Rationale
In order to scaffold learning and true comprehension, it is highly important to see just what the children know about America and how we function as a country. This very simple question will be asked at the onset of our sessions in this unit. Additionally, the students will share their individual race and culture/ethnicity and what it means to them to be identified under these specific headings. Each child will have a chance to share with their classmates orally as well as in writing. Also, students will research each other’s race/culture, working in small teams. As they gather information, the children will be able to work through the questions that arise together. This is a way to garner a more authentic learning experience in which wonder, empathy, acknowledgement and growth come together as a student led, deep inquiry process.
As we continue through the unit, the students will take part in several activities in order to scaffold what they are learning about American history. The intention is to promote the importance of America’s asset of diversity, while deflecting the mentality that there is one majority that minorities live in the shadow of. It is at this moment that the students will experience one of the pinnacle points of the unit. The conversation called “Why This Hurts!” Too many times, young students absorb comments, microaggressions and even blatant insults and internalize them silently. This lesson will draw on and mold students’ sense of empathy and acceptance. Under carefully guided discussion, and the usage of Restorative Practices, the children will express all of their pride and all of their hurt, revealing the true character of their role as a citizen in the United States of America.
To help tie everything together, in order to express thoughts and ideas which showcase the culmination of their learning, students will partake in several writing activities. From poetry to informational as well as fictional and response writing, the children will have a multitude of opportunities to process thinking and share with classmates. This is an effort to provide support, strength, acknowledgement and celebration throughout this in-depth and poignant unit.
The young learner is amazing in heart and intelligence. Even after twenty years of teaching, students never cease to surprise me with their questions, curiosity, maturity and thoughtful words. Though there are unpleasant topics to include and courageous conversations to have, my students have enough love and yearning in their hearts to endure. They are kind, sensitive and inquisitive. Many have taken a stand in their own lives to promote the well-being of their classmates. They’ve marched, they’ve stood up for their rights, and they’ve stood up for each other. I feel that in this uncommon and unparalleled time, our children and young learners deserve to use their voice and express themselves. Learning about their country and sharing their own ideas of heritage, pride and patriotism as they solidify their knowledge of their home is an alluring aspect of this unit. The understanding and acknowledgement of the struggle that the two focus groups of Native Americans and African Americans endured, though in varying formats and events, is imperative in fostering the consideration and perception of citizenship in our country. The truth that is shared by the students as they research various cultures, review narratives and discuss their findings with each other is an activity that will produce lifelong learning for each child, and hopefully guide their future endeavors as they continue on as American citizens.
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