Days Three and Four: Dos and Don'ts Sometimes I write as a creative outlet instead of barbarically smear and slop paint onto a canvas. For the past couple of days, I've been writing a 3-week lesson plan for my 7th graders that seeks to teach them about the ways in which X Middle School and other middle schools across the country celebrate diversity and, more specifically, Black History month. The main question is, Are we doing enough? So far, I have sketched out the (1)"Diversity Research Project" description page, (2) Expository Writing Rubric, and (3) the first three days of lesson plans that focus on defining the concepts of diversity and discrimination. I can't copy the Expository Writing Rubric here due to formatting, but below are the description page and three days of lesson plans. Any feedback or suggestions for future activities are welcome!

Diversity Research Project

Objective: As a group, students will write an expository research paper on the ways in which XMS and other middle schools across the nation celebrate diversity.

Questions We Will Consider as a Class:
1. What is diversity? defining
2. In what ways does XMS celebrate diversity and, specifically, Black History month? data collecting and summarizing
3. How do other middle schools across the country celebrate diversity and Black History month? researching and summarizing
4. In comparison to other middle schools’ celebrations of Black History month and diversity, does XMS do more/less/about the same than them? Provide support from the data you collected and information you found while researching. analyzing
5. Should XMS do more to celebrate diversity and Black History month? Why or why not? If you answered yes, please provide two ideas that celebrate diversity that you would like to see implemented at XMS next year. Base your answers on the data you collected and information you found while researching. evaluating

Grading: Each student will receive an individual and group grade for this project.
• Spiral notebook
• Use of pre-writing strategies to organize and develop paper.
o Structure of paper through thinking maps
o Vocabulary concept development
o Content development through free writes
o Details, details, details
• Final paper grade based on the attached Expository Writing Rubric




Day One: Introduce Diversity

Activate Prior Knowledge (15 minutes)
• Create two circle maps for the topics, “diversity” and “Black History month.” Include what you already know and experience you have with the topics
• Class discussion: Share circle maps
• Glue circle maps onto pg. 1 (front) of spiral under the heading: “What I Already Know”

Gaining Equal Footing (25 minutes)
• Students look up the definition of “diversity” in a dictionary, thesaurus, Life Science text book, Civics text book, and Google.com
o Each student completes one of the attached definition worksheets based on which reference source he/she chooses
• Class discussion: Present definitions while Ms. Cousar takes notes on the board
o Glue diversity reference cards onto pg. 2 (front and back) and pg. 3 (front) under the heading “What Does Diversity Mean?”
• Group assessments:
o Create a vocabulary card for “diversity” (using Language Arts template)
o Fill in a double bubble map comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences between all of the definitions
o Students glue vocabulary card onto pg.3 (back)

Diversity Presentation (30 minutes)
• Provide background information for the PBS documentary, A Class Divided
o Older film footage from April 1968 featuring Mrs. Jane Elliot and her all-white 3rd grade class in Iowa; MLK, Jr. assassinated April 1968
o This documentary was made in 1985 featuring the same Mrs. Elliot and her students all grown up
• Show the first 26 minutes of A Class Divided

Pre-writing Activity: Free write (10 minutes)
• Today, we’ve discussed the concept of diversity. Based on the activities we completed in class (vocabulary card, circle and double bubble maps, and watching a film), what is diversity?
• Share your thoughts and/or feelings concerning the film we just watched. In Mrs. Elliot’s 3rd grade classroom, what does “diversity” mean?
• Glue onto p. 4 (front) under the heading “Diversity Free Write”




Day Two: Introduce Discrimination

Activate Prior Knowledge (15 minutes)
• Create a circle map for the topic, “discrimination.” Include what you already know and experience you have with the topic
• Class discussion: Share circle map
• Glue circle map onto pg. 5 of spiral (front) under the heading “What I Already Know”

Gaining Equal Footing (25 minutes)
• Students look up the definition of “discrimination” in a dictionary, thesaurus, Life Science text book, Civics text book, and Google.com
o Each student completes one of the attached definition worksheets based on which reference source he/she chooses (Each student should choose a different reference source from yesterday.)
• Class discussion: Present definitions while Ms. Cousar takes notes on the board
o Glue discrimination reference cards onto pg. 6 (front and back) and pg. 7 (front) under the heading “What Does Discrimination Mean?”
• Individual assessment:
o Create a brace map of the different groups who have historically been discriminated against
o Students make copies of each and glue onto pg. 7 (back)

Diversity Presentation (20 minutes)
• Show the rest of A Class Divided

Pre-writing Activity: Free write (10 minutes)
• Today, we’ve discussed the concept of discrimination. Based on the activities we completed in class (vocabulary card, brace map, and watching a film), what is discrimination?
• Share your thoughts and/or feelings concerning the film we just watched. Did you see “discrimination” in Mrs. Elliot’s 3rd grade classroom? How so?
• Glue onto p. 8 (front) under the heading “Discrimination Free Write”




Day Three: Diversity and Discrimination in Action

Review (7 minutes)
• View a summarized version of A Class Divided

Gaining Equal Footing (15 minutes)
• Class discussion: Discuss how A Class Divided added to students’ understanding of diversity and discrimination.
• Is diversity a natural phenomenon?
o Think of real life examples (nature, human physical and emotional characteristics, language, types of ice cream, personal experience [family life, geographic location], education, values, religion)
• Is discrimination a natural phenomenon?
o Think of real life examples (natural selection, intelligences, choices, Rosa Parks, religious (Muslims in America), physical appearance (better dressed interviewees get the job more often than not)
o EOE:
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: The XC School Board is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The XC School Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, military service, disability, or sex in admission or access to, or treatment, or employment in its programs or activities. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to persons with disabilities if requested. The Assistant Superintendent for Instruction is designated as the responsible person regarding assurances of nondiscrimination under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Title IX of the EEOC Act, Education Amendments of 1972. Requests for hearings over any complaint alleging discrimination based on a disability under Section 504, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and IDEA, shall be made in writing and directed to the Director of Student Services.

Discrimination Activity: 1965 Alabama Literacy Test (25 minutes)
• Objective: Students experience the injustice of voter discrimination
• Instructions: Say, The U.S. Constitution is so important to citizenship that you should know it perfectly without needing previous study time. No textbooks may be consulted. This will count as a test grade in Civics.
• Pass out the 1965 Alabama Literacy Test. Students should spend no more than 15 minutes taking the test.
• Students trade papers and score the tests as Ms. Cousar reads aloud the correct responses.
• Say, You have just taken the 1965 Alabama Literacy Test to determine whether you were qualified to vote. If you missed more than 7 answers, the registrars would have refused you.
• Students share their thoughts on whether they thought the test was easy/difficult and fair.
• Students glue in 1965 Alabama Literacy Test onto pg. 8 (back) under the heading “Voter Discrimination”

Present Diversity Research Project
• Hand out Diversity Research Project description and Expository Writing Rubric  ¶ 6:05 PM