY
In this unit, you will find two lessons, one for the teacher and one for students K-2.
The lesson works best in combination with One Globe Kids stories. One Globe Kids is a non-profit anti-bias education program created based on intergroup contact research. Two stories are available at no cost on their website: Valdo in Haiti and Larasati in Indonesia. These are photo stories about real children from around the world, told child-to-child, narrated by peers. The stories stay away from stereotypes, are always positive, and are designed to explore similarities.
Tailor: The lesson is designed for K-2 but may need tailoring for your specific group of students, age, and time. While the lesson was created with the current situation in the US in mind, the activities and objectives can be used anywhere in the world, even though conversations might be different. No group of students is the same, and the outcome will differ depending on what the students are most interested in.
Time: If you like to take your time, you can spread this lesson over multiple days, or you can choose to do it all in about 40min. See this lesson as a beginning. Take as much time as you need, as your students need.
WHY USE THIS RESOURCE
Young children see color, hear about race, and observe how grown-ups struggle to explain what recently happened in the United States. If we do not start the conversation early, children will make up their own stories.
Anti-racism education with young kids doesn't need to be complicated. If you keep it to something as simple as knowing more than a ‘single story’, you help eliminate biases from the beginning naturally. Learning more stories feeds a child's curiosity, empathy, and openness to others.
I created this unit, believing that...
- Anti-racism work starts with self-education - the first part is for you, the teacher.
- Anti-racism work is never done - see this resource as a piece of the puzzle, your puzzle to help raise a generation of anti-racist citizens.
- Children are never too young to talk about race - the lessons are for the youngest students, K-2.
- Being an anti-racist educator is not only about talking - this unit is also about listening, sharing, and doing. Let your students lead the way.
WHAT ELSE YOU NEED
Technology: The lessons can be done in person or remotely. Read or listen to the One Globe Kids stories with your remote students by sharing your screen and audio. Read or listen to the One Globe Kids stories in your classroom on a smartboard or individual devices.
Stories: The teacher will need a (free) subscription to access the digital One Globe Kids stories. Any of the stories can be used for the lessons. Currently, you will find ten stories to work with on the One Globe Kids website and iPad/iPhone app:
- My Indonesia: Larasati (FREE)
- My Haiti: Valdo (FREE)
- My NYC: Luna
- My NYC: Lucian
- My Burundi: Jenissa
- My Netherlands: Lars
- My Netherlands: Floor
- My Indonesia: Aji
- My Israel: Maya
- My Haiti: Gabou
- My Norway: Nora (2021)
- My Palestine: Layth (2021)
WHAT YOU WILL GET
For the teacher - Teacher Prep: A Single Story
You will find an activity for yourself because it is impossible for adults to engage kids in learning about race and racism without understanding these topics themselves. You will not have all the answers, and it is OK to learn along with your students.
Inspired by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk ‘The Danger of a Single Story’, this activity will offer you insight into how you can lay a foundation for anti-racism with the help of diverse stories in K-2 classrooms.
For the students - Lesson: A World of Stories
Antiracism education for the youngest students starts with awareness of themselves and others and how they experience interactions. This lesson has kids share their stories after being introduced to a new friend’s story. In light of ‘the more stories you know, the more friends you can make’ this lesson lays a foundation for openness to others.
At the end of each lesson and at the end of the unit, you will find lots of links to great resources to prepare for helping your students understand and create their 'World of Stories'.
If you have any questions, please find the Q&A below. And please reach out if you have feedback on making this ‘Share More Stories’ unit better for teachers or students.
Thank you for being part of the change,
Phoebe - World of Stories
