Multicultural Lesson

Plan
Christina Hill
EDU280
12 March 2019
Final exam
Intro

Day 1:

Teacher: “I want you all to take a moment and think about what sets you apart
from your peers and what similarities you have.”

Student A: “I was adopted into my family, unlike all my friends, but I’m very family
oriented, which is why I get along with my peers so well.”

Student B: I have bright pink hair while all my friends have natural colored hair,
but we all have tattoos.”
Intro (cont.)

Day 1 (cont.):

Student C: “I don’t speak very good English, but I met all my friends in music
class, where I don’t have to talk a lot.”

Student D: “I am in the AP program, while my friends are in regular classes, but

we are all on the Varsity Quiz Team.”

Teacher (cont.): “This is a great start, class. With this question in mind for your
homework, I want you to go home and use art, symbols, and/or materials…”
Intro (cont.)

Day 1 (cont.):

Teacher: “...to represent your culture in five aspects: religion, values, nation,
family and traditions. The materials you will be given is one sheet of 8x14 white
construction paper to draw/glue materials that represent each cultural aspect.
Take home the construction paper and bring it back to class completed
tomorrow.”
Objective

Students will explore their cultural backgrounds while learning how to respect

the backgrounds of others in this twelfth grade history class. The outcome of the

lesson is to encourage students to embrace their uniqueness as well as the

diversity of others.
Activity

Teacher: “For religion, you can gather information on your religious

beliefs/figures and how you believe your religion has shaped you as a person.

Props to bring in can include an illustration of a religious figure, a prayer, bible,

etc.

For values, you will reflect on what your ideals in life are and their importance. It

is your responsibility to creatively represent your values to your partner…”

Activity (cont.)

Teacher: “...For nation, you will bring something to class that represents your
country of origin, your state, town, or neighborhood and explain its impact on
your life/culture.

For family, you can create a family tree, bring in photos, inherited items, etc. You

are to share what your family dynamics are within your culture.

Finally, for traditions, you are to explain what traditions you take part in with your

family, how you celebrate, and why.”

Teacher/Student Dialogue

Day 2:

Teacher: “Welcome back, class. I’m excited to see how creative you’ve allowed
yourselves to be with this assignment. Yesterday I asked you to think about what
makes you stand out from your peers and what makes you similar. Today, you
will present and share with up to five partners what cultural aspects are
important to you and explain the prop/drawing/symbol you brought in. You will
have a new partner for each of the five cultural aspects we discuss. Choose your
first partner, and switch when I ring the bell.”

*Teacher rings the bell, students shuffle for first partner*

Student/Student Dialogue

Aspect 1- Religion

Student A: “I brought in my rosary that I keep in my car. It has been in my family

since I was born. I go to Mass every Sunday to keep my relationship with God
strong. My faith has helped me become a more compassionate, and empathetic
person. Iis the most important thing to me in my life.”

Student B: “I’m not religious, but I am spiritual, so I brought in a few of my

healing crystals. Just like your faith is your salvation and stability, meditation and
using crystals is mine. I meditate to prepare for the day, as well as to
decompress from the day…”
Student/Student Dialogue

Aspect 1- Religion (cont.)

Student B (cont.): “...The crystals each have their own healing component, like
for anxiety, for example. While I meditate and just throughout the day I keep
crystals close to me because I feel that they help with balance in my life.”

*Teacher rings bell, students switch partners*

Student/Student Dialogue

Aspect 2- Values

Student A: “I drew a picture of what I think the American Dream is. I drew the
traditional white picket fence with a Mom, Dad, and two kids. I still believe that
working hard in this country will get anyone to where they want to be. For me, the
traditional way of living is the American Dream.”

Student B: “I also drew what I think the American Dream is, but it looks way
different than yours. I drew a picture of a bunch of different people in front of a
school where money grew on trees. In my American Dream, education would be
free and accessible for all people, hence the money growing on trees and not
coming out of their pockets.”
Student/Student Dialogue

Aspect 2- Values (cont.)

Teacher(walking around the room, interjecting when necessary): “You both have
impressed me with the creativity in explaining your values. This was not an easy
thing to do. Even though you disagree in your values, I’m glad there is mutual
respect for one another’s opinions.”

*Teacher rings bell, students switch partners*

Student/Student Dialogue

Aspect 3- Nation

Student A: “I colored the construction paper to look like the Vietnamese flag.
Both my parents grew up in Vietnam, so I am fluent in Vietnamese, and I love
going back to visit all my family still over there. The food is my favorite part
because love noodles. The humidity in Vietnam is the worst part about visiting
to me.”

Student B: “I colored my paper to look like the Chinese flag. It is interesting

because the Vietnamese and Chinese flags look kind of similar…”
Teacher/Student Dialogue

Aspect 3- Nation (cont.)

Student B: “...My entire family on both my Mom and Dad’s side is from China.
Even though I have never been, I feel a strong sense of pride for the country and
its culture.”

Teacher: “What other similarities can you think of that China and Vietnam have?”

Student A: “I know the flags are similar designs and colors because both
countries were communist at one point.”
Teacher/Student Dialogue

Aspect 3- Nation (cont.)

Student B: “The Vietnamese and Chinese cultures are similar to each other
because of how close the countries are together.”

*Teacher rings bell, students switch partners*

Student/Student Dialogue

Aspect 4- Family

Student A: “I brought in a family photo of my ancestors in the Northern Paiute

tribe. In our tribe, the women did most of the cooking, and the men were
responsible for defending and feeding the family. The chiefs were also always
men. In my family, those roles are still pretty rigid.”

Student B: “I brought in the test results from a DNA test I took last year. I learned
that I have a lot more Eastern European ancestry than I thought. My family is
actually planning on taking a trip to Russia soon to learn more about that side of
our family and what the culture is like…”
Student/Student Dialogue

Aspect 4- Family (cont.)

Student B: “...From what I think I know, Russians are pretty intense and the food
seems unsettling, but I’m excited to know more.”

*Teacher rings bell, students switch partners*

Student/Student Dialogue

Aspect 5- Traditions

Student A: “I brought in a square of Kente cloth. My family is from Ghana and we

wear Kente on special occasions to indicate an important event. The cloth has a
huge significance and hold a lot of respect.The colors symbolize something and
so do the detailed patterns.”

Student B: “I am West Indian, and in my culture, we celebrate Carnival. It happens

before the season of Lent during February or early March. Thousands of people
gather in one place to embrace West Indian music, food, and dance…”
Student/Student Dialogue

Aspect 5- Traditions (cont.)

Student B: “...The costumes are one of the most important aspects of Carnival,
so I brought the top portion of the outfit I wore this past February. Carnival isn’t
really something to celebrate with family. It is more of a friends holiday, so I went
with all my friends back home in Trinidad.”
Culmination of the Lesson

Teacher: “As your ticket out the door, you are to take ten minutes to write a
reflection on your thoughts about this activity, what you have learned from
another student, and point out three similarities between any two cultures you
discussed today.”