BY MEGAN DELANEY & DAVID RUSSELL

Multicultural Education

Multicultural Fridays

Our unit focuses on incorporating elements of multicultural education into the curriculum. Our goal is for students to develop an understanding for their culture and the cultures of their classmates. We hope this unit will inspire students to expand their individuality and encourage them to take pride in their schoolwork by assigning work that engages the diverse cultures present in our classroom.

Context

Burns Latino Studies Academy (Hartford, CT) 5th grade 20-25 students per class 90 minute class periods

Classes will take place over the course of 5 consecutive Fridays

Objectives

1. Students will learn more about their own personal history, as well as that of their peers

2. Students will build an appreciation for the benefits of growing up bilingual in a multicultural household 

3. Students will develop collaborative learning and research skills

4. Students will refine their ability to reflect thoughtfully in their writing 

Burns Latino Studies Academy

James Banks Multicultural Education

Connecticut 5th Grade Guidelines

History The study of events, documents, and people addressing the founding of the United States as a

nation, with connections to Connecticut and local history, emphasizing how government works today, with the use of primary source materials

Reading Synthesize using multiple strategies/multiple sources for new insight, e.g., Visualizing, Think-

Aloud, Question-Answer Relationship, List-Group-Label. Determine the importance of ideas (main ideas, details and themes) in text.

Talking Pose questions, listen to the ideas of others, and contribute own information and ideas in group

discussions. Music

Students will listen to, describe and analyze music. Students will evaluate music and music performances.

Comprehension Understand the social and cultural perspective from which the author writes and how that

contributes to the text. Compare and contrast ideas, themes, and/or issues across texts, and across texts representing

multicultural experiences. Discuss and analyze how characters in text deal with conflicts of human experience, relating to

real life situations.

1st FRIDAY 2nd FRIDAY 3rd FRIDAY 4th FRIDAY 5th FRIDAYLesson: Introduction to the idea of race and cultural identity

Lesson: Investigation into the cultural richness of art

Lesson: Exploration of the role of music in culture

Lesson: Establishment of positive role models

Lesson: Celebration of diversity

Activity: 1. Read sections of

Under Our Skin: Kids Talk About Race as a class

2. Students write a short paragraph reflecting on the question, “What does race mean to me?”

3. Class discussion where students share what they wrote

Activity:1. Class discussion on

the role of art in culture

2. Introduction to www.elmuseo.org/emuseum

3. In groups of 3, students conduct mini research projects on El Museo del Barrio

4. Students complete handout worksheet

Activity:1. Field trip to the

Sankofa Kuumba Performance Company

2. Watch performance that involves African dance, music, and storytelling

3. Class discussion on the cultural importance of music and expression

Activity:1. Guest speaker from

Trinity College addresses class

2. Students create an “All About Me” poster that lists some of their goals for the future and the positive attributes of their culture that will help them achieve those goals

Activity:1. The class will hold a

multicultural fair celebrating the class’ diversity

2. Each student will bring in something that they feel represents their cultural identity and share it with the class

3. Students will write a paragraph reflecting on race, culture and and their own cultural identity

Objective: 1. Students will learn

more about their own personal history, as well as that of their peers

2. Students will refine their ability to reflect thoughtfully in their writing 

Objective: Students will build collaborative learning and research skills

Objective: Students will build an appreciation for the benefits of growing up bilingual in a multicultural household 

Objective: Students will build an appreciation for the benefits of growing up bilingual in a multicultural household 

Objective: 1. Students will learn

more about their own personal history, as well as that of their peers

2. Students will build an appreciation for the benefits of growing up bilingual in a multicultural household 

3. Students will refine their ability to reflect thoughtfully in their writing 

Students will be evaluated on…

Ability to reflect thoughtfully in their writing Students will write reflections on the first and last day

of the unit and will be evaluated on their progress over the course of the unit. These evaluations will take into account grammar, spelling,

comprehension, thoughtfulness, and ability to apply lesson material into writing

Participation in class discussions Participation in class discussions

Are they actively engaged? Do they respond respectfully to their classmates ideas? Do they sit quietly and wait to be called on? Are they enthusiastic about their learning? (…etc.)

Resources

Birdseye, Debbie Holsclaw, and Tom Birdseye. Under Our Skin: Kids Talk about Race. New York: Holiday House, 1997. Print.

www.elmuseo.org/emuseum Sankofa Kuumba Performance CompanyGuest speakerComputer labArts and crafts materials (poster board,

markers, scissors, glue…etc.)