Link: http://www.tolerance.org/activity/what-can-we-learn-box-crayons
This plan was written by a school counselor in Indiana. I used this lesson in my Education 364 class, but I changed it just a little. To teach my Edu 364 class how important diversity is, I gave each student two pieces of paper and a box of crayons. With their first sheet of paper in front of them, I had each of them choose their favorite crayon. Then I asked them to draw a rainbow. The were all confused, but tried their best to draw a rainbow. After one minute I asked them to take out their second sheet of paper. This time they could use their entire box of crayons to draw a rainbow. After one minute, I held a class vote and almost every single student chose their second picture. Why? Because the second picture was colorful! When you only have one color you can use, your picture is bland, when you have all of the colors, your picture will be vibrant and colorful. Diversity is colorful, and colorful is beautiful! It is extremely important to use lessons like these in the primary grades!
I really like the rainbow lesson you explained. I think it is an excellent way to incorporate diversity into the classroom at a young age. This is a great task to have younger students take part in because it is relatable to them, and also gets the message across to them very clearly. I also like it because it gives students the opportunity even at a young age to reflect and think about the work they have just done. I definitely agree with you that incorporating multicultural education into the classroom is very important especially in the earlier grades because if it is introduced in the primary grades then it can be carried on to secondary grades.
ReplyDeleteJen,
ReplyDeleteAt first when I read this post I was like where is she going with this lesson plan. Once I finished reading the blog I thought it was a great idea! Teaching students about diversity at an early age is the way to go! What students learn in their early ages, they remember for a lifetime! I loved this assignment because it really does teach young students that a colorful world is so much more exciting. I think that this would be a great lesson plan to do in the first week of school. Bridging the gap between races at an early age is a great way to stop racial boundaries from occurring.
You know I'm a sucker when it comes to a multicultural education! I've actually seen this lesson being done at a local kindergarten class that I tutor in and the kids ALL voted for the rainbow (as they should of course) but yes, I agree it's a great lesson and it's very simple and easy and you get your point across. That different colors are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am all about multicultural education, mainly because there with a lack of it throughout my past educational experiences. I think this particular lesson would not only benefit the students, but also establish a strong connection to the teacher. It helps create a strong foundation to teach children to respect one another and their differences. There are so many creative ways to incorporate multi-cultural education, you just need to have a creative mind like yours to implement it within all your lesson plans.
ReplyDeleteI liked this lesson plan. It reminds me of a video I saw in my EDUC 350 course. The teacher in this video brought in a lot of different paints and then helped the kids match the paint to their own skin color. What was neat about this was that kids stopped saying I am white or I am black, but instead I am peach or I am ebony.
ReplyDeleteI remember this is class that night! I think that this lesson plan is awesome and it really teaches younger students how beautiful everyone is in their own way. Barbara.. I also saw that vidoe in my EDUC 364 class and it really made a impact on the way i thought about myself and others. I always just thought of myself as "white" but after that vidoe i realized that we all are of color.
ReplyDeleteYour rainbow example is perfect in that it drives home the importance of multicultural education from an early stage in life.
ReplyDeleteWe're lucky to have such a diverse blend of in California, especially our own San Diego, where one can enjoy for instance Balboa Park, with excellent exposure to various rich cultures.