Students gain empathy and use language to describe the mixed feelings that come with being new to a community. They watch and discuss video clips and compare character traits. Then they read a book and discuss how the book guides them to welcome new students to the classroom as the year...
One of the keys to unlocking cultural competence is reading diverse books with characters and locations that represent a variety of cultures. In this activity, young people define and discuss the value of representation. They do an audit of a book collection to identify representation and gaps....
Expanding on the lesson about critical conversations, participants explore ways to use their voices for good. The book Say Something by Peter Reynolds encourages readers to find their own way to express their voice - through speaking, poetry, song, and other ways.
In this lesson, we broaden our awareness of different cultures and how they celebrate holidays. An optional service project includes writing letters to request diverse holidays be added to the community calendar, if they aren't already observed.
What is something that makes you excited to get up in the morning and gives you energy? Whatever that vision is, that is your "spark." Young people may not know what their spark is today, and it may change many times over...
Recognizing that each person has their own story as complex and meaningful as one's own, we build empathy and connection to others. When we take care of our own worries, needs, and joys, we can be better balanced for collaborating with others for a better world.
This beautiful documentary The Gift of All: a Community of Givers shares the motivations and attributes of the generous people interviewed. In response, the learners create their own short biographies of philanthropists in their community.
Students learn about food choices as needs or wants. They read a book and discuss healthy choices. They discuss why is not always good to have everything you want. They discuss the foods we need to have healthy bodies and minds. Students create healthy food choice plates and share them to...
To help students see music as an art form that identifies social injustice, advocates for change, and proclaims hope on behalf of the forgotten.
These activities raise awareness of the five senses and the role the senses play in making food choices. We read a book about the senses and practice using them in center activities.