Cultural diversity is an integral part of the Child Development Center. The CDC recently studied cultural diversity by learning about scholar Carter G. Woodson and the obstacles he overcame to elevate the history of Black Americans in the United States. Students also learned why President Gerald Ford recognized the month of February as Black History Month.
After many important conversations about prominent figures, the center took the opportunity to highlight the joy and influence Black culture has had on society. The children learned about different uses for genres of texts, i.e. that nonfiction or informational texts can be used to learn and locate facts. The children were then invited to research a person who influenced history via biographies, which were used to write important facts. They also practiced computer science skills by using voice to text to search for videos that highlighted their chosen figure, sharing them via QR codes with the broader school community.
Per the quotes below, the most surprising and transformative outcome of this exercise was the personal connections students made to historical figures.
鈥淚 picked Aretha Franklin because she sings. I love singing, it's so much fun. I sing at home, outside, at church, my classroom, and mostly everywhere!鈥 -Aeva
鈥淚 like the color purple and Prince sings a song called Purple Rain. I listened to Purple Rain with my whole family.鈥-Owen
鈥淚 wanted to research Simone Biles because she is cool. She has shiny outfits and does amazing gymnastics. I do gymnastics just like Simone biles.鈥 -Violet
鈥淚 liked Nelson Mandela because he never gave up. If you never give up everything might work.鈥 -Grayson
Culture exists in all families and helps define how we interact with one another. While the diversity in classroom 6 changes each school year, representation of diversity is a constant thought as teachers plan for learning.
--Sara Knapp