Introduction
Young children are incredibly inquisitive about the world around them. They love to ask questions, especially if it relates to inquiry and their everyday lives. How does that work? They always want to know. This unit will feed off the student’s natural curiosity about germs as it pertains to our bodies and how we get sick.
This unit will be beneficial for early childhood classrooms in urban districts. The theme should be an interesting one, and the content appropriate for larger cities with students from diverse backgrounds. Young learners from diverse backgrounds can all relate to the natural world and germs found in both urban and suburban environments.
Background environment
Celia Clinton Elementary is a public urban school serving pre-K-6 grade students. The school is located in north Tulsa and is considered a neighborhood school. Celia Clinton serves a diverse population of almost 700 students. Our almost 700 students come from a variety of social and economic backgrounds. Our student background is 16% African American, 12% Caucasian, 68% Hispanic, 3% Native American, and 1% Asian. Unfortunately, north Tulsa is considered by many Tulsans to be the “bad” part of town. This part of town has historically struggled economically as well as with crime. North Tulsa has traditionally been African American dominated, and in the early 20th century held the distinction of being an economic and cultural center often referred to as “The Black Wall Street.” In 1921, the Tulsa race riots destroyed homes, property, businesses and the lives of many African American Tulsans. Followed by inequitable public policy throughout the following decades, north Tulsa has struggled to recover its former achievements; while the neighborhood of Celia Clinton has diversified in terms of a growing Hispanic population, this part of town remains disadvantaged.
With this diverse background, the background knowledge surrounding the themes in this unit will be shallow, and I will spend most of the time developing background knowledge and vocabulary for our English Language Learners (ELL) for lessons in this unit. I am a kindergarten teacher at Celia Clinton, and our school has four kindergarten classes. Class sizes typically fluctuate between 20 and 28 students. My class last year consisted of 24 students, 11 males and 13 females; within that class I had two students on Individualized Education Plans (IEP), 16 students who received services as English Language Learners (ELL), and one child who was on an accommodating behavior plan. This class make-up was similar to the other kindergarten class demographics. I anticipate a similar class structure this year.
As such, this unit is designed to be engaging and accessible for all of the diverse learners in my classroom. Tulsa no doubt mirrors other primary schools that have diverse learners with diverse needs; this unit should find a wide audience for educators interested in bringing knowledge about staying healthy to students at a young age. Starting education around Science, Technology, Engineering and Math topics is critical, especially at a young age when the imaginations of our students are so open and creative.
Whom the unit serves
I work with a high population of English Language Learners, so the majority of my time will be spent building vocabulary and basic content knowledge for my students. My students are amazing young people who have significant language barriers, hindering their common background knowledge of their native English-speaking peers. Working with kindergarteners is like building a brick wall. You are laying those very first bricks on the ground, the foundation for all their learning to come.
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