Let’s Talk About Race By Anna Goldstein

RACE Race is a diversity issue that is commonly a difficult subject to address in the classroom. People are often raised to judge people by what race they are and it is important for teachers to try and educate students to be open-minded and accepting of others, no matter what they look like on the outside. You never will know what a person is like on the inside if you never take the opportunity to try and get to know them.

Books used * All the Colors We Are by Katie Kissinger * The Skin I’m In by Pat Thomas * Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester

Grade Level and Content Area Grade 4 Racial Differences

Desired Student Outcomes  Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of race.  Students will be able to create a poster illustrating that race is just one of the many ways that people are different from each other.  Students will be able to identify on a world map where their ancestors were from. This will allow for students to understand where race comes from.

Activity Prior to this activity, students will be asked to go home and ask their parent/guardian where their family comes from and the various races that may exist in their family history. After reading all three books, there will be a whole group discussion on where each of the student’s families came from. A push-pin will be placed on each location around the world where they came from. As a group, the class will talk about how everyone comes from many places around the world. After this, the students will do an arts and crafts activity. They will be asked to create a poster with their likes, dislikes, favorites, and any other ideas (race, where their ancestors were born, etc.) they would like to share about themselves on it. Poster board, magazines, markers, crayons, computers (for ClipArt), glue, and tape will all be provided for the students. At the top of the poster, students will be asked to write “I’ll Take Off My Skin” and at the bottom, they should write, “Will you take off yours?”

Why this activity was chosen  This activity fits with all three books, although it is mostly based off of Let’s Talk About Race  Students would enjoy making these posters while also learning about each other, which builds community  This is not only a way for students to get to know about each other, but for them to realize that they have many things in common. It teaches them to look past the surface and appreciate each other for who they are in the inside.  This would work very well with fourth graders because at this point in their education, they are most likely writing several essays. This is a way for them to escape the essay writing and do something creative.

Why is social justice education important?  It is important that students are educated about the various social justice topics. Without an understanding of these topics, students often judge others based on their differences.

Any Questions???