Design Document for Lesson Plan

Name: Brooke Leithead & Rachel Hulicki

Grade Level: Second Grade
Concept/Topic: Embracing Cultural Diversity
Length of Lesson (in minutes): 30 minutes

Learning Objectives (measurable):

 Students will be able to compare and contrast different aspects of their cultures to those
of their classmates.
 Students will be able to write a letter to a character from a book and be able to reflect on
their own cultures and the differences between their cultures and the character in the
book’s culture.

Standards:
 2.C.1.1 Explain how artistic expressions of diverse cultures contribute to the community
(stories, art, music, food, etc.).
 2.C.1.3 Exemplify respect and appropriate social skills needed for working with diverse
groups.

Key Tasks/Activities: What are the key activities or tasks that you plan to use? What is your
rationale for why you have selected these particular tasks/activities to meet your learning
objectives?

 We plan to read the book Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw. Before
reading the book we will show students the book cover and ask them to make predictions
on what the book might be about. We will then introduce that the book is about two boys
from different countries that are pen pals. We will ask if anyone has ever had a pen pal.
We will explain that a pen pal is a friend that we can regularly write letters to because
they live far away. Then we will tell students to think about another country they may
have been to, they are from, they know someone there or a country they have prior
knowledge about. We will make this a think-pair-share activity and then call on a few
students to have them tell us what they talked about. Then we will introduce the book by
saying “As we read today, think about the title of the book. How are the two boys’ worlds
the same but different?”

 We will read the book Same, Same but Different and reflect on some talking points:
 After page 7: “What is the difference between who Elliot and Kailash live with?”
 After page 15: “What is the difference between where the boys each live?”
 After page 16: “What are some similarities between where Elliot and Kailash
live?”
 After page 21: “Did you know that other children around the world use a different
alphabet than us? Does anyone know a different language that uses a different
alphabet? If so, what are the languages?”
  After page 25: “Does anyone use any of the examples that Elliot uses when
greeting his friends? How about the way that Kailash greets his friends? Any
other ways that you guys greet your friends?”
 After the last page: “Even though Elliot and Kailash live in two very different
places, they have a lot of things in common. What are some of the things they had
in common/similarities they shared?”

 After reading we will ask students to write a letter to the boy in the book as if he is their
pen pal. We will introduce how to write a letter by showing a model with the different
parts labeled such as the date, greeting, the body and the signature. We will give them
sentence starters for them to structure their letters. The sentence starters will be:
 Hi! My name is __________.
 I am from ___________ and I live with __________.
 In my home, my favorite thing to do is ___________.
 My favorite food is ___________.
 A holiday that I celebrate is ________.
 *Have students ask a question of their own*
 I can’t wait to read your letter!
 Sincerely, _____________

 We will also encourage students to draw pictures of themselves and things that
they identify as being a part of their culture on the back of the letter.

 We will wrap up the lesson by explaining the beauty behind us all being different. Even
though we all come from different places and experiences, we can find things in common
and still be friends. We can encourage the students to step out of their comfort zones and
be friends with others who seem really different than them because they most likely will
have some similarities between them!

Anticipating Students’ Responses: How do you anticipate that students will respond to your
planned activities/tasks? This does not mean their response affectively, but instead their
response academically (e.g., What prior knowledge or conceptions might they bring? How do
you think they will approach or solve the task(s)?). When necessary, please insert images of your
handwritten anticipated approaches/strategies. Be specific - use your anticipated responses to
help you plan your questions in the lesson plan.

 We anticipate that the students will be excited to listen to us reading the book and getting
the chance to write a letter to Kailash. The students in our class love whenever they get
an assignment where they are able to be creative so I think this will be a great opportunity
for them to reflect on their own cultures and be able to show that learning through the
letter and pictures they draw. When reflecting on how they will respond academically, I
think the students will have a lot to share and engage with. They have already been
learning about different schools around the world and how they are similar and different
than schools in the United States. They can use this background knowledge to make
connections to what they have been learning and apply it to similarities and differences
between two students’ individual lives that are across the world from one another.
Responding to Students’ Responses: Describe how you will provide scaffolding for students
who are stuck, and describe how you will extend the thinking of students who have a firm grasp
on the target content/objectives.

 We are providing scaffolding for when students are writing their letters to Kailash by
providing sentence stems and frames. Our students are in second grade so they are just
getting the hang of writing and speaking in complete sentences. Providing sentence stems
and frames will ensure they are writing in the correct structure but also have some
freedom to personalize their letters. We don’t have many students in the class who have
mastered writing complete sentences on their own, but for those that do we will ask them
to elaborate on more aspects of their cultures they would like to share in the letter.

Development of Practices among Students: Which disciplinary practices does your lesson aim
to develop? (e.g., “construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others”, “develop
and use models”) How do the task(s) develop the target practice(s)?

 Our lesson aims to develop students’ understanding of their own cultures and the reality
that there are so many different cultures around them, even in their own classroom. It also
aims to help students understand that despite growing up in very different environments
and cultural practices, people can still be friends and have many similarities that bond
them together. When we read the book “Same, Same but Different” and reflect on the
differences and similarities between the characters in the book, we will be showing the
students real-life examples of how two kids are friends despite living across the world
from one another.

Assessment: Describe your assessment plan for the targeted learning objective(s). What specific
data/information will you use, and how will that data/information tell you that the students
have/have not met the objective?

 We will be able to assess if the students have met the objectives mostly through the
guided discussion through the read aloud and the discussion after writing the letter when
we connect similarities and differences of our own cultures to our classmates’. We will
ask students to compare their cultural practices and norms to their peers and reflect on
that afterwards. Writing the letter will also assess students’ grammar and sentence
structure skills.

Vocabulary/Language Function: Define vocabulary that students will need to know in order to
access the content and goals of your lesson. Be precise and careful with your language. Please
attend to three types of vocabulary:
● Content vocabulary (e.g., obtuse, molecule, civil rights)
● Academic language (e.g., represent, model, compare)
● Key non-content vocabulary that is necessary to understand the task/activity

 Difference: : a way that people are not the same

  Similarities: : when comparing two objects/people, it’s the characteristics that they
share/have
 Culture: the social behaviors/normal behaviors found in different societies (this includes
language, religion, music, cuisine/food, arts and so much more
 Diversity: A range of different things

Classroom Management Plan: Explain how you will motivate students to engage in the lesson,
how you will set and enforce expectations, and how you will ensure that transitions are smooth
and efficient.

 We will ensure that all students' voices are heard when it comes to discussing their own
culture by using the teachers' cues to keep all students quiet when it isn't their turn. We
will have students raise their hand when necessary to add into the conversation. We will
also make sure that it is clear that we will respect everyone's culture and that the activity
is a way to see how we are all different but still the same in so many ways. We will be
sure to watch the time and manage our time as well as we can.
Lesson Plan

Name: Rachel Hulicki and Brooke Leithead

Grade: 2
Topic/Concept: Embracing Cultural Diversity
Materials/Resources:
 “Same, Same but Different” book, lined paper and pencils, colored pencils or crayons

Teaching Behavior Focus:

 Ensuring that every students culture is being respected and appreciated
 Maintaining order in the classroom
 Keeping students on task and the focus on positives between differences in cultures

Learning Objectives (measurable):

 Students will be able to compare and contrast different aspects of their cultures to those
of their classmates.
 Students will be able to write a letter to a character from a book and be able to reflect on
their own cultures and the differences between their cultures and the character in the
book’s culture.

Standards:
 2.C.1.1 Explain how artistic expressions of diverse cultures contribute to the community
(stories, art, music, food, etc.).
 2.C.1.3 Exemplify respect and appropriate social skills needed for working with diverse
groups.

Assessment Plan (How will you know that your students met the objective?):
 We will be able to assess if the students have met the objectives mostly through the
guided discussion through the read aloud and the discussion after writing the letter when
 we connect similarities and differences of our own cultures to our classmates’. We will
ask students to compare their cultural practices and norms to their peers and reflect on
that afterwards. Writing the letter will also assess students’ grammar and sentence
structure skills.

New Vocabulary:
 Difference: : a way that people are not the same
 Similarities: : when comparing two objects/people, it’s the characteristics that they
share/have
 Culture: the social behaviors/normal behaviors found in different societies (this includes
language, religion, music, cuisine/food, arts and so much more
 Diversity: A range of different things

Note: A detailed lesson plan is specific enough for another teacher to read and teach
effectively. There should not be any question regarding what to do or how to do it.

Lesson Development (hook/engage/launch, step by step in real time, include questions you
will ask in real time, closure/revisiting learning objectives):

 We plan to read the book Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw. Before
reading the book we will show students the book cover and ask them to make predictions
on what the book might be about. We will then introduce that the book is about two boys
from different countries that are pen pals. We will ask if anyone has ever had a pen pal.
We will explain that a pen pal is a friend that we can regularly write letters to because
they live far away. Then we will tell students to think about another country they may
have been to, they are from, they know someone there or a country they have prior
knowledge about. We will make this a think-pair-share activity and then call on a few
students to have them tell us what they talked about. Then we will introduce the book by
saying “As we read today, think about the title of the book. How are the two boys’ worlds
the same but different?”

 We will read the book Same, Same but Different and reflect on some talking points:
 After page 7: “What is the difference between who Elliot and Kailash live with?”
 After page 15: “What is the difference between where the boys each live?”
 After page 16: “What are some similarities between where Elliot and Kailash
live?”
 After page 21: “Did you know that other children around the world use a different
alphabet than us? Does anyone know a different language that uses a different
alphabet? If so, what are the languages?”
 After page 25: “Does anyone use any of the examples that Elliot uses when
greeting his friends? How about the way that Kailash greets his friends? Any
other ways that you guys greet your friends?”
 After the last page: “Even though Elliot and Kailash live in two very different
places, they have a lot of things in common. What are some of the things they had
in common/similarities they shared?”
 After reading we will ask students to write a letter to the boy in the book as if he is their
pen pal. We will introduce how to write a letter by showing a model with the different
parts labeled such as the date, greeting, the body and the signature. We will give them
sentence starters for them to structure their letters. The sentence starters will be:
 Hi! My name is __________.
 I am from ___________ and I live with __________.
 In my home, my favorite thing to do is ___________.
 My favorite food is ___________.
 A holiday that I celebrate is ________.
 *Have students ask a question of their own*
 I can’t wait to read your letter!
 Sincerely, _____________

 We will also encourage students to draw pictures of themselves and things that
they identify as being a part of their culture on the back of the letter.

 We will wrap up the lesson by explaining the beauty behind us all being different. Even
though we all come from different places and experiences, we can find things in common
and still be friends. We can encourage the students to step out of their comfort zones and
be friends with others who seem really different than them because they most likely will
have some similarities between them!