janet brown mccracken · janet brown mccracken, m.ed., an early childhood educator, spe-cializes in...

TEACHER’S GUIDE TOLEARNING ACTIVITIES: GRADES K– 2

Janet Brown McCracken“People of Our Nation” by Carole Skog McGeehan

Introduction by Carol Brunson Phillips

Americans All®

Copyright © 1991, 1992 and 1993 by the People ofAmerica Foundation. This publication has been suppliedto the participating school or school system for use in theAmericans All® program. All rights reserved. AmericansAll® authorizes the educational institution to reproduceany portion of this publication for use in its instructionalprogram provided proper credit is given to AmericansAll®. Commercial use or reproduction of any of thismaterial in any form requires the written permission ofthe People of America Foundation.

ISBN 1-56192-018-5

Library of Congress 91-091027, No. 3

Printed and bound in the United States of America

TEACHER’S GUIDE TOLEARNING ACTIVITIES:

GRADES K–2

Janet Brown McCracken

“People of Our Nation” by Carole Skog McGeehan

Introduction by Carol Brunson Phillips

Americans All®

Author and ContributorJanet Brown McCracken, M.Ed., an early childhood educator, spe-cializes in drawing implications for developmentally appropriatepractice from research and theory. She writes about and photo -graphs young children and their teachers for several national proj -ects and professional organizations. Ms. McCracken, who editedYoung Children for more than 10 years, is an educational publish-ing consultant for Subjects and Predicates.

Carole Skog McGeehan, an artist in the Washington, D.C., area, hasworked in print design, editing, production and consultation since1976. Formerly the illustrator and designer of the League ofMichigan Bicyclists’ journal, she illustrated Tall Annie, a youngadult biography. She was awarded a grant from the MichiganCouncil for the Arts for her work in ceramics and the S. E. LeeScholarship Award for her essays on cross-cultural awarenessthrough the arts.

Editorial and Advisory StaffDr. Gail C. Christopher, a national co-director of the Americans All®

program, has been an author and human services administrator for20 years. She is the former executive director of the FamilyResource Coalition, a national membership organization that repre-sents thousands of community-based family support and educationprograms. She began her career as a clinician, providing direct ser-vices to individuals and families, but soon specialized in designingprogrammatic interventions for at-risk population groups. Her pro-grams and related training and curriculum models have been sup-ported by national foundations and recognized in the media. Anaward-winning public television documentary, “Crisis on FederalStreet,” featured her holistic program design for addressing theeffects of institutionalized poverty through family development,self-esteem, stress management and motivational training.

Carol Brunson Phillips is executive director of the Council for EarlyChildhood Professional Recognition, Child Development AssociateNational Credentialing Program in Washington, D.C. Dr. Phillipsreceived her bachelor of arts degree in psychology from theUniversity of Wisconsin, her master’s in early childhood educationfrom Erikson Institute and her Ph.D. in education from ClaremontGraduate School. As a member of the human development facultyat Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, she specialized in early child-hood education and cultural influences on development for 13 years.

Note: Biographical information was compiled at the time the individuals contributed toAmericans All®.

Page

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Setting the Stage for Americans All® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Curriculum Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Establishing a Culturally Relevant Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . 4Welcome to Our Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 We’re Glad You’re Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Engaging the Learning Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Education Is a Family Affair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Classroom Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Preparing Children to Live in a Democracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15� Activity 1: Let’s Read a Story! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16� Activity 2: From Jump Rope Rhymes to Raps . . . 20� Activity 3: Rules for Democratic Living and

Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23� Activity 4: Our Class Decision Is . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26� Activity 5: Using Words, Not Fists . . . . . . . . . . . . 28� Activity 6: We’re on the Same Learning Team . . 32

� � Activity 7: Wielding Power Wisely . . . . . . . . . . . . 35� � � Activity 8: We Are World Citizens . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Exploring Children’s Roots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43� Activity 9: How I’m Growing! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44� Activity 10: Creating a Class Quilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

� � Activity 11: Our Family Traditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51� � � Activity 12: We Are Many Cultures . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Branching Out into the Community and Nation . . . . . . . . . 59� Activity 13: We Live Here! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

� � Activity 14: We Make a Difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64� � � Activity 15: Before We Arrived: A Local

Treasure Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67� � � Activity 16: Tracing Voyages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

CONTENTS

� An entry-level activity providing an essential background for understandinglater concepts presented in the Americans All® program. Appropriate forkindergarteners and very early readers.

� � Generally appropriate for first graders and older groups in which childrenhave had previous experience with Americans All® entry activities and arebeginning to read.

� � � More in-depth suggestions primarily for second graders and older childrenwho have completed the one- and two-square activities and who are moreexperienced readers.

People of Our Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Native Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78African Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Asian Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83European Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Mexican Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Puerto Rican Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Teacher Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Children’s Books and Recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Share Your Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Photo Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

List of Tables

Table 1: Examples of Primary Classroom CurriculumThemes that Can Easily IncorporateAmericans All® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Table 2: Criteria for Learning Materials and Activities . . . 5Table 3: Items that Increase Cultural Relevance . . . . . . . . . 5Table 4: Building Pride in Bilingualism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Table 5: Choosing Culturally Relevant

Children’s Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Table 6: Conflict-Resolution Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Table 7: Activism Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Table 8: Ways to Encourage Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Table 9: Stand Up for Fairness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

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Today’s youth are living in an unprecedented period of change. Thecomplexities of the era include shifts in demographics, in social values and family structures as well as in economic and politicalrealities. A key to understanding young people’s place in both thepresent and the future lies in history. History is so much more thana collection of facts. When appropriately studied, it is a lens forviewing the motivations, beliefs, principles and imperatives thatgive rise to the institutions and practices of people and their nations.As our nation’s schools reform their curricula to reflect the diversityof our school-age population, a major challenge arises. Is it possi-ble to teach United States hist ory as a history of diversity withoutevoking feelings of anger, bitterness and ethnic hatred? Is it possible to diversify classroom resources without generatingfeelings of separatism and alienation?

Americans All® answers “yes” to both these questions. TheAmericans All® program has proven that not only is it possible, it ispreferable. By choosing to chronicle the history of six groups—Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, EuropeanAmericans, Mexican Americans and Puerto Rican Americans—theprogram provides a frame upon which an inclusive approach to education on a nationwide basis can be built.

Nomenclature, regional differences, language and the demands ofinterest groups will always challenge an evolving diversity-basedapproach to education. These challenges are by- products of the free-doms that we treasure and strive to protect. This reality necessitatesa process that becomes part of the product, however. Americans All®

has integrated feedback from a diverse group of scholars in devel-oping this program and maintains open lines of communication forcontinuous input from educators, parents and community members.The program’s emphasis on six groups is based on historic pat-terns of migration and immigration. These six groups provide anumbrella under which many other groups fall. By developing 51customized, state-specific resource packages, the continuing sagaof diversity in the United States can and will be told.

Americans All® has succeeded in avoiding the land mines found invictim/oppressor approaches to our diverse history by using a the-matic approach. The theme focuses on how individuals and familiesimmigrated to and migrated through the United States (voluntarilyand by force). Carefully planned learning activities engage teachersand students in comparative critical thinking about all groups simul-taneously. These activities ensure sensitivity to the previouslyuntold stories of women, working-class people and minority andmajority groups. Results from the program’s implementation in ethnically and culturally diverse school systems confirm the effi-cacy of this approach.

PREfACE

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We have answered “yes” to the frightening questions about teach-ing diversity without teaching hate. Our nation’s leaders must nowanswer even more frightening questions: Can we afford not to teachhistory that is diverse and inclusive when school dropout rates rangefrom 25 percent to 77 percent among Native American, AfricanAmerican, Asian American, Hispanic and foreign-born youth? Canwe afford to continue preparing so many of our nation’s youth for afuture of exclusion from the economic mainstream—a future thatmirrors a history curriculum that excludes them?

To compound the problem, we must add the very real constraint ofurgency. The future of our nation is characterized by computer tech-nology and global interdependence. All students, regardless of theirgender or their socioeconomic, ethnic or cultural status, must behelped to see themselves as participants in this human continuum ofscientific and mathematical development to both visualize and actu-alize a place for themselves in our future.

Students need to be challenged to think critically and examine howtoday’s technology grew out of yesterday’s industrial era, an eraspawned by the agricultural accomplishments of prior generations.They need to understand that even the simple tasks of weaving fab-ric and making dyes from fruits or plants required mathematical andscientific understanding; that today’s freeways grew out of yester-day’s hand-hewn trails; that ancient tribal herbs from many culturesformed the basis of many of today’s wonder drugs; and that it tookthe agricultural skills of many different peoples to produce thenucleus of today’s complex farming and food industries. Studentsmust also see the relationship between citizenship responsibilitiesand privileges and understand their own importance in that dy namic.

The Americans All® materials provide diverse and inclusive imagesof history that can be a catalyst for this type of understanding. Notonly is it wise to teach about diversity, using an inclusive approachas modeled in the Americans All® program, it is essential.

Gail C. ChristopherJanuary 1992

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All across the United States children are learning in pluralisticclassrooms, just as they have done for generations. More than one-third of our nation’s schoolchildren are from diverse families—African American, Hispanic American, Asian American or NativeAmerican. From the inner cities to small rural communities, youngchildren enter their classroom doors speaking Spanish, Russian,Hmong or one of about 150 other languages. In addition to theirhome language, children also bring their own unique personalities,expectations and behaviors to school.

This national diversity is somewhat akin to a tossed salad, a savorystew or a colorful rainbow. Unlike the past, today’s cultural and eth-nic heritages are viewed as world treasures to be preserved forfuture generations. We are “Americans All,” and the early formativeyears are prime times for helping children build an appreciationfor—and knowledge about—the richness of the variety of peoplewho live and work in our nation.

Young children, families and teachers together can celebrate thisdiversity by playing traditional games, preparing favorite foods, lis-tening to stories about real people and, most of all, by getting toknow and getting along with one another. The skills, attitudes andknowledge children acquire in their early years will form the foun-dation for them to gain more skills, solve more problems togetherand study issues in depth as they grow up to be tomorrow’s parentsand leaders.

The Americans All® activities and materials provide teachers withan intriguing collection of resources and ideas for celebrating ourcountry’s diversity. They also contain suggestions about how to tai-lor these activities and materials, along with those already in everyclassroom, to children’s developmental levels, cultures and individ-ual styles. Older children can use the Americans All® program toexplore the people and events that shaped our nation through anabundant selection of historical readings and photographs, as wellas through relevant group and individual learning activities.

The Americans All® resources for teachers of young children arealso developmentally appropriate. Primary schoolchildren wantnew responsibilities. When they succeed with these tasks, they areeager to try new challenges. Young children are sticklers for fairnessand accuracy, so your questions can spark intense discussion orimmediate action: “Why is it not fair to say we sit like Indians?”“How can you work out a solution that satisfies both of you?”“What did those names you heard really mean?”

Especially in children’s first eight years, curriculum is what happensall around them; a name-calling incident on the bus or playground, apicture on a holiday greeting card or even a seemingly innocentmovie can spark intense interest about culture. They may ask poten-tially embarrassing questions about people. Through everything that

INTRODUCTION

goes on around them, even classroom rules, children begin to forgenew understandings about themselves and one another.

This classroom guide is designed to strengthen and expand teachingstrategies that facilitate children’s thinking and problem-solving inpluralistic directions. In addition to building on what childrenalready know and can do, children can become engaged in a widerange of projects that more fully establish their sense of personal,community and national history. Stories, games, field trips, theAmericans All® Photograph Collection, families, art activities andsongs all play a part in celebrating the diversity of your classroom—and of America.

Carol Brunson PhillipsFebruary 1991

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The Americans All® teaching materials for older elementary andsecondary schoolchildren recount highlights of the history ofdiverse peoples who helped build our nation. Younger elementaryschoolchildren—those in kindergarten through second grade—must first build a background of experiences about today’s life sohistory can make sense to them. They must know and respect them-selves, their families, friends in school, neighbors and people theywill play with and work alongside all their lives.

To firmly establish this base, primary classroom teachers can embedopportunities for the children’s real success within the daily fabricof their play and study, being careful to match the children’s currentlearning capacities. Celebrating contemporary cultural similaritiesand differences can be done with young children in hands-on,devel opmentally appropriate ways. With the teacher as organizerand leader, the children will do everything possible to carry out theactivity and direct their own productive play. Through such experi-ences, the children’s awareness of their own and their friends’ per-sonal histories will unfold. Genuine pride, unity and in di vidualresponsibility will become firmly entrenched as a way of life.

Family members, extended families and community residents canalso actively participate in children’s early education by sharingwhat they know and can do. In the process of establishing a knowl-edge base about themselves and the generations of people aroundthem, the children will begin to see themselves as an integral part ofthe common thread that unites us all as Americans.

Curriculum is only as effective as the learning principles on whichit is based and the enthusiasm with which it is presented. How thechildren learn ultimately determines how teachers guide their learn-ing. Observing the children, and listening to their comments, willprovide a wealth of information about individual and group styles.Recent research reveals that people of all ages process informationin many different ways, often referred to as these “seven intelli-gences” (Gardner, 1991):

• linguistic (such as poets or writers);

• logical-mathematical (strongest in scientists or mathematicians);

• musical (performers or sophisticated listeners);

• spatial (perhaps artists or surgeons);

• bodily-kinesthetic (athletes or dancers are typical);

• interpersonal (getting along with others); and

• intrapersonal (self-knowledge).

SETTING THESTAGE fORAMERICANSALL®

CurriculumDesign

Children and adults alike have strengths, and areas yet to be furtherdeveloped, in all of these seven intelligences. When we view learn-ing through this kaleidoscope of multiple ways of knowing, andcapi talize on young children’s experiences and their intrinsic desireto learn, educational goals for children are far more likely to be reached.

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Table 1: Examples of Primary Classroom CurriculumThemes that Can Easily Incorporate Americans All®

FAMILIES

• People live in many kinds of families.

• Every family has a history.

• People use written and spoken language to communicate.

• Families teach their children what they value.

• Every family has traditions.

• Families help one another.

WORK

• People work together at home.

• People work with one another in many places.

• People do many kinds of jobs.

• Some people work for fairness so others might have better lives.

HOUSING

• People live in a variety of homes.

• Types of homes are affected by weather, available building

materials , local history and many other factors.

INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

• People need food, clothing, shelter and one another.

• Physical features vary among individuals and among ethnic and

racial groups.

• People dress, eat, work and live in ways that vary by culture.

CLOTHING

• Clothing is made from natural resources.

• What people wear depends on the climate and their work.

• Fabric and garments are made by weaving and sewing.

FOOD

• Foods help us grow and stay healthy.

• Cultures and families have different food preferences and

eating habits.

• Foods grow in different climates.

• Foods are prepared in many ways.

• Food is a precious natural resource.

FINE ARTS

• Cultural and individual expressions are found in music, poetry,

literature and other types of art.

• People create their own art.

• People enjoy one another’s art.

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Learning about culture is a natural outgrowth of everyday primaryclassroom activities, because children’s experiences and learningstyles overlap in their educational value. Children can improve lan-guage and handwriting skills, along with their self-esteem andobservation skills, when, for example, they pen their own familystories. They see the value of reading, apply mathematics and sci-ence, and experience success when they follow a favorite ethnicrecipe or measure pieces of cardboard to construct replicas of build-ings in their neighborhoods.

Americans All® concepts for young children expand on typicalappropriate primary classroom curriculum themes—all of whichnaturally integrate traditional subject areas, such as reading, science, mathematics and social studies—as evidenced by the ideaslisted in Table 1.

Emphasis on historical events that have shaped the United States isgradually introduced through the Americans All® program begin-ning in the third grade. By then, most children have a firmer graspof the passage of time and can deal with more abstract ideas due totheir further refined cognitive abilities. These more mature childrenwill progress rapidly in understanding the information because theyhave the benefit of earlier, meaningful cultural experiences, such asthose suggested in this publication.

Although our national shared history is not taught per se in the primarygrades, it is important for teachers of young children to understandevents and circumstances of cultural groups ranging from the firstAmericans to the most recent immigrants. Curiosity is contagious, andadults who are eager to learn are sure to engender their quest forknowledge in the children. We suggest starting this quest by review-ing the Americans All® materials and related reading materials, suchas A People’s History of the United States. (Zinn, 1980)

Before integrating specific Americans All® activities into the dailycurriculum, it is essential to get to know the children and their fam-ilies in order to prepare the environment—the physical space andthe classroom atmosphere—making it culturally relevant for children in each group. According to Carol Brunson Phillips, a culturally relevant classroom is one in which the physical space and classroom atmosphere are as consistent as possible with the cul-tural climates of the children’s homes. In addition, children becomefamiliar with a wide variety of other cultures.

Children will learn to see themselves as successful when they real-ize the rewards of their own competence. Feelings of “I am capa-ble” grow when the children:

• exhibit genuine pride in themselves and others for accomplish-ments and personal attributes;

• gain greater self-control;

• solve real problems using their budding skills;

• see their families involved in education; and

• sense they are an important part of their community.

Children empowered by an atmosphere of personal and communityinvolvement become committed to democracy, truth, fairness andother ideals shared by all Americans. These children are readers andwriters, mathematicians, scientists, musicians, artists, anthropolo-gists, poets and decision-makers. They can absorb what they areable to understand now, and they can then build on their experiencesto hold them in good stead in the future.

Every community and classroom contains a wealth of resources forlearning, even when school budgets are mere shoestrings. People —students, families, teachers, administrators and area residents — arethe sparks who will make learning come alive! Teaching in devel-opmentally appropriate, culturally relevant ways can be a welcomechange from the more impersonal, mechanical approaches that dic-tate the same approach for every teacher and child.

The Americans All® program offers an opportunity for everyone toget involved in a spirit of creating caring communities inside andoutside the classroom. Caring Communities: Supporting Young

Children and Families (National Association of State Boards ofEducation, 1991) describes ways that communities can supportchildren’s education and development. Families are often willing toloan objects or share their expertise. Community groups contributeto school resources and encourage field trips. Teachers may need tolook no farther than their own backyard for everything needed tocreate a culturally relevant classroom.

The Americans All® program for early elementary schoolchildren isdesigned to meet the criteria for developmentally appropriate learn-ing materials and activities listed in Table 2. These criteria helpensure that children’s activities are culturally relevant and providechildren with the skills and information they need to function in adiverse world community.

“Yes” answers indicate a greater potential for children to learn inculturally relevant, developmentally appropriate ways. “No”answers probably mean the item or activity should be skipped infavor of better opportunities to present resources anchored on moreprofessional knowledge.

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Establishing aCulturally Relevant

Classroom

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Welcome to Our RoomIn classrooms that celebrate diversity and foster authentic self-esteem, children will encounter people, objects and ideas that makethem feel at home from the moment they walk through the door.Inexpensive, everyday cultural artifacts, such as those listed inTable 3, can be purchased or borrowed, and the collection can growwith each passing year.

Table 2: Criteria for Learning Materials and Activities

1. Do children learn primarily by extending their own experiencesand gaining insights from one another? Does the activity ormaterial make sense to them?

2. Can the children carry out nearly all of the activity by themselves?

3. Do culture and history come alive?

4. Are people’s real experiences—clothing, habits, music, homes,families and foods—accurately portrayed? Are people viewed asunique individuals within a culture?

5. Are various cultures portrayed, with an emphasis on the peopleswho live within the children’s community?

6. Is pride in each child’s heritage fostered?

7. Are principles of democracy instilled?

Table 3: Items that Increase Cultural Relevance

• Pillows, rugs and wall hangings

• Baskets made from many materials

• Lacquered boxes and wooden bowls

• Wind chimes, drums and other authentic musical instruments, plusrecordings of various types of choral and instrumental music

• Sculpture and fine art prints

• Jewelry made from wooden beads, shells, turquoise, seeds and other materials

• Ethnic puppets and dolls made from fabric, wood, china and plastic

• Stuffed, rubber and wooden animals

• Books, pictures, magazines, dictionaries, telephone books and news-papers in several languages

• Eating and cooking utensils (chopsticks, flour sifter)

• Coins and paper money

• Games, puzzles and blocks from many cultures

• Maps and globes

• Items used by people with various abilities (crutches, glasses frames)

• Things used at work (hard hats, fishing nets, calculators)

• Plants and plant materials from different climates, such as cacti,ferns, rice, nuts and cotton

• Tools for everyday living

Teachers can collaborate with other teachers to accumulate variouslocal artifacts (garage sales are great resources!) for the entireschool and then rotate the items. This way, a minimum amount ofstorage is needed, and costs are kept low. When equipped this way,every learning center, wall, shelf, nook and cranny proclaims “Allchildren are welcome here!” Decorate a bulletin board or two,reserving most of the display space for the children’s efforts.

In addition, teachers may continue standard educational practices,such as listening for the children’s ideas, interests and misconcep-tions, and then building on them. Post the children’s names on tabletops or cubby spaces; attach labels—in the children’s home lan-guages—on pet cages, pencil sharpeners and other objects. Selectpaper, paint, crayon and clay colors that include a spectrum of skintones. Establish a quiet, introspective area as well as noisy, messysections of the room. Along with the unit blocks, make sure thereare people, animals and vehicles from many cultures. Props for“pretend play” can be gathered to include clothing, utensils andaccessories from many cultures. Display the Americans All® postersand photographs interspersed with contemporary photo graphs. Thiswide variety of cultural expressions will convey the message thateach child is valued and each ethnic and/or cultural group is impor-tant. No one will feel singled out or left out—everyone is special!

Before many days have passed, the children will begin to feel athome with objects their friends already recognize. “When we bringbits and pieces of the world into the daily life of our programs, theunfamiliar becomes familiar; what was outside our experiencebecomes part of our frame of reference,” notes Neu gebauer (1992).Each item to handle, see, smell, hear or taste will lead the children onto more learning that awaits them.

We’re Glad You’re HereA warm, familiar classroom setup is the first step in telling childrenthey belong, but how the children are treated—everything thathappens during the day— is of even more lasting importance than

the setting.

From the first morning of the school year, it is essential to greet thechildren every day with a friendly, personal expression in their own

languages. Teachers can strive to become more fluent in the chil-dren’s home languages as the year progresses, which will buildpride in bilingualism and multilingualism (see Table 4). Recentresearch indicates that most children need at least three years ofexperience with English as a second language to become proficientenough to succeed academically. (Cummins, 1989) Cummins advo-cates that at least 50 percent of the instruction in the early grades beconducted in the children’s native languages to ensure that they con-tinue to learn subject matter as they acquire English proficiency.

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How greetings are exchanged can vary for each child. Teachersshould be aware of cultural differences and flexible in the ways theyinteract with children and foster friendships. Some children willreact warmly to an exuberant hug, while others will respond best toa quiet greeting issued from a kneeling teacher.

Children raised in some cultural groups are accustomed to express-ing feelings openly, touching and even roughhousing, defyingauthority, making eye contact and engaging in direct conversationwith adults. These children may thrive on competition. In contrast,children growing up in other cultural communities may be taught tospeak quietly only when addressed, to refrain from touching ormaking eye contact, and to defer readily to adult authority.Cooperative activities may be most engaging for such children.Teachers should also remember that each child is also unique withineach culture.

Table 4: Building Pride in Bilingualism

1. Accept individual differences with regard to language-learningtime frames. It is a myth to think that young children can learn alanguage quickly and easily.

2. Accept the children’s attempts to communicate, because trial anderror are a part of the second-language learning process. It isimportant to negotiate meaning and collaborate duringconversations. Plan and incorporate opportunities forconversation, such as dramatic play, story time, puppetry, peerinteractions, social experiences, field trips, cooking and otherenriching activities.

3. Maintain an additive philosophy by recognizing that the childrenneed to acquire new language skills instead of replacing existinglinguistic skills.

4. Provide a stimulating, active and diverse linguistic environmentwith many opportunities for language use in meaningful socialinteractions. Avoid rigid or didactic grammatical approaches withthe children.

5. Incorporate culturally responsible experiences for the children.

6. Use informal observations to guide the planning of activities, interactions and conversations for the children who speak otherlanguages.

7. Provide an accepting classroom climate that values culturally andlinguistically diverse young children.

The possibilities are endless for teachers of young children who, as rolemodels, are in a unique position to establish a tone or classroom cli-mate that welcomes bilingual decision-making, collaboration, interac-tions and activities.

Adapted from Soto, L. D., “Research in Review: Understanding Bilingual/BiculturalYoung Children,” in Young Children, Washington, DC: National Association for theEducation of Young Children, January 1991.

Observe the child and try to match the style of greeting—and alllearning activities—with that child’s individual and cultural style.Children will thrive in environments where they are comfortableand valued.

Just as teachers prefer to “nest,” to individualize their teachingspaces, children also feel most at home when they invest themselvesin their surroundings. Teachers can begin immediately to incorpo-rate children’s unique contributions into their learning environment.Within the early hours of the first school day, children’s own art andwriting can spring up on the walls, transforming the classroom intotheir own habitat. Younger students might make a mural depictingtheir summer activities. Older children could write individual sto-ries about “My family likes to . . .” or “I wish I could . . .” or someother theme that fosters friendship and understanding.

Engaging the Learning CommunityFamilies and schools reflect the values of the broader community.Involving the entire community—school staff, families, residents,businesses, civic groups and colleges—in the children’s daily liveswill enhance their cultural awareness and offer a wide variety oflearning opportunities.

School staff members are a rich resource for establishing a cultur -ally relevant setting as well as for individualizing activities andleading small groups. Ask, and help, the school dietitian to planmenus, including families’ favorite foods. Tour the building andgrounds with the custodian so the children are more aware of theirsurroundings and can take pride in their school. Seek ways to col-laborate with the office staff, resource teachers, librarians and teach-ers in other grades to offer a richer, more rewarding experience.

Similarly, the entire community can serve as a classroom resourcefor exploring the world with children. Further ideas for involvingthe larger community are embedded in each of the activities foundin this publication.

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Families can be the most enlightening resource of all becausethey always want the best for their children. Each year offers afresh op por tunity to welcome families as partners in their chil-dren’s education.

Before the school year opens, or shortly thereafter, meet with thechildren’s family members to get to know one another, exchangeinformation and find ways to work together on behalf of the chil-dren. Family members can be invited to informal meetings in writ-ing or by telephone. Use the families’ home languages andinteraction styles consistent with their culture. Offer choices ofday and evening appointments to accommodate work and schoolschedules.

Before each meeting, teachers can collect samples of the child’s art-work, photos of the child engaged in activities in the classroom andother relevant materials to share with the family. Likewise, encouragefamilies to bring along a sample or two of something important to thechild. They might choose the child’s favorite book, show a familyphoto or provide information about something that represents one ofthe child’s favorite activities or interests. This will help focus the dis-cussion and ensure that information is exchanged in both directions.

Prepare an area of the room with adult-sized chairs casuallyarranged in a circle or semicircle. Families might be pleased to findlight refreshments. Locate interpreters if needed to facilitate the discussion. Teachers can also anticipate how best to respond to difficult questions.

Meet the family members at the main door and briefly tour the facil-ity on the way to their children’s classroom if they are new to theschool building. As with the children, teachers should greet familymembers warmly in their home language and introduce themselves.Also ask family members how they want to be addressed. Forexample:

“Hello! I’m Mark Wellington, Imani’s kindergarten teacher.I’m so glad you could come to King School today. Imani’sclassroom is down this way, past the library. Before we begin,I’d like to know what names you would like me to use for youas we talk together.”

Immediately begin to address family members in their preferredstyles, and jot this down at the earliest convenience for the future.

Most families are curious about the classroom, so explanationsmight be offered as they browse around:

“This is our block area, one of the children’s favorites. Theycan build ships, farms, cities or the moon if they’d like. There are small carts, little bicycles, lots of different animalsand miniature people the children can pretend with as theylearn, too.”

Education Is afamily Affair

Some may be curious about what the children learn through play:

“When children construct with blocks, they discover how differ-ent shapes fit together. They estimate measurements to make sureone block will bridge between two others.”

When everyone is comfortably seated, the teacher can begin the dis-cussion by inquiring about the items the family brought or those theteacher has saved from the child’s work:

“Tell me about one or two of Imani’s favorite activities. . . . Oh,so Imani especially likes to play ‘Little Sally Walker’ with chil-dren in the neighborhood. Could you explain how they play? . . .There are probably other games your family plays together.Would you be able to help Imani teach her friends how to play‘Little Sally Walker’ someday? We have books and recordings ofsome play songs, but it’s so much more fun when real people join us.”

Families will soon realize their comments and participation are wel-comed and valued. Occasionally, ask open-ended questions, makeleading comments, or just respond with a shake of the head and aninterested look. Keep the conversation casual and focused on thechild’s interests. Information will come forth about languages usedin the home, family values, the child’s experiences and much morethat will affect how and what will be taught. Make notes of the fam-ily’s interests and possibilities for involving family members duringthe school year. All too soon, the time will be up:

“It’s been such a pleasure to talk with you, Dawnna and Michael.I’m really looking forward to learning this year with Imani andher friends. In a week or two, we’ll be ready to play ‘Little SallyWalker.’ I’ll be giving you a call to help all of us learn Imani’sversion. Thank you so much for coming.”

Continue frequent two-way communication with families through-out the year, as they are an invaluable asset for broadening children’sclassroom development. Stay in touch with each family in the mosteffective way, whether by telephone, notes, newsletters orimpromptu contacts in the neighborhood grocery store. Find outwhat is important to families for their children. Include them asactive participants in as many activities as possible within the class-room and on field trips.

Each classroom activity found in this publication offers suggestionson involving family members. Teachers should challenge them-selves to think beyond the standard ways to exchange informationwith parents and involve them in the everyday life of the classroom.Encourage families to share recipes and ask them to prepare disheswith the children. Span generations by including extended familymembers in every activity. Suggest they tell stories or teach songs

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from their childhood, bring in a family treasure for all the childrento admire or find other ways they might meaningfully add to theirchild’s school learning environment during typical classroomactivities.

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Teachers can creatively enlist their surroundings, the children,school staff, families and the entire community to open enticingeducational doors for themselves, for children and for the future ofthe world. Americans All® ideas can be incorporated into any soundprimary classroom curriculum because they mesh with develop-mentally appropriate subject matter. The following classroom activ-ities are suggested as a starting point. Teachers can adapt these ideasto fit the children in each group, keeping in mind the seven criteriafor learning materials and activities listed in Table 2 (page 5).

These classroom activities are arranged by topic. Then, they aredivided into three levels, depending on the children’s prior experi-ence with the Americans All® program and this developmentallyappropriate style of involving children. At the beginning of the year,or if children are new to the program, teachers in all grades canadapt introductory activities to fit the children in their group.

Squares at the top of each activity are provided as codes to helpteachers readily identify the activity’s level of sophistication.

An entry-level activity providing an essential backgroundfor understanding later concepts presented in the Ameri cansAll® program. Appropriate for kindergarteners and veryearly readers.

Generally appropriate for first graders and older groups inwhich children have had previous experience withAmericans All® entry activities and are beginning to read.

More in-depth suggestions primarily for second graders andolder children who have completed the one- and two- squareactivities and who are more experienced readers.

The same “square” codes have been provided in the Contents foreasy reference.

Each activity is organized in a similar format. The first sectionraises a few cognitive, socioemotional and physical learning objec-tives teachers might choose as a focus. Next, a preparation sectionoffers ideas for planning ahead to work the activity into the class-room. Each plan provides examples of how to integrate the activitythrough family involvement, children’s literature and other avenuesfor learning that occur naturally in every classroom. Related expe-riences are explored in a section on expanding the idea.

These brief lesson plans suggest the possibilities for integratingdevelopmentally appropriate, culturally relevant resources foryoung children into daily classroom experiences.*

CLASSROOMACTIVITIES

* For hundreds of other teaching ideas and a wealth of background information, seeMcCracken, J. B., Valuing Diversity: The Primary Years, Washington, DC: NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children, 1993.

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Imagination is the best teacher’s guide for involving children in thevery lifeblood of their communities and world. By using the chil-dren’s own experiences and interests, local resources and bundlesof enthusiasm and imagination, teachers can ensure that the chil-dren will see themselves as capable learners who are proud to be“Amer icans All”!

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Children can learn the responsibilities inherent in democratic livingby implementing democratic skills, at a level appropriate to theirmaturity, each day in the classroom. The activities in this section areexamples of the types of everyday experiences through which chil-dren can learn to gather information, weigh the facts, make wisedecisions, work together, resolve conflicts and respect differences.

PREPARINGCHILDREN TOLIVE IN A DEMOCRACY

Activity 1: Let’s Read a Story!With this activity, the children will hear and read stories every daythat celebrate diversity and human dignity.

CognitiveThe children will extend their knowledge of how books communi-cate through words and pictures, tell a story and involve readers inthe action; increase their listening and speaking vocabularies;become more aware of human similarities and differences; begin toread and write their own stories; and apply what they learn in different subject areas.

SocioemotionalThe children will become acquainted with the various ways peopleinteract with one another, recognize that people express emotions inmany ways and establish a love of reading.

PhysicalThe children will learn to turn pages carefully, care for books andgradually gain the self-control to sit relatively quietly and listenattentively to the story and its discussion.

Arrangements: Set aside at least 10 minutes each day for storyreading. Teachers, principals, family members, visitors, librarians,older children and eventually children in the class can read to indi-viduals, small groups or the whole class. Divide the class into thesmallest possible story-reading groups so the children can get moreinvolved in the discussion and any dramatic play that might evolve.A carpeted floor makes a good gathering place for larger groups.The reader should sit in a chair, holding the book to the side so thechildren can see the illustrations or props. Smaller groups mightsnuggle together on a beanbag chair or other cozy spot.

Materials: Select a variety of children’s picture books that relateto history and civics topics, language skills, math ideas, humanrelations, art techniques and other areas of daily inquiry or inter-est for young children. Ask children’s librarians, families andother teachers for recommendations. Children are also often eagerto suggest titles. As the children gain experience, they willbecome interested in “chapter books” with more involved storiesthat can be read over a week or more.

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Objectives

Preparation

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Be sure to choose books in the children’s home languages. Teacherswho are not yet fluent in the language can ask a volunteer to readthe book. Perhaps a family member could record the story if arecording in the child’s home language is not available.

Also prepare any flannel board props, Americans All® photographs,puppets, artifacts, science objects, cooking supplies, musicmanuscript paper or art supplies to be used to extend the children’sunderstanding of the story.

This sample plan describes how a teacher might blend the delight-ful book How My Parents Learned to Eat (Friedman, 1984) withina typical primary classroom curriculum. Ask local restaurants todonate enough chopsticks so each child has a pair (select chunkyfoods such as pineapple to start). Perhaps a family member coulddemonstrate their use. You may also have Japanese newspapers ormagazines, a futon, kimono, a globe and other items included in thebook or related to the topic.

Table 5: Choosing Culturally RelevantChildren’s Literature

Accurate and fair portrayals of many cultures are becoming easier tolocate.* Make sure books are good matches for what children alreadyknow and their need for concrete, hands-on learning. Consider the fol-lowing when selecting literature:

• authenticity instead of stereotypes;

• aesthetically pleasing, realistic, yet distinctive drawings of ethnicpeople (instead of exaggerated features or skin merely shaded red,beige, brown or black);

• contemporary as well as historical treatments;

• heroines or heroes worth admiring;

• everyday lives featured more often than special occasions;

• materials written and illustrated by people from within the culture described, some in their home language;

• plots that demonstrate how people work together; and

• positive and current terminology.

* See Council on Interracial Books for Children, Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s

Books for Racism and Sexism, New York, NY: Council on Interracial Books for

Children, n. d.

How My Parents Learned to Eat—like most books—has multiplepossibilities. The book might complement early writing skills withits focus on fine motor coordination, or it might fit in with a healthunit on nutrition. It is equally valuable as a learning tool for comparing the ways that cultures serve basic human needs. It is alsoan excellent invitation to the study of the Americans All® programgoals with its emphasis on migrants, immigrants and people’s contributions to contemporary society.

Most young children will be puzzled by the title of this book.Teachers can ask thought-provoking questions, such as:

“What do you think this book might be about?”; and

“Which clues do you see in the cover picture Allen Say drewabout where this story takes place?”

Read with expression and allow ample time for children to study the drawings and digest the material. At the end of the story (or atcritical junctures within), ask questions that inspire thinking, such as:

“Why do you think John was afraid to invite Aiko to dinner?”;

“Why did the meat fall off John’s chopsticks?”;

“What would have happened if Aiko didn’t have her GreatUncle?”;

“What do you think the daughter’s name is? Why?”; and

“Who has a family that blends the daily life of two or more cultures?”

During their conversations and pretend play, children will indicatewhere their interests lie beyond this or any book—perhaps they arecurious about people’s food, clothing or sleeping arrangements.Include not only traditional but also contemporary preferences inany displays and discussions. Involve Japanese Americans or otherimmigrant groups within the community. These are just a few pos-sible ways to pick up on the children’s interests and experiences.

History and Civics/Science. Discuss images from theAmericans All® photograph collection related to the story. ForHow My Parents Learned to Eat, related Americans All®

photographs include numbers 277, 279, 359, 405 and 441.

Supplement these with contemporary pictures of families eatingmeals. Children might draw their own families or cut magazinephotos of families eating to form a class book on the theme,“People Eat in Many Ways.”

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Integratingthe Activity

Expandingthe Idea

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Health/Mathematics/Science. Prepare Japanese dishes, prefer-ably with the guidance of family members who can share authen-tic recipes. Then prepare roast beef, peas and potatoes, eatingthem as described in the book. Buying and measuring ingredientsare excellent applications of math. Cooking entails cooperationand reveals scientific principles about changes in food due to heator mixing, for example.

Language Arts/History and Civics. Set up a traditional Japanesehome or restaurant as a pretend play learning center. For views ofa contemporary Japanese home, see Tree of Cranes (Say, 1991).Ask the children’s families to contribute items, such as a futon ortea pot. Or set up a pretend ship, complete with Navy uniform, ifpossible. Children might act out the story or create their own ver-sions. Older children may want to videotape an original playbased on the book or perform for a younger group.

Language Arts/Reading. Ask the children to dictate or write“experience stories,” perhaps interviewing family members tofind out whether similar experiences about blending two or morecultures are part of their family story. Prepare a graph with all thepossible ways children greet one another.

History and Civics/Art. Teachers may seek out a person whocan write and speak Japanese—many high schools now includethis language in their curriculums—and arrange an exchange ofstudents. Visit a Japanese market or take a walk through aJapanese American neighborhood. Look for store signs similar tothose in the story. Children can recreate similar signs on ricepaper using wide brushes and paint.

Music. Play “Yasugi-Bushi” from the Americans All® music CD.Follow up with questions such as:

“What do you think this song might be about?”

Read the words to the song, then play it again.

“The song is about saying good-bye. In our story, John andAiko were saying hello to a new life together. How do you sayhello? How do you say good-bye?”

Have the children create a song about the different ways childrengreet one another, using a song they are familiar with, such as“Little Sir Echo.”

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Activity 2: from Jump RopeRhymes to RapsIn this activity, the children will play traditional games and enjoyliterature from their own varied cultures.

CognitiveThe children will develop an awareness of the variety of ways people express ideas. They will also further their ability to expressthoughts and feelings in words and in physical activity.

SocioemotionalThe children will find delight in a variety of cultural expressionsthrough play with words and physical activity.

PhysicalThe children will gain large and fine motor skills and improve theirspatial awareness.

Arrangements: Talk with the physical education teacher to coordi-nate the use of the games and jump rope chants. Enlist the aid of themusic specialist regarding the composition of raps and related musi-cal styles. Survey families to see whether any are willing to sharejump rope rhymes or other games from their childhood, using theirhome language as well as English. Involve as many volunteers aspossible so groups can be small.

Music, physical education, language arts and reading are inter -related in children’s active games and fingerplays. Find out whichactivities the children know how to play, then provide opportunitiesfor them to teach one another. Teachers can also invite family mem-bers to share other activities with the children. Introduce new poemsor other expressions, as appropriate.

Materials: Accumulate newspapers and magazines in as many languages as possible. Use newspapers to spread on art tables forpa pier mâché and other typical uses. Both newspapers and maga-zines are resources for photographs and information about con-temporary cultures. They offer yet another way for children toobserve how languages are used to communicate. Obtain balls,jump ropes, chalk and other items, as needed, for specific activities.For this sample lesson plan, we’ll use one student’s favorite game,

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Objectives

Preparation

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“Little Sally Walker,” found in Shake It to the One that You Love

the Best: Play Songs and Lullabies from Black Musical

Traditions. (Mat tox, 1989)

Play games outdoors if at all possible. Divide into small groups andrelate the experience to the children in the group. For example:

“When I met with Imani’s family, I learned that one of herfavorite things to do is to play ‘Little Sally Walker.’ How many of you know this game? Imani and friends, could youhelp me teach this game to the other children? What do we do first?”

Proceed to ask the children to guide one another in playing thegame. If necessary, play a recording* to get a better idea of the tune.Local variations are sure to exist, so try them all.

Use democratic ways to select who plays Sally. If boys protestabout being called Sally, choose another name so everyone can havea turn. Point out how children interpret words for actions in theirown unique ways. Should any children be reluctant to participate,encourage them to watch from the sidelines with a remark such as:

“Maybe next time you’ll be ready to play ‘Little Sally Walker’with us.”

At the conclusion, thank the children who were the “teachers” andbe sure to comment on the positive aspects of the children’s partici -pation. Ask the children to suggest names of other games they canteach one another.

These are just a few activities that can be tailored to individuals andsmall groups, depending on classroom composition and the chil-dren’s interests and skills. Topics arising out of each of these genrescould be selected to match other areas of study throughout the year.Related learning centers, for use throughout the year, could also bedeveloped.

Language Arts/Reading. Have the children make their owngames, poems, fingerplays, jump rope rhyme or rap books. Theyounger children can dictate the words and/or instructions forolder students or volunteers to write down. Home languagesshould be used when possible. If a computer is available, the chil-dren can “publish” their work. Either way, with the children’s


Expandingthe Idea

* Shake It to the One that You Love the Best: Play Songs and Lullabies from Black

Musical Traditions (Mattox, 1989) is also available on CD and cassette tape fromMusic for Little People. See “Teacher Resources” beginning on page 91.

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illustrations added, these books are treasures to pass on to fu turegenerations.

Physical Education /Language Arts. Locate books of finger-plays, poems,* children’s games,** jump rope rhymes and related recordings. Encourage older children, families and othercommunity residents to teach games and chants to the children,perhaps forming partnerships.

Recordings of songs on the Americans All® music CD, such as“Criolla Carabali,” can accompany dance and movement activi-ties. Teachers may also display related images from theAmericans All® Photograph Collection, including numbers 117,269 and 384.

Supplement these with contemporary photos of children of manycultures at play.

Art. The children can design and make their own board games,or they may try weaving, pastels, collage and other techniques,such as those used to illustrate Shake It to the One that You Love

the Best: Play Songs and Lullabies from Black Musical Tra di -

tions (Mattox, 1989).

Reading. All the Colors of the Race (Adoff, 1982), Arroz con

leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America (Delacre,1989), Moonsong Lullaby (Highwater, 1981) and Dancing

Teepees: Poems of American Indian Youth (Sneve, 1989) are justfour of the many resources that capture poetry from diverse cultures in imaginative ways.

Physical Education /Math. Encourage children to invent theirown games or experiment with variations on the rules of gamesthey know. Playing and scoring often involve math skills: count-ing spots on a die; dividing into groups; recording with hashmarks or markers; counting spaces, etc.

Science/Language Arts /Math/Health. When studying ecol -ogy, for example, the children can write their own raps about caring for the earth and recycling, or they may invent a rap tohelp them remember math facts.

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* See Dancing Teepees: Poems of American Indian Youth (Sneve, 1989).

** See “Group Games for Global Awareness” (Hatcher, Paper and Nicosia, 1988); Group

Games in Early Education: Implications of Piaget’s Theory (Kamii and DeVries,1980); Shake It to the One that You Love the Best: Play Songs and Lullabies from Black

Musical Traditions (Mattox, 1989); Games Children Play Around the World (Oakley,1989); and The Cooperative Sports and Games Book: Challenge without Competition

(Orlick, 1978).

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Activity 3: Rules for DemocraticLiving and LearningIn this activity, the children will determine their classroom rulesthrough a democratic process.

CognitiveThe children will recognize how their actions affect other people,come to understand the value of fairness and experience demo craticdecision-making on a developmentally appropriate level.

SocioemotionalThe children will increase their ability to make friends, develop abroader repertoire of friendly ways to interact with one another andfeel more competent about controlling what happens to them.

PhysicalThe children will gain increasing self-control of their bodies, usingwords rather than aggression to express their anger or disagreement.

Arrangements: A few principles of democratic problem-solvingare presented here so teachers can see how valuable this approachis for the children’s futures. Children and teachers can work outtheir own class rules to help students do their best at school. Thisactivity would best be introduced during the first week of the schoolyear, preferably beginning on the first day.

In schools that promote democracy and personal responsibility,problems are prevented whenever possible. A friendly, respectfulclassroom climate invites the children to learn together. Childrenwill find the activities engaging and relevant to their own lives. Thechildren will experience being held responsible for their own actions.

Materials: One of the best guidelines for helping children livedemocracy is found in the book Positive Discipline (Nelsen, 1987).Other related literature includes Love and Learn: Discipline for

Young Children (Honig, 1989); “Building Self-control: Disciplinefor Young Children” (Miller, 1984); Helping Children Learn Self-

control: A Guide to Discipline (National Association for theEducation of Young Children, 1986); Problem-solving Techniques

Objectives

Preparation

in Childrearing (Shure and Spivack, 1978); “Teaching ChildrenNon-sense” (Smith and Davis, 1976); and A Guide to Discipline

(Stone, 1978). A chalkboard or flip chart and markers works wellfor recording ideas.

Teachers can guide short and focused discussions, carried out in thespirit of democratic problem-solving, in which the children areaided to identify critical areas in which rules are needed—usuallysafety, fairness and conflict resolution. Several brief sessions maybe needed, depending on the children’s prior experience with thisprocess. Ask questions that will encourage the children to think,such as:

“What kinds of rules will help us learn in our classroom thisyear?”; and

“How do friends treat one another?”

Main ideas might be written by a volunteer or older child on the chalkboard.

Then, have the children think through the reasons for their rules by asking:

“Why do we need rules to keep us safe?”;

“How do rules about fairness help us get along?”; and

“Why will you be expected to solve your own problems?”

After the basics are determined, have the children set a few positiverules in terms of what they expect one another to do. This may be agood opportunity to work in small groups. Here are examples ofpositive rules the children might set for themselves.

• We will use our words to solve problems fairly.

• We will respect one another’s bodies and feelings.

• We will walk quietly in the hallway.

If the group includes children who are not yet fluent in English, besure that the rules are communicated to them in words they under-stand, and perhaps with picture reminders as well if no one in theclassroom is fluent in the children’s language.

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Advise other teachers, especially those who work with your group,about this democratic approach to instilling individual responsi -bility and empowering children. Rules the children establish shouldbecome part of the daily routine, and they may be revised as thechildren or teachers see the need.

Daily Routines. Because children at this level are still learningto control themselves, they may not follow their rules 100 percentof the time. Teachers can help the children recognize—inadvance—what the natural, logical consequences of breakingtheir rules are, such as:

“Mean children have no friends”; and

“Careless children clean up their own messes.”

Ask children to consider:

“What would happen if . . . ?”

On the other hand, artificial consequences are merely punish-ments, and punishments are likely to backfire. “Children who arepunished feel humiliated . . . hide their mistakes . . . tend to beangry and aggressive . . . and fail to develop control of them-selves.” (National Association for the Education of YoungChildren, 1986) Other consequences of punishment are resent-ment, revenge and rebellion. (Nelsen, 1987) Therefore, blaming,forced apologies, name calling, shaming, lectures, bribes, fearand other punitive approaches are counterproductive and do notpave the way to success and self-esteem.

Art /Language Arts. Children, either individually or in commit-tees, can design posters with pictures and/or words describingtheir classroom rules, using as many languages as the children inthe group speak. Some children might enjoy putting together aclassroom newsletter, perhaps on a computer, about their rulesfor democratic living and learning.

Expandingthe Idea

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Activity 4: Our ClassDecision Is . . .In this activity, the children will make individual or democraticdecisions at every opportunity.

CognitiveThe children will gather information to make informed decisions,experience the consequences of living with shared group decisionsand learn to tally votes and implement the results.

SocioemotionalThe children will begin to value the democratic decision-makingprocess and become more aware of the variety of opinions.

PhysicalThe children will gain increasing self-control over their bodies’actions.

Arrangements: Every time the possibility of joint decision-makingarises, teachers can engage the children in the voting process. Ourexample will be how the class will choose a name and care for ahermit crab or other pet during the year. For any decision, teacherscan enlist the children in gathering information, suggesting possiblealternatives, tallying votes and following through with the decision.

Materials: Books about hermit crabs and notebooks or charts forrecording the crab’s habits will help the children develop their infor-mation base.

When the hermit crab is first introduced in the classroom, the chil-dren can form small committees to handle the watering and feedingof the crab. Committees can decide on a fair rotation for their duties.Other committees might be formed to observe various crab habits,such as walking.

After the children observe their crab for a week or two in their smallgroups to identify various crab characteristics, they will be morethan eager to select a name for it. Encourage the children to think

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Objectives


Preparation

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about possibilities and to suggest names in many languages as wellas English. For example:

“Several of you have told me it’s time to name our hermit crab.What do we know about how our crab lives? What does it eat?What can the Committee on Hermit Crab Food tell us? How doesit move? Our Crab Leg Committee has a report on how crabswalk. How could we describe its beautiful brown and blackcolor? Another group has helped us locate names for this color inmany languages.”

Then, ask the children to select names that fit the crab. Suggestionsmight be whispered to the teacher, a volunteer or another student whocan write. Older children can submit their suggestions in writing.

Nominations probably will need to be narrowed down to two orthree, perhaps through “primary” elections. The children may voteby raising their hands or by secret ballot, depending on their prefer-ence. Have a committee of children count the votes and announcethe winner. In case of a tie, hold a run-off election.

Choices are abundant in a democracy, so everyday practice in mak-ing real, individual decisions (as well as small- and large-groupdecisions) will help prepare the children to be informed citizens,voters and consumers.

Daily Routines. Similar group decision-making procedures—some formal, some informal—can be followed for decisionsranging from what to prepare for a special snack, which book toread or how to decorate a thank-you card for a visitor. Teachersmay offer a limited number of good choices, or children may beasked to suggest options, depending on the decision to be made.The children should make as many individual decisions as possible, such as deciding which artwork and projects they wantto exhibit.

Language Arts /Art.A small group of children can make a signwith the crab’s name. Ask the group to work together in choos-ing the colors of the paper and markers to be used, as well as theoriginal design. Other children may write stories about their crabfor the class newsletter.

Language Arts /History. Because children are often curiousabout how they were named, they may want to interview theirfamilies about their names and share their stories with oneanother. Teachers and children can construct charts of names withsimilar cultural origins or some other commonality.

Science / Math. The children can choose to observe and graphtheir pet’s food consumption, hours slept or other characteristics.

Expandingthe Idea

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Activity 5: Using Words, Not fistsIn this activity, the children will resolve their differences throughdemocratic conflict resolution and negotiation.

CognitiveThe children will identify when they disagree with someone; usewords to solve problems; implement their solution; and renegotiate,if necessary.

SocioemotionalThe children will gain valuable skills for relating to one another andexperience the value of negotiating fairly.

PhysicalThe children will learn that they can substitute words for violenceto solve their disagreements.

Arrangements: If the idea of talking through their own problemswith one another is fairly new and as yet untried with the children,teachers may review the material in Table 6 and other resources ondiscipline strategies designed to promote children’s self-control.*

The children may have previous experience with this strategy frompreschool. It may be helpful to talk with other teachers who usethese strategies, because in the long run they are the most effectivefor preparing children to live in a democratic, peaceful world.

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Objectives

* See The Friendly Classroom for a Small Planet: Creative Approaches to Living and

Problem-solving (Children’s Creative Response to Conflict Program, 1988); Helping

Children Love Themselves and Others: A Professional Handbook for Family Day Care

(The Children’s Foundation, 1990); Kids Can Cooperate: A Practical Guide to Teaching

Problem Solving (Crary, 1984); Positive Discipline (Nelsen, 1987); and Valuing

Diversity: The Primary Years (McCracken, 1993).

Preparation

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At first, adults will need to guide children (usually two at a time asthe situation arises) through the four simple steps. In every class-room, there are plenty of natural opportunities to implement theseskills—simulations and role-plays are often unnecessary. Teachersmay also encourage the children to use their home languages to better express themselves.

Table 6: Conflict-Resolution Procedures

Children take their cues about how to behave by watching and listening topeople around them. However, the children will need several self-imposedrules and good examples to instill self-control.

Self-disciplined people are adept at making decisions about how to behave.Sometimes our choices are suitable and other times they do not work.Children can experience true cause and effect when they watch what ishappening, generate possible solutions to the problem, choose a possibleresolution, take action and then live with the consequences.*

Conversely, if adults impose their own ideas of how to overcome a diffi-culty, children can be robbed of the valuable opportunity to learn by solv-ing their own problems. They may tend to rely on someone else to figure away out for them. Similarly, if adults set standard punishments for break-ing the rules, the children will not experience what it is like to live with thereal consequences of their own decisions.

Children can become truly self-disciplined by becoming skilled decision-makers. Applying the following four-step process — sometimes called“using your words” — whenever they have a disagreement will help thechildren develop these skills.

Step Action

1. “Tell us what happened.” Allow each child to explain theproblem.

2. Summarize. Summarize what the children have said. Include each child’s point of view.

3. “What could you do about Ask the children for possiblethis problem?” solutions. Consider all possibili-

ties. You may say, “I wonder ifthere is another way to handlethis problem,” but do not suggestany solution.

4. Help the children choose a Do not give any hint of what you solution. think they should do — it is their

decision.

Adapted from The Children’s Foundation, Helping Children Love Themselves and

Others: A Professional Handbook for Family Day Care, Washington, DC: The Children’s

Foundation, 1990.

* Also see Problem-solving Techniques in Childrearing (Shure and Spivack, 1978).


Step 1. To begin, when teachers spot a disagreement erupting, theycan calmly approach the children who are involved, listen and thenhelp them explain the circumstances to each other by making com-ments such as:

“What is happening here?”; or

“You two seem to have a disagreement.”

Step 2. Then encourage the children to summarize the argumentsthemselves, or the teacher may state the problem simply for inex-perienced children. For example:

“You both want a turn.”

Step 3. Ask the children to think of solutions to the disagreement,coming up with as many possibilities as they can.

Step 4. After several ideas have been presented, ask the childreninvolved to choose one they both think is fair. (Refrain from mak-ing judgments about the wisdom of these proposals, unless a childis in danger. Children may learn the most from making their ownpoor choices.)

By practicing this process the children will soon learn to solve theirproblems without adult interference. In the following example, agroup of first graders, who learned how to use their words inpreschool, use this sensible and effective technique and their owngood judgment.

Sadhana is using the giant magnifier to look at a variety of weavings, including some the children in the group have made themselves. Tomislav would like a turn.

“Sadhana, can I please look through the magnifying glass?” asksTomislav.

She replies, “I’m not finished yet.”

“But you’ve been looking for a long time. I already read a bookwaiting for you to finish,” Tomislav points out. (Notice that thechildren explain the problem through natural conversation.) “I’mtired of waiting.” (Tomislav summarizes the problem. Now comethe solutions.)

Sadhana clearly is not willing to stop instantly, as she retorts,“Well, you’ll just have to wait longer.”

Tomislav is not about to give up so easily and asks, “How longwill it be until you’re done, then?”

Sadahana replies in a friendly tone, “Oh, about two . . . minutes.”

Tomislav is delighted. “Super!” (The children choose their ownsolution.)

“I’ll come get you when I’m done,” she offers.

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A contrasting scenario is often the children tugging on the magni -fier and breaking off one of its legs; whines of “Teacher, she won’tlet me have a turn!”; and then— in the ultimate robbery of learningopportunities—a teacher proclaims, “We’ll just have to put themagnifier away until you can quit fighting.”

Children readily learn to talk their way through the most heatedarguments. They can resolve differences—democratically and fairly—among themselves on issues large and small, whether theyare at play or working as a committee. Occasionally a teacher mustintervene or an incident must be kept confidential, but by and largeeven kindergarten children quickly learn to solve their personallyimportant problems themselves.

Everyday Decisions / Major Dilemmas. Sometimes thedilemma seems too difficult or the children cannot come toagreeable terms. Class meetings are an ideal method for demo-cratically dealing with everyday decisions as well as thornyissues.

As described by Nelsen (1987), class meetings have four purposes:

• to give compliments;

• to help one another;

• to solve problems; and

• to plan events.

These meetings are daily events in which the children set theagenda, listen to one another, think through their options andvote. This democratic, respectful process introduces theAmericans All® program goals, and it is workable in primaryclassrooms in any school system.

Parents can implement conflict-resolution techniques and familymeetings at home with equal success. Through democraticproblem-solving, the children will learn to make and trust theirown decisions. They become responsible, self-controlled individuals with bright futures.

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Activity 6: We’re on the SameLearning TeamIn this activity, the children work together to accomplish their learn-ing goals, such as working in small groups to prepare for a class-room visitor.

CognitiveThe children will seek out partners for learning and play, and theywill broaden their experiences through teamwork.

SocioemotionalThe children will come to value partnerships and committees asways to accomplish goals and recognize their own importance as ateam worker and player.

PhysicalThe children will experience how much easier it is to carry out tasks together.

Structure the environment to ensure that the children work in pairs,on teams and in committees to accomplish real tasks, large and small.

A carefully structured cooperative environment that offerschallenging learning tasks, that allows students to make keydecisions about how they perform those tasks, and that empha-sizes the value (and skills) of helping each other to learn con-stitutes an alternative to extrinsic motivators, an alternativeboth more effective over the long haul and more consistentwith the ideals of educators. (Kohn, 1991)

Cooperative learning is not taking place if the children are bribed towork together by offering pizza parties or computer certificates.*Cooperative learning is:

• building on the children’s growing awareness of people’s diversity;

• enabling the children to enjoy working together; and

• encouraging the children to develop their seven intelligences(see page 1) in the process.

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Objectives

Preparation

* See Slavin, R. E.,“Synthesis of Research on Cooperative Learning,” in Educational

Leadership, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development,February 1991.

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The children will playfully cooperate when they play games andfigure out puzzles. Offer both the commercial variety and materialsthat enable the children to create their own joint challenges. Be alertto possibilities for encouraging friendships by requesting that spe-cific children work together, for example.

Arrangements: Take advantage of any real task within the class-room that can be accomplished best by a small group of children,such as carrying in crates of sand toys donated by families or localbusinesses. Just ask for assistance by saying, “Who can help . . .?”or “How can we . . .?” Children are very willing volunteers, espe-cially when they see that their efforts are valued. For illustrativepurposes, we will consider how a class might engage in teamworkto prepare for Dito’s Aunt Aracelli from Puerto Rico, who is com-ing to teach everyone a dance.

The same principles apply to a wide range of classroom visitors anddaily activities, such as planning field trips together or preparing artmaterials as a team.

Ask the children what preparations need to be made for the visit.Try to follow through with as many of their suggestions as possibleand give the children their choice of tasks. Working in teams, thechildren can move tables and desks out of the way. One child cansweep the floor with the broom, while a co-worker holds the dustpan. Another team can set up the tape player.

Upon Aunt Aracelli’s arrival, two of the children can greet her, hangup her coat and escort her to the dancing area. Another team caninsert the tape and, on her cue, start the music. After the dancingconcludes, a small committee of children may offer refreshmentsmade earlier by the class. When it is time to go, the greeters can col-lect her coat and tape and walk their guest to the school door. Teamscan then go back into action to restore the room to its original con-dition. Later, the children can draw, dictate or write thank-younotes, individually, in pairs or committees or as a group.


Capitalize on every possibility for the children to work together inpairs or small committees throughout the day. As a result of coop-erative endeavors, the children will become more invested in oneanother’s progress, friendships will blossom and a group spirit willemerge within the classroom that can eventually spread goodwillthroughout their lives.

Music. Music is one of many natural ways for the children towork in harmony. Ask families to share dancing and music fromtheir cultures, either live or on tape. Related Americans All® pho-tographs include numbers 74, 118, 329, 332 and 449.

Math. Many math skills are easily acquired (and results verifiedfor accuracy) when two children work together, or when smallgroups engage in real projects. For example, taking attendance,counting lunch tickets, measuring wood for carpentry or ingredi-ents for an ethnic dish, timing the baking of bread, building abridge with blocks and feeding pets the correct amount are allnatural team or small-group activities. Children will apply mathskills when they keep score while playing games, too. Familiesare a wonderful source for directions for games such as mankala,a game originating in Africa 3,000 years ago. The children canmake their own playing boards and even create their own games.

Language Arts /Reading. Many children’s books explore thevalues of cooperation and friendship. Helping Out (Ancona,1985); Paul and Sebastian (Escudie, 1988); Ox-Cart Man (Hall,1983); Tight Times (Hazen, 1983); My First American Friend

(Jin, 1991); The Weaver’s Gift (Lasky, 1980); The Balancing Girl

(Rabe, 1981); and The Butter Battle Book (Seuss, 1984) are somepossibilities.

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Activity 7: Wielding Power WiselyIn this activity, the children will participate in the democratic elec-tion process by meeting a candidate and discussing pertinent issues.

CognitiveThe children will begin to develop an awareness of the electionissues and the candidates that affect them or their families, broadentheir interest in the community and become comfortable withweighing information before making a decision.

SocioemotionalThe children will recognize how their decisions affect others and be -gin to understand how personal and shared values determine choices.

Arrangements: Stay abreast of local issues. Select one or two topics a few weeks before election time that are relevant to youngchildren. Perhaps the ballot contains a referendum for funds for anew fire engine, or one of the candidates is especially tuned to families and education. Our sample lesson plan deals with howyoung children can begin to feel personally involved in the choiceof a local elected official.

Prepare the children in advance by relating the election process tothe choosing or voting children routinely do (refer to Activity 4: OurClass Decision Is . . .). If possible, schedule the candidate’s visit tothe classroom just before the election. An invitation written by thechildren is especially difficult to decline. In advance, talk with thecandidate to explain the purpose of the visit and offer suggestionsfor informally addressing issues of interest to children, such asschools, parks, swimming pools and other community services.

Seek classroom and community volunteers for various committees,such as campaign materials, invitations, welcome, refreshments orelection procedures.

Materials: Enlist the children and their families to clip campaigninformation from local publications. Two or three of the childrencan call or write to request campaign posters for all of the candi-dates. Create a festive yet serious atmosphere about the voting proc -ess. Obtain one or more appliance-size cardboard boxes. Ask thechildren to design paper ballots with names or photos of candidatesand/or issues.

Objectives

Preparation

The children can work in pairs to hang posters and campaign ban-ners in the classroom. A small committee may compile a list ofclassroom “voters” and, working together, they can determine a fair“voter registration” procedure. Another committee can set up a pri-vate voting booth, perhaps with a cardboard box they have deco -rated. Read campaign posters with the children and identify whichcandidate will be visiting them. For example:

“Mrs. Huynh is a candidate for county commissioner. Many ofyou know Colin in third grade. Mrs. Huynh is Colin’s mother.”

Explain the nature of the office and its duties, relating informationto ideas the children can understand.

On the day of the candidate’s visit, a host committee of children canmake the visitor comfortable. A 5- to 10-minute presentation by thecandidate might be followed by questions from the children. Arefreshment committee can offer some treats for the whole groupbefore the candidate departs.

Be sure that all of the candidates’ positions are discussed and com-pared so the children have fairly balanced information before thevote. Find appropriate ways to encourage families to take part in theelection, perhaps by having the children write a reminder note totake home.

Have the children cast ballots for their favorite candidates beforethe public election. Prereaders can choose from the pictures of can-didates or issues. A small committee can then count and record theresults. Interest will undoubtedly be high about the public decision.

Elections offer abundant opportunities for individual children andsmall groups to explore choices and to begin to understand the con-sequences of their choices.

Language Arts /History.Ask open-ended questions so childrencan think in greater depth about issues they understand, such as:

“Why do you think our town is going to vote on whether tobuild a new firehouse?”

Encourage the children to raise questions and seek answers froma variety of sources, perhaps even comparing stands on issues.

History and Civics. Visit a polling place on election day and talkwith the workers there when time permits. Obtain sample ballots,or set up a time for a demonstration of the voting machines. Visita local government office to see elected officials and public em -ploy ees at work. Include relevant items in the pretend play area.

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History and Civics. Follow up with results of the official elec-tion by surveying newspaper and other media accounts. Have thechildren write letters to the candidates expressing appreciationfor their willingness to serve. Later in the year, the class can inter-view the winning candidate about the progress toward his or hercampaign goals.

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Many thanks to the teachers at Learning Tree Child Care, who inspired this idea by intro-ducing their children to a former program parent who ran for, and won, a local office.

Activity 8: We Are World CitizensIn this activity, the children will pool their knowledge and energy to solve real problems, such as taking care of the com -mu nity’s environment.

CognitiveThe children will experience genuine success in real situations,begin to see how their attitudes and actions affect the human andnatural environments, recognize they can help solve environmentaland political differences and apply this knowledge in making deci-sions in their daily lives.

SocioemotionalThe children will begin to develop a commitment of personalresponsibility for one another and the environment and start to graspthe value of responsible world citizenship.

PhysicalThe children will use their energy to contribute to the world’swell-being.

Arrangements: Capture the children’s interest with a pertinentlocal issue that also applies internationally. Some possibilitiesinclude the growing difficulty in disposing solid waste, people park-ing in handicapped zones without the necessary stickers, increasedrisk of sunburn due to holes in the ozone layer, the erosion of farm-land, animals in danger of extinction, global warming, zoning,farmland preservation, unpopular jury decisions, the destruction ofpine and rain forests, water pollution, urban violence and the needfor greater use of products made from recycled materials.

We will concentrate here on how the children might respond to trashon their school playground, but the same activism strategies (seeTable 7) apply to grappling with a wide variety of issues. The chil-dren’s responses will undoubtedly involve the use of skills frommath, science, language arts and nearly every curriculum area.

The handling of these sensitive topics need not be alarmist or fatal-istic, but rather empowering to the children when they see that whatthey do makes a difference in how people get along and in how wecare for our environment.

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Objectives

Preparation

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Materials: Items will depend on the children’s decisions, but in thiscase they may include trash bags, several pairs of work gloves,brooms, shovels and stationery for letter writing. Keepers of the Earth:

Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children

(Caduto and Bruchac, 1989) is an especially valuable resource forhelping children become in tune with their environment.

By beginning to understand current global issues, the children arebetter prepared to grasp the significance of the Americans All® his-torical materials that will be introduced in the third grade. Similarly,they must first understand their own roots before they can fullyappreciate one another’s heritages.

Real, important, spontaneous learning opportunities do abound andare too valuable to overlook, such as the following situation:

Children burst in from the playground one Monday morning. “Youshould see the playground.” “It’s a real mess!” “There’s stuff allstuck to the fence!” “There’s no way the kindergarteners can playout there—I even saw some glass and some needles!”

Table 7: Activism Strategies

• Be alert for unfair practices in the school or neighborhood thatdirectly affect the children’s lives. A teacher may be the first toidentify the problem, or the children may bring a problem to theteacher’s attention.

• Consider the interests and dynamics of the group of children. Dothey care about the problem? What kind of actions would workwith them?

• Teachers should consider their own comfort. Is the issue one theyfeel comfortable addressing? What strategies do they prefer?

• Consider the parents’ comfort. Should their agreement be solicitedbeforehand? Should they simply be informed of the plans? Willthey be included in the activity?

• Try out the activity. If it works, great! If it doesn’t, try again witha different activity!

Adapted from Derman-Sparks, L., and the A.B.C. Task Force, Anti-Bias Curriculum:

Tools for Empowering Young Children, Washington, DC: National Association for the

Education of Young Children, 1989.

Treat the earth well.It was not given to you by your parents.It was loaned to you by your children.

—Kenyan proverb


These are called teachable moments, and they arise all day, everyday. Teachers can help the excited children calm down and thenencourage them to draw or write down what they observed. Perhapsa walk to the playground is in order so everyone can assess theproblem firsthand:

“Well, the trash certainly has piled up over the weekend. What doyou suggest we do about it?”

The children will offer a variety of ideas. Help them narrow the listdown to two sets of actions.

1. How to solve the immediate problem, which is to make theplayground safe. They may choose to appoint a committee tocall the principal and/or custodian and volunteer their efforts.Be sure to help the children consider what volunteer workersneed to wear to protect themselves. How should they handledangerous items, such as syringes? Can glass and aluminumcans be recycled?

2. Ways to address the broader issues. The children’s ideas mightinclude forming a committee to make signs to post on the play-ground, raising funds for one or more trash cans and/or writ-ing a letter to the editor of a local newspaper. A letter to anelected official or responsible person is sometimes in order.Help the children tailor their individual, committee and groupactions to the problem and the community.

Children are becoming increasingly protective of the environment,which will soon become their responsibility. All countries of theworld must work together to care for our globe. Depending on thechildren’s interests, these are some possible related activities.

All Curriculum Areas. The following children’s books are espe-cially valuable to help children tune into global environmentalissues: The Earth Is Sore: Native Americans on Nature (Amon,1981); Very Last First Time (Andrews, 1986); Two Islands

(Gantschev, 1985); Shaker Lane (Provensen and Provensen,1987); An Arctic Community (Kalman and Belsey, 1993); andOne Sun: A Book of Terse Verse (McMillan, 1990). The record-ing, “Peace is the World Smiling” (Music for Little People,1989), especially the title song, adds yet another dimension.

History and Civics/Reading /Math. Encourage the children toread newspapers and magazines with family members to keepabreast of environmental and human relations issues. Build onnational events, such as Earth Day. Families can also becomeinvolved in school efforts to recycle in order to raise funds forequipment, for example.

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Science / History and Civics/Math. Take frequent walking fieldtrips to survey the condition of the immediate area. Weigh thegarbage collected in the classroom for a week. Consider pointssuch as, “How can we use less paper?” “What can we recycle?”Cal culate how much landfill space the garbage from the schooluses in a week.

Language Arts /Science. Seek out pen pals for the children inother states or countries. Urge the children to examine how whatthey do affects children elsewhere. Using spray paints, for example,contributes to erosion of the ozone layer and, as a result, it is easier for children around the world to get a sunburn wheneverthey are outdoors.

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Children are very curious about their own origins and how muchthey are growing. These activities enable children to share some oftheir most cherished traditions with one another and, as a result,develop a comfort level about the respect for similarities and differ-ences in people.

EXPLORINGCHILDREN’SROOTS

Activity 9: How I’m Growing!In this activity, the children will see themselves as competent,valuable and unique individuals by creating tangible images of themselves.

CognitiveThe children will begin to grasp how their bodies grow and change,recognize how each person is unique and valuable and begin tounderstand the passage of time.

SocioemotionalThe children will be encouraged in their self-esteem and will affirmthe value of family and friends.

PhysicalThe children will increase their control of fine motor skills throughcutting and drawing and improve their body self-awareness.

Arrangements: The children’s understanding of themselves andthe way they regard themselves is intricately tied to their everyexperience. Self-esteem cannot be boosted with bribes such asstickers or empty praise about doing a good job.* Rather, positiveself-regard develops as the children experience real success andgrow in genuine competence. Ways to encourage children and,therefore, to foster the development of positive self-esteem, arereviewed in Table 8. Teachers can incorporate these techniques intoevery interaction with children.

Many activities can add to this process of building esteem. Thissample lesson plan focuses on helping children recognize just howcompetent they are by reviewing how much they have changedsince babyhood.

Materials: This is an ideal activity in which to involve families.Teachers can contact families to see whether they have photos,videos, tape recordings, drawings, an outgrown baby outfit or afavorite baby toy they might be willing to share with the class.

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Objectives

Preparation

* See Curry, N. E., and C. N. Johnson, Beyond Self-esteem: Developing a Genuine Sense

of Human Value, Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of YoungChildren, 1990.

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In addition, you will need rolls of brown paper for body tracings andtimelines, paint or markers in a variety of skin colors, glue or paste,a wide selection of “found” materials (yarn, wood shavings, pack-ing pieces) for hair and dressing the children’s body tracings andample display space for the children’s personal artifacts. A clothes-line and clothespins are great for hanging the body tracings.

If possible, hang mirrors, including full-length ones, so the childrencan observe themselves in the classroom. Dress-up clothes, reflect-ing several cultures and types of jobs, and related accessories canencourage their discoveries.

Perhaps a child is excited about a new pair of shoes or the loss of ababy tooth. Teachers can use these everyday milestones as bridgesto explain why the class is going to study about how the childrenhave changed since they were babies. Kindergarteners can sign theirnames to notes reminding families about sharing their baby pic-tures; older children can write their own notes in their home lan-guages. Some families may prefer to provide information, such ashow much the baby weighed or what color of hair he or she had.Welcome all contributions to help the children grasp not onlygrowth, but how many changes have happened in such a relativelyshort period.

Encourage family members to bring the children’s photos and otherartifacts, or to come and talk to the class about the day their child

Table 8: Ways to Encourage Children

• Give specific, effective praise (without setting children up for failure).Example: “How carefully you are writing the letters in your name,Khamsay.”

• Privately initiate encouragement (rather than publicly comparingchildren or urging competition).Example: Sitting down by a child at a learning center, the teachercomments, “That new geometric puzzle certainly captivated you!You’ve been working diligently on it for half an hour.”

• Help children appreciate their improvements in behavior or inmastering a process (rather than evaluating a finished product).Example: “You figured out how to smooth the papier mâché withyour hand to make the plateau level.”

• Offer sincere, direct comments in a natural voice.Example: “You can be proud of the way you used your words tonegotiate for your turn on the swing!”

Adapted from Hitz, R., and A. Driscoll, “Praise or Encouragement? New Insights into

Praise: Implications for Early Childhood Teachers,” in Young Children, Washington,

DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, July 1988.


was born. All families have memories that can be tapped, even ifthey have no tangible record of their history.

Enlist volunteers—older children, family members and/or civicgroups—to aid in tracing the children’s bodies on the brown paper.Help the children feel comfortable about lying on the floor on thepaper with comments such as:

“Mr. Gomez is going to draw all around your body while you liereal still on the paper. It might tickle! He’ll be careful not to getmarker on you.”

The children can work individually to cut their tracings out (a fewraggedy edges are to be expected with younger children), then drawor paste on any clothes or features they choose. Talk with themabout the process of creating their likeness, rather than the finalresult, and offer to obtain other materials if the children are inter-ested. For example:

“You’re duplicating the sneakers you have. There are exactly fiveeyelets on the sneakers you drew, and there are five eyelets onyour sneakers. Would you like to use a paper punch and someyarn to lace them?”

Some children may benefit from a bit of encouragement to helpthem notice aspects about themselves, such as:

“Let’s go look in a mirror. See, your hair is about an inch belowyour ears. Would you like to use a ruler to help you measurewhere to paste your hair on the drawing?”

The children can make the final decision about whether to hangtheir likenesses up for display or take them home.

As the children engage in these activities, encourage discussionabout what children were able to do as babies and what they can donow. For example:

“You were 12 months old when you learned to walk. Now, you’resix years old and you’re learning how to balance on your bicycle!Do you remember how often you used to fall down? Who fallsdown now when they try to walk? But how about when you hopon your bicycle?”

Help the children appreciate their individual uniqueness. Be sureevery color is viewed as beautiful and valuable. Graphing somecharacteristics may be useful, for example:

“Let’s see how many children have sparkly brown eyes. If youhave brown eyes, come stand here on the left side of the rocking chair. Now help me count how many children we havehere.”

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History and Civics. Mark the different cities where the childrenwere born on a United States or world map. Use a local map toin dicate hospitals or homes if most of the children were born inthe area.

Health. Talk about the foods babies eat to keep them healthy, andhow they compare to the foods the children eat now that they areolder. Count baby teeth, and prepare the children for the loss oftheir teeth. Weigh and measure each child now, and every monthof the school year, to chart their growth. Make handprints or foot-prints with paint at the beginning of the year, and compare sizesse veral months later.

Math. Provide a long sheet of blank paper for a birthday timeline.Mark the months on the timeline for younger children, if neces-sary. The children can enter their birthdays in their own way (writing names, using a picture or drawing). Create a large-scaletimeline so the children have plenty of room to add drawings ofthemselves. Other information, such as height and weight, couldbe added, as well as the children’s creative decorations.

Older children can help work out the scale to be used on the time-line. They can bring the timeline up to the present with informationsuch as when they first learned to walk and the day school started.

Language Arts. Children can write or draw personal journalsabout important events in their lives. They may list milestones,such as lost teeth, learning to skip, books they have read andfriends they have made. Children may grant teachers permissionto read their entries, but please ignore spelling, grammar, punctuation or other errors.

Reading. Feature children’s books about individual differences,babies, growing up, losing teeth, buying new shoes and othermilestones in children’s early development. Some titles youmight find useful are: Black Is Brown Is Tan (Adoff, 1973);Turquoise Boy: A Navajo Legend (Cohlene, 1990); Not So Fast

Songololo (Daly, 1986); We Adopted You, Benjamin Koo

(Girard, 1989); My Mother and I Are Growing Strong/Mi mama

y yo nos hacemos fuertes (Maury, 1979); Your Skin and Mine

(Showers, 1991); Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (Steptoe, 1987);and Cornrows (Yarbrough, 1979).

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Activity 10: Creating a Class QuiltIn this activity, the children will each create symbols of themselvesand then combine their efforts into a quilt.

CognitiveThe children will recognize the uniqueness of each person in theirclass, identify their own competencies and interests, find a way torepresent these personal characteristics with symbols and use plan-ning and measuring skills to complete their task.

SocioemotionalThe children will increase their appreciation of human similaritiesand differences and appreciate the value of working on a project asa team.

PhysicalThe children will gain skill in sewing or other related small-muscle skills.

Arrangements: This project can be as simple, or elaborate, as youchoose. Families might, for example, have scraps of fabric fromtheir countries of origin that they would be willing to donate.Donations of yarn, needles or other supplies could be requestedfrom local businesses. Small groups of children can also getinvolved in the selection of fabric and its color, raising money forits purchase, shopping for the material and measuring and cutting it.They will decide about whether they want to paint the fabric, sewor use some other method for creating their individual squares.Teachers and other involved adults can make squares, too!

Materials: Enough fabric is needed for a background as well asindividual squares (12-inch squares are recommended). Be sure toallow enough for side seams and a heading at the top so the quilt canbe hung. Select quilt materials that are familiar to the children andeasy to sew. Younger children can easily sew with yarn needlesthrough loosely woven fabrics such as nylon net or burlap. Gluingis always a possibility.

Collect ample quantities of materials for children to decorate theirsquares (sequins, felt scraps, fabric paint). The quilt could bepadded with old hosiery, for example. Each child will need a yarnneedle and a choice of colors of yarn to sew the completed squareonto the background. Scissors, rulers and other items are necessities.

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Objectives

Preparation

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Introduce the quilt idea by giving the children opportunities to seeand touch other quilts, or similar fabric work representing manycultures. Families might be willing to loan quilts, for example.Read a story about a quilt, such as The Patchwork Quilt. (Flournoy,1985) Explain how quilts often represent important happenings inpeople’s lives. Suggest what fun it would be for the class to makea quilt, perhaps as a closing event for the year.

Encourage the children to think of ideas to include on their quiltsquares. Their square should represent what is important to them,what they like to do or something they value. Drawings and wordsare equally acceptable. Have the children sketch their plans on scrappaper in advance. When they are ready, they can begin to measureand decorate their squares as they choose and, upon completion,sew their squares onto the large background. Ask families to assistin teaching children how to thread yarn needles, pin the squares inplace and stitch through the two layers of fabric.

When the quilt is finished, evaluate the project with the children by saying:

“We really worked hard on this quilt, and now we can all enjoyour efforts. Who would like to explain their quilt block to theother children?”

Address questions and comments to individual children, such as:

“Why did you choose an orange sun?”; or

“I remember how you spent a long time getting your hair braidedjust the way you wanted it. Could you show us how you did thebraiding?”

Then, add more decision-making questions, such as:

“Where do you think our class quilt should hang? How can wehelp others enjoy our efforts?”


Language Arts/Reading. A variety of children’s books dealwith the value of individual differences and similarities and thesignificance of quilts, including Black Is Brown Is Tan (Adoff,1978); Hawaii Is a Rainbow (Feeney, 1985); The Quilt Story

(Johnston, 1985); The Quilt (Jonas, 1994); The Keeping Quilt

(Polacco, 1998); Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet

(Paul, 1989); All Kinds of Families (Simon, 1976); and Cornrows

(Yarbrough, 1979).

Art. Introduce other textile arts, such as stamping designs oncloth (adinkra cloth from Ghana) or drawing designs with a typeof paste (adire eleko cloth in Nigeria), tie dyeing, weaving, knit-ting, yarn paintings, batik or beadwork. Art from Many Hands:

Multicultural Art Projects (Schuman, 1981) contains a wealth ofideas. Collaborate with the art teacher to ensure that the childrenwill experience a wide range of techniques.

Music. Branch out into music that tells appropriate personal sto-ries, perhaps about triumph over hardship, weathering a storm orcelebration of the dawn. Some songs on the Americans All®

music CD that children might enjoy include “Molly Durkin” and“Mañanitas Tapatías.” Encourage families to teach the childrenfolk songs from their countries of origin, using their home languages. Obtain authentic instruments and help the childrendecipher what kinds of stories those instruments might help depict.

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Activity 11: Our family TraditionsIn this activity, children will enjoy one another’s family traditionsvia everyday activities, such as making many types of breads,throughout the whole year.

CognitiveStudents will identify everyday and special-occasion traditions toother children. They will become aware that all families have traditions.

SocioemotionalThe children will appreciate one another’s family traditions, be will-ing to try new tasks or activities and experience the pleasure ofworking together toward a goal.

This activity derives from the experiences and cultures of the stu-dents in your group, as do all the activities in this publication.Repeating such activities any number of times during the course ofthe year enables every child’s cultural traditions to be shared by theend of the school year. Be sure to present traditions within the con-text of the children’s own lives. Go sparingly on holidays and spe-cial occasions; focus instead on the everyday family times together.Here, our sample activity is baking bread, a food with countlessdelicious variations among cultures.

Arrangements: Sometimes it is easier to cook in the school cafete-ria than in the classroom. We suggest teachers select a time andplace that works best in their own situation. Teachers can researchcultural traditions by reading the Americans All® background mate-rials and other publications. An excellent book on African Americanculture is Kwanzaa: An African-American Celebration of Culture

and Cooking. (Copage, 1991) This beautiful book contains yummyrecipes, such as “Grandma’s Creamed Cornbread” and “CarrotHoney Loaf.”

Ask families to share their favorite bread recipes (foods are excellenttopics for parent meetings), and encourage them to engage in thisactivity with the class. If possible, divide the class into small groupsof four or five children per volunteer to enable the children to par-ticipate more fully in the activity. Explain that the adult’s role is toread the recipe (if necessary) and ensure close-enough accuracy toavoid disaster (especially in measuring and cooking times).

Be sure to serve the finished products in a manner befitting the tra-dition (e.g., sit on the floor, eat with fingers, top with honey).

Objectives

Preparation

Materials: Purchase ingredients for the type of bread to be made. Ifpossible, borrow utensils and baking pans from families so every-thing used is as authentic as possible. Do not be timid about askingcommunity organizations for donations of ingredients or money topurchase learning materials.

Recipes written on poster board are more easily read by a smallgroup. Use symbols whenever possible so young readers can fol-low along.

Talk with the children about some of the breads their families eat—pita, cornbread, fry bread, tortillas, muffins, pancakes, spoon breadand cranberry bread. Bread, Bread, Bread (Morris, 1993) depictsbreads around the world. The children may locate other bread pictures in magazines from many cultures. Vote on the type(s) ofbread the children would like to bake first. Then contact families forrecipes and to recruit their assistance. Older elementary school -children are also possible helpers for baking day.

On the day of the baking, have the children wash their hands, set upthe ingredients and utensils with their adult helper and follow therecipe. The children will pour, measure, stir, knead and shape thedough. Help volunteers remember that the process is far moreimportant than any final product, so their role is primarily supervi-sion. So what if the pretzels are lopsided!

Find a way to share the yummy results with others! Second gradersmight invite kindergarteners for a treat with the “big kids.” Youngchildren could say “thank you” to their fifth-grade story readers with a tasting party. Bite-sized items could be a snack for a familyopen house.

Pick up on the children’s interests about one another regarding notonly food, but also clothing, transportation and other topics thatmesh with the primary school curriculum.

History and Civics. Photographs from the Americans All®

Photo graph Collection that deal with things families do togetherinclude numbers 224, 268, 276, 328, 332, 362, 399, 406, 409,444 and 453. These historical records can be discussed and com-pared with contemporary versions of the same activity. Betteryet, explore how these activities are carried out within the commu nity—types of family businesses, for example.

Reading. Children’s books deal with a wide variety of culturaltraditions. Seek those that offer authentic accounts of everydaycontemporary life as well as those that look at life in the past. A

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few excellent titles are: Corn Is Maize: The Gift of the Indians

(Aliki, 1976); Hello, Amigos! (Brown, 1986); The Remembering

Box (Clifford, 1986); Arroz con leche: Popular Songs and

Rhymes from Latin America (Delacre, 1989); Family Pictures

(Garza, 1990); Africa Dream (Greenfield, 1989); Aunt Flossie’s

Hats (& Crab Cakes Later) (Howard, 1991); The Olden Days

(Mathieu, 1981); The People Shall Continue (Ortiz, 1988); Tree

of Cranes (Say, 1991); and The Little Weaver of Thai-Yen

Village (Tr`ân-Khán-Tuypêt, 1987).

History and Civics. During the course of the year, raise and/orsample foods native to North America—corn, squash, pumpkin,popcorn, turkey, maple sugar, beans, sunflowers, etc.

Language Arts. The children can assemble individual or classbooks of family recipes, or books about their own traditions.They can also write or type recipes on the computer, illustrate thebook and bind copies. Cookbooks could be produced in severallanguages so all families can benefit.

Health. Include this activity as one of many dealing with themajor food groups and how each is important for children togrow, be strong and stay healthy. Spend time rehearsing properhandwashing techniques (running water, soap, paper towels).

Science. The children can raise, purchase and prepare their owngrains or vegetables. Graph different breads by the type of flourused (rice, wheat, corn). Visit a dairy farm, bakery, specialty gro -cery store or other related venture. Include measuring cups,spoons, funnels and other cooking accessories with the sand andwater tables.

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Activity 12: We Are ManyCulturesIn this activity, the children will begin their familiarization withAmerica’s history.

CognitiveThe children will become more aware of the six cultural and/or eth-nic groups that live in the United States; become familiar with thecultures of children in their own classrooms and communities; andbegin to grasp the concepts of time, migration and immigration, andrelated historical issues that led to contemporary American society.

SocioemotionalThe children will gain an appreciation for the diversity of people inthe United States and the world. They will begin to realize that allpeople share similar experiences and have similar needs.

Arrangements: Read through “People of Our Nation” (pages77–90) and the other Americans All® materials to become moreaware of the people who have moved to and through NorthAmerica. If they have not already done so, teachers can also buildtheir knowledge base through travel and reading enlightening his-torical perspectives, such as A People’s History of the United States.(Zinn, 1980)

Materials: Supplement Americans All® resources with historicaland contemporary artwork, photographs, globes, maps and culturalartifacts. (See Table 3, page 5.) The children and their families canjoin in the search. The Americans All®music resources can easily bematched with the six ethnic and/or cultural groups being discussed.The words to many of these songs are far too sophisticated foryoung children, however, so teachers are urged to seek additionalmusical resources from the children’s families and libraries.

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Objectives

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“People of Our Nation” is not intended to be read in one sitting.Instead, concentrate with the children on one section at a time,either during the course of a week or two as a quick introduction, orspread out during the year to allow more time to concentrate oneach cultural group. The sections can be read again and again aschildren pick up on ideas and people for further exploration. Math,history, geography, science, language arts—every curriculum areais touched on in this unique introduction to American history. Blendin the material as it suits your group and educational goals best.

The terminology used to describe an ethnic and/or cultural group’shistory can be quite advanced for younger children. Asking ques-tions during the reading will ensure that the children grasp the ideas.For example, after reading a statement such as, “Some (NativeAmericans) have lived here for thousands of years,” the childrencould be asked to explain their understanding of such enormousnumbers by querying:

“How many are 1,000 children?”

Quantities of pebbles or the number of students in the building canalso be used to help convey how many 1,000 of anything is.Throughout the reading of “People of Our Nation,” teachers candisplay the photographs suggested in the section from theAmericans All® Photograph Collection. The children can also beencouraged to draw pictures of parts of the story they find particu-larly interesting. Before doing so, most children will benefit frommore background information and pictures or replicas of animalsor homes, for example, as the ideas are generally far beyond chil-dren’s daily experiences.

Teachers can also attempt to help the children visualize the passageof time. Timelines are extremely useful in demonstrating just howlong ago 20,000 or 30,000 years really was. Try a scale of about oneinch for 100 years and you’ll get an idea of the span of time NativeAmericans have lived on this continent, compared with relativelyrecent immigrants. Or children could use their own footsteps forevery 10 years (an age that seems “old” to them), but be prepared tostep out a timeline with this scale on a football field.

Every sentence in “People of Our Nation” encapsulates a wealth ofinformation children can investigate further. With every idea thatcomes up during the reading, teachers can gently probe the chil-dren’s thinking with open-ended questions and devise ways to makethe material meaningful to the children. For example:

“Who can explain what a kingdom is?”;

“Why was slavery important to European Americans?”;

“Why do you think children from Asia had separate schools?”;and

“What does it mean to ‘make a fortune’?”


The children’s responses to questions such as:

“What do you think happened to Japanese Americans while theywere in prison camp?”

might reveal that the children think the prisoners had a good time toasting marshmallows, because that is what camp means tosome children.

The challenge is to find ways to make each idea concrete and rele-vant to the children’s lives. For example, to explore how a kingdomfunctions, the class can simulate what it might be like to live inkingdoms and under dictatorships. Be sure to portray past and pre-sent governments. Include benevolent monarchies that functionwell—such as those in Africa from which people were taken to beenslaved—and governments that are unfair to the people—such asthose which some European immigrants were leaving.

To help the children understand why some people chose to leavetheir countries to come to America, set up a simulated kingdom thatis unfair. An older child or family member might volunteer to serveas king, queen or dictator. Have the children consider how a kingmight act. Talk about how kings become powerful, whether becauseof their birth, their leadership skills or by force. Explain that meankings set all the rules and tell people where to live and when towork. Perhaps a revised version of “Mother, May I?” could beplayed, where children must ask the king for permission, and the kinggives arbitrary answers (prompt the king in advance). For example:

“Oh king, may I please have a warm blanket for my baby? It issnowing outside, and we are cold.”

The king could respond:

“No, but if you chop my firewood for 10 days, then you can havethis blanket.” (Then hold up a handkerchief.)

After the children spend 10 or 15 minutes living in this undemo-cratic “kingdom,” talk about how it would feel to live under the ruleof a mean king all of the time. Discuss how unfair it is that peopleare not allowed to choose a good leader. Consider that the king maynot really care about the people. Think about the lack of good rea-sons for the king to have so much power. Ideas come alive whenchildren share in the experience themselves.

Every part of “People of Our Nation” can be blended into manyareas of the curriculum. Imagination, respect for what young chil-dren know and can assimilate and the desire to make children’slearning relevant are all that are needed to implement the informa-tion in “People of Our Nation” as well as the other plans suggestedthroughout this guide!

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“People of Our Nation” could probably be the source of an entireyear’s study. Pick up on the children’s interests and experiences totailor this information to the classroom and community.

Pretend Play. Provide props so the children, in small groups, canreenact their own versions of events in history, such as sailing onships, traveling in covered wagons, and/or building railroads.Listen to be sure the children have an accurate picture of whathappened. Many may already have absorbed the distorted views often presented by the media, especially about holidaysand violence.

Art. Sponsor an international art fair where everyone can try hisor her hand at a variety of booths. Feature artists, materials andstyles from different traditions within the community. Col -laborate with art teachers, local artists, families and others toenable children to work in a variety of media. Grandparentsmight be honored to be involved. Stress the joy in participatingin the process of creating the art and the heritage from which itcame, rather than perfecting a final product for exhibit.

All Curriculum Areas. Potluck dinners are always a hit.Encourage families to involve their children in preparing an eth-nic dish at home to share with others in a group meal. The chil-dren can decorate tables with cultural themes. Create a festiveatmosphere with music, poetry and other activities in which allcan participate. Be sure to explain potluck dinners to those whomay be new to the idea.

Reading. The burgeoning interest in American roots has led togreater interest by publishers of children’s books. Follow up withbiographies of leaders such as: A Picture Book of Martin Luther

King, Jr. (Adler, 1989); Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Biography for

Young Children (Schlank and Metzger, 1990); and Harriet

Tubman: They Called Me Moses (Meyer, 1988). Much ofAmerican history has been distorted, so please consider eachbook carefully for its strengths and weaknesses. These are just afew possibilities: All in a Day (Anno, 1986); The Pennsylvania

Dutch: Craftsmen and Farmers (Costabel, 1986); Hawaii Is a

Rainbow (Feeney, 1985); Immigrant Kids (Freedman, 1980);Family Pictures (Garza and Rohmer, 1990); Hector Lives in the

U.S. Now: The Story of a Mexican-American Child (Hewett,1990); and Got Me a Story to Tell: Five Children Tell about

Their Lives (Yee and Kokin, 1977).

Language Arts/History and Civics/Art. Compare and contrastvarying renditions of folk tales, such as the one about a lost mit-ten in The Mitten (Botting, 1975), The Mitten: A Ukrainian

Folktale (Brett, 1989) and The Mitten (Tresselt, 1989). Similarly,con sider the styles of illustration.

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Language Arts. Younger children are usually curious about thedifferent names they call their parents and/or grandparents.*Children can prepare a class book of cultures, illustrated in thetraditions and styles of each culture, possibly including oral his-tories shared by families in the classroom or community. Olderchildren may engage in library and museum research on heroesand heroines from their own or other cultural groups.

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* See Williams, L. R., “Issues in Education: Diverse Gifts, Multicultural Education inKindergarten,” in Childhood Education, Wheaton, MD: Association for ChildhoodEducation International, fall 1989.

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As the children grow and develop, their interests branch out, beyondthemselves and their families, to the wider community and the nation.The activities in this section build on what the children al ready knowand help them gain new perspectives about their families.

BRANCHING OUT INTO THECOMMUNITYAND NATION

Activity 13: We Live Here!In this activity, the children will map and build a replica of theirimmediate surroundings.

CognitiveThe children will start to grasp the ideas of scale and distance inmapping, see how symbols can represent reality and becomeincreasingly familiar with the diversity of their neighborhood.

SocioemotionalThe children will begin to see themselves as part of a larger com-munity, take pride in the results of their individual and group effortsand see the usefulness of maps.

PhysicalThe children will walk with a purpose and use fine motor skills toshape raw materials into finished products.

Arrangements: In listening to the children’s conversations as theyplay and to their questions and responses during the day, teacherscan determine their levels of understanding about their immediatesurroundings. If the children have a fairly good grasp of the schoolbuilding’s layout, they may be ready to consider its neighborhood.Older children may be sufficiently aware of their community to takea closer look at their city, county or other immediate area. Mappingskills begin early with an understanding of features in the environ-ment. (Fromboluti, 1990; Richards, 1976) For purposes of illustra-tion, this activity will focus on building a replica of the children’sschool neighborhood.

Materials: During the year, most families are willing to recycle“beautiful junk,” such as egg cartons, office paper, empty threadspools and/or dry food packaging for art projects. Several of theseitems are needed for this activity, especially small, clean boxes, suchas cereal boxes or office supply boxes, and newspapers. Rulers,paste, tape, paint or markers and other accessories will undoubt edlybe needed. Be creative in helping the children use whatever materi-als are available for fashioning their miniature neighborhood.

Display other maps as well, from simple drawings of the school toUnited States and world maps. Use maps whenever possible, especially on field trips, to help the children follow the route, evenif you are walking only a few blocks.

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Objectives

Preparation

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Engage the children in several walking trips around the neighbor-hood to explore the different types of buildings (homes, churches,schools, libraries, stores and museums), plants, animals, people,businesses, street names, streams, bridges and other natural andmanufactured features to help the children focus on the many facetsof their community. With each trip, note any changes that may havetaken place. Teachers can divide the class into small groups andhave each group walk with a volunteer to look for a different aspectof the same area. Take pictures and/or encourage the children tomake notes or sketches as they walk. Help the children focus on thediversity of the neighborhood—stores selling wares from aroundthe world, street names that may represent different cultures and thevarious ages of the inhabitants.

After each trip, compile experience charts with the children on thefeatures they observed. Using the chalkboard or flip chart, recordwhat the children remember about their trip. When asked todescribe tall buildings, for example, the children might list:

• apartment buildings that were five stories high;

• a factory with a giant smokestack; or

• a church with red doors and a pointy steeple.

The children might want to draw buildings that especially interestthem, perhaps even while sitting on the sidewalk. After the childrenare thoroughly familiar with all the features of their neighborhood,they can begin construction of their replica.

First, determine the area to be included and a manageable size forthe replica. Then, have the children work together to draw thestreets and determine what other features will be included in thereplica. The children can work individually or in small groups, eachchoosing one or more tasks and organizing their own work as muchas possible.

Encourage the children to think about their structures, draw roughplans or make a list of the materials they will need. Allow the chil-dren to cut, paste, decorate, form with papier mâché and otherwisecreate the architectural and environmental features that interestthem most. Resist the temptation to build your own models or toinsist on perfection; these are the children’s creations.

Stimulate the children’s critical- and creative-thinking skills duringthe construction with thought-provoking questions, such as:

“What kind of material do you think would work best forasphalt?”; or

“How can we fit all of this on the top of the table?”

One student group might make street signs; other groups can makerivers, utility poles, trees or other features. As their projects emerge,the children might need to take special walking trips just to get abetter idea about how streets intersect, or what color the trim is ona building, etc.


When all pieces of the replica are complete, have the childrenreview their work on the project. Ask them:

• “How did they find out what they needed to know?”;

• “Why are there so many different kinds of buildings?”;

• “What part of the whole activity went smoothly in their opin-ion?”; and

• “What would they do differently the next time?”

Young children are fascinated by all the hustle and bustle of a com-munity, and this topic is typically included in every primary schoolcurriculum. It is a good idea to get the children out into their neigh-borhood, and bring the neighbors in, so the children will see howthey fit into where they live.

All Curriculum Areas. Invite a school board representative, acity planner, a zoning commission member or other official for atour of the replica neighborhood. Individual children can explainhow they gathered information, planned tasks and/or made theircontributions. If possible, arrange for coverage of the visit by theschool public relations staff and/or the local media. Be sure towrite a thank-you note to the visitor.

History and Civics.Arrange field trips to other points of interestwithin the community, such as museums, libraries, historicalmarkers and/or businesses. Have the children note the dates onbuilding cornerstones. Talk with community workers on thejob—health care providers, construction workers, mechanics,engineers—all of the people who make the community hum.Study the different types of architecture. Follow the progress of abuilding under construction or renovation. Walk through theneighborhood a month or two later to notice any changes sincethe children’s replica was completed. Have the children plot thelocation of their replica on a larger map.

History and Civics. Photographs are fascinating records of com-munity changes. Teachers can check with families and the libraryfor local records that include photographs the children can com-pare with the real buildings. Photographs from the Americans All®

Photograph Collection that may supplement current informationinclude numbers 222, 223, 264, 269, 328, 354, 399, 408, 445 and 452.

Science. The children can compare the different types of build-ing materials—wood, brick, concrete block, stone and steel—and consider where these materials come from. They can watchstreets being repaired and discuss the different types of road sur-faces and/or what is underneath the street. The children can also

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ponder as to how water goes into a building or where the watergoes when a toilet is flushed. They may also use walking trips tosurvey local plant life.

Math. Teachers can provide large quantities of unit blocks andaccessories so the children can build new creations every day.Help the children make signs to label their structures. If class-room blocks are only a dream, enlist the aid of civic groups toinvest in these valuable learning materials for future architects,scientists and city planners. Teachers can equip the classroom forcarpentry work by the children, or locate blueprints of the schoolfor the children to view and compare with the present structure.

Reading/History and Civics. Among the children’s books thatlook at neighborhoods and their constant changes are: Forest,

Village, Town, City (Beekman, 1982); Two Islands (Gantschev,1985); Shaker Lane (Provensen and Provensen, 1987); and An

Arctic Community (Kalman and Belsey, 1993).

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Activity 14: We Make aDifferenceIn this activity, the children will engage in an appropriate com -munity service project, such as providing materials for Habitatfor Humanity.

CognitiveThe children will begin to experience themselves as having thepower to make a difference in people’s lives. They will recognizesimilarities in human needs within the community and the world.

SocioemotionalThe children will begin to develop a sense of social responsibilityand personal investment in their communities.

PhysicalThe children will apply their energy and skills to help others intheir community.

Arrangements: Seek possible ways to involve young children intheir communities, such as soup kitchens, clothing drives, singingwith residents of group care facilities, recycling efforts and couponcollections. Children and their families can suggest ideas, too.Discuss the possibilities with the children, and ask them to narrowtheir list down to one or two projects where they can make a differ-ence. This sample plan is based on assisting Habitat for Humanity,a nonprofit group making it possible for people to purchase theirown rehabilitated homes with community assistance and theirown labor.

Materials: Cardboard boxes (to sort and collect donations), paperbags and markers. The children can also gather pictures of humanand animal dwellings for discussion and classroom display.

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Objectives

Preparation

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The children can propose ways in which they think the group mightcontribute to their chosen project, in this case Habitat for Humanity.For example, the children can collect nails, screws, sandpaper,sponges or paintbrushes for a specific project. They might decoratea lunch bag for the workers and/or make sandwiches. The chil-dren could help spread mulch or help with the cleanup after aworkday.

To get started, help the children compose a letter to the groupresponsible. The letter could outline their ideas and request sugges-tions for other ways the children could assist. If possible, schedulea representative from the group to come meet with the class.Together, plan how the children will be involved, organize intocommittees, if necessary, and follow through with the project.Continuing projects are far more valuable than one-time contribu-tions. Students might even be on hand for the dedication of thehome when it is finished.

With the help of family members, the children’s efforts could berecorded in photographs. Later, the children could use the photo -graphs to create a display of the project for the classroom or school.

Few topics are as empowering to children, and lend themselves aswell to every aspect of the curriculum, as involvement in the com-munity. These are but a few possibilities for extending children’slearning based on their interests and local resources.

History and Civics. Photographs from the Americans All®

Photo graph Collection that provide a historical perspective onhomes include numbers 220, 221, 232, 272, 357, 358, 387, 395,405 and 412.

The children can note how these homes are similar to, and dif-ferent from, the homes in which they and their friends live now.

Reading. Seek children’s books dealing with homes people livein, how houses are constructed and how building materials aremade. Some good choices are: Building a House (Barton, 1981);The Desert Mermaid (Blanco, 1992); I Know That Building!

(D’Alelio, 1989); Home Place (Dragonwagon, 1990); How a

House Is Built (Gibbons, 1990); My Very Own Jewish Home

(Goldstein, 1979); Tree of Cranes (Say, 1991); The President

Builds a House (Shachtman, 1989) — which describes a Habitatfor Humanity project involving former President Jimmy Carter;A House of Leaves (Soya, 1987); and Little House on the Prairie

(Wilder, 1989). Animal homes are also the subject of many booksfor young children. Help the children focus on how homes areconstructed from materials in the environment and made to with-stand local weather conditions.


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Language Arts. The children can follow the progress of theHabitat home they helped with, taking regular field trips to seehow their materials are used. The children may keep a scrapbookof the home’s progress, attend dedication ceremonies, write a let-ter to the new owner or otherwise continue their involvementwith the project during the course of the year.

Science. This activity is a perfect link with studying ani mal habitats.

Math/Science. The children may measure, saw and hammertheir own carpentry projects. Unit block play is equally valuable.They may study different types of wood, consider how loggingaffects forests and animal habitats and/or study tree rings todetermine the age of a tree. The children could also find otheruses for trees and consider wise use of this natural resource.

Art. The smell and texture of wood shavings and sawdustmay inspire the children to use wood scraps for sculpturesand collages.

History and Civics/Science. Explore current and historical habi-tats for people and animals with the children. They can considerhow homes express individuality, as exemplified in The Big

Orange Splot (Pinkwater, 1977).

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Many thanks to Kathy Ciolino, a gifted first-grade teacher, who inspired the idea for thisactivity. Her class received a national award from a professional publication for engagingin a similar community service project.

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Activity 15: Before We Arrived:A Local Treasure HuntIn this activity, the children will develop an awareness of NativeAmericans and early immigrants in their community by learninghow these people used local natural resources, such as the buffalo.

CognitiveThe children will become aware of the peoples who lived in theirarea in earlier times and begin to gain a more balanced perspectiveof our national history. They will recognize that early residentsremain a vital part of American society and refine their library andanthropological skills.

SocioemotionalThe children will build more positive images of all peoplesand begin to realize how crucial fairness is for democracy tobe effective.

The contributions of many immigrants can be a rich source for chil-dren to study in any community. This example focuses on NativeAmericans, because so many popular stereotypes abound and mustbe overcome if the children are to have a clearer understanding ofour national past and present. Similar activities can be derived forany of the diverse groups that call America their home.

The past 500 years for America’s indigenous peoples are repletewith injustice and thus painful to study. Therefore, historical treat-ments and legends are balanced with contemporary informationabout how Native Americans live and work in today’s America, justas Americans All® does with five other groups that have peopled thisnation. Teachers are encouraged to work with a local specialist inNative American culture who can steer the group toward accurateinformation and guide the selection of appropriate activities.

Teachers are especially urged to convey a sense of respect for sacredNative American symbols and observances. Sand paintings andtotem poles, for example, hold great religious significance, andtherefore are not recommended as art activities. Many types ofNative dances are prayers. Feathers are earned by special accom-plishments, so their casual treatment for decorating headdresses isalso inappropriate. As all of us develop a greater understanding ofNative American ways, our respect for Native American culture canflourish much as it does for all other cultures.

Objectives

Preparation

Arrangements: Many indigenous peoples view Columbus Dayand Thanksgiving as times to mourn their national genocide. Toavoid what Derman-Sparks calls a “tourist” focus, embed the studyof all cultures throughout daily activities year-round.

One of the first steps in creating a culturally relevant classroom,specifically regarding this sample plan’s focus on NativeAmericans, is to remove stereotypical images, such as “I is forIndian” alphabet cards and any portrayals of Columbus as the “dis-coverer” of America. Consider how past stereotypes and inaccura-cies might be used to help the children detect and defendthemselves, and one another, against bias. A few recommendationsfor doing so are included in Table 9.

The activity outlined here—uncovering information about culturesthat thrived in your area, perhaps thousands of years ago—isdesigned for older primary schoolchildren who can engage in sim-ple oral history and library research, preferably with the aid of anolder child or parent.

Materials: Before involving the children, engage in a personalsearch for local information about Native Americans. Find outwhich nations and tribes resided in your area, how they lived, wheretheir descendants are now and why, which geographic featuresmarked the landscape then, which plants and animals were indige-nous and as much other information as possible. State historicalsocieties, tribal councils and other such groups may be your bestresources. Assemble as much of this information as possible withinthe classroom or school library so the children have easier accessto a growing collection of local history and can add to it throughtheir research.

Cultures play an enduring role through our language. Words such asbarbecue, tortilla, papier mâché and many others reflect our deeproots in many countries. You will uncover many other indicators ofvarious cultures, such as the names of local places. An excellent

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Table 9: Stand Up for fairness

1. Alert the children to biases in any materials. If necessary, explain

what is more fair or accurate. Develop children’s skills and

knowledge to find factual errors, inconsistencies or stereotypes.

2. As a class, write to the company and distributor to protest the

stereotypes. Be specific about the problem. Document information.

Suggest a reasonable solution. Request a response.

3. Send copies of the letter to the principal, the curriculum specialist,

the librarian, purchasing agent or any other school staff members

who should know.

Adapted from McCracken, J. B., Valuing Diversity: The Primary Years, Washington, DC:National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1993.

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guide for tying Native American culture to pressing environmentalconcerns is the teacher’s guide for Keepers of the Earth: Native

American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children

(Caduto and Bruchac, 1989). Other excellent resources include:“Authentic Multicultural Activities: Avoiding Pseudo multi cultural -ism” (Boutte and McCormick, 1992); Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools

for Empowering Young Children (Derman-Sparks and the A.B.C.Task Force, 1989); “Children as Cultural Anthropologists” (LittleSoldier, 1989); “Building Optimum Learning Environments forNavajo Students” (Little Soldier, 1992); Extracting Learning Styles

from Social/Cultural Diversity: A Study of Five American

Minorities (Morris, 1986); and “Beyond ‘Ten Little Indians’ andTurkeys: Alternative Approaches to Thanksgiving” (Ramsey, 1979).

Take the children on a treasure hunt for information about earlierresidents in your area. Tailor this activity, and the materials neededto make it come to life, to the information you and the children un -cover. Be open to the opportunities to integrate learning with everyother aspect of the curriculum.

Visit as many places as possible, such as farms still growing indige-nous animals or crops, rivers or towns with Native American namesand museums depicting historical lifestyles. Get to know contem-porary Native Americans who live in your commu nity. Involve thechildren in any aspect of planning for field trips. Locate resourcepeople who can show the children how to do beadwork, for exam-ple, or lend artifacts the children can touch. The ultimate goal is toenable the children to experience Native Ameri cans as diverse,real people who are friendly and respectful of nature.

For illustrative purposes, we will briefly look at how young childrenliving in the Plains states might learn more about the buffalo, an animal every bit as intriguing to them as dinosaurs. As many as100 million buffalo once roamed the American Plains. Buffalo werethe source of food, shelter, clothing and tools for many NativeAmerican nations— they were essential for survival. Buffalowere hunted by people on foot until the horse was introduced bySpanish explorers.

Quillworker: A Cheyenne Legend (Cohlene, 1990) and Buffalo

Woman (Goble, 1986) are beautiful books that might be read tointroduce the topic. Or read Carl Sandburg’s poem “Buffalo Dusk.”

There is nothing like touching and smelling a real buffalo to com-prehend their enormity, though; so early in your study of buffalo, besure the children have this opportunity. Arrange a field trip that willlong be remembered. Many farmers, living history museums andother people now raise these beasts. The stuffed variety, or moviesand pictures are second best. Find out what buffalo ate when they


roamed the prairie and what they eat now, how they live, how muchthey weigh and other fascinating facts.

The children can then divide into groups or work alone to researchmore information on how herds of buffalo were key to the survivalof many Native American nations. Encourage the children to use avariety of research methods: interview museum personnel, localNative American experts and animal specialists; do library research;write to tribal councils for more information; and show films.

Questions to which children might be encouraged to seek answersinclude:

Which Native American nations in your area reliedon buffalo?;

How were buffalo hides tanned?;

How many buffalo skins did local residents use to make a teepee?;

What were some of the different ways tribes decorated theirclothing?;

How was meat preserved (or was it)?;

What buffalo tools did the Native Americans in your area use?;and

Where are the Cheyenne now?

Children will probably have many more questions, such as:

Do buffalo sleep standing up?; or

How did the hunters shoot buffalo?

Small groups and individuals will choose questions and topics thatintrigue them, organize their search, conduct research, write briefreports, illustrate booklets or posters, prepare demonstrations andotherwise creatively share their findings with more children.

Children are likely to become very excited about their local researchfindings. Their curiosity about Native American and immigrant cul-tures in other parts of the country will undoubtedly be piqued, too.Here are a few resources for expanding their knowledge throughand beyond local treasures.

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All Curriculum Areas. Recreate the homes, clothing, foods andproducts of local Native American artisans or other later resi-dents. For example, have the children collect plants to dye fabric,plant corn in the spring to harvest in the fall, weave on simplelooms, collect sap from maple trees or use giant cardboard boxesto build a long house. Whatever they do, ensure that it is asauthentic, as involving and as meaningful to the children’s dailylives as possible.

Music. Two Menominee flute melodies are included on theAmericans All® music CD. Many other recordings of varioustypes of Native American music are also available for listening.Obtain flutes, drums and other authentic Native American instru-ments for children to play. Do a Friendship Dance in which thechildren form a circle by holding hands and move to a drumbeat. Similar activities can be arranged for a variety of immi-grant cultures.

History and Civics. Americans All® resources provideoverviews of six ethnic and cultural groups. See these materialsand related photographs for further information about the NativeAmerican nations, whose people have lived on this continent fortens of thousands of years, and later arrivals to America.

Language Arts. Children’s books are available about manygroups of people and individuals with varying ethnic and culturalbackgrounds. Related books include: Corn Is Maize: The Gift of

the Indians (Aliki, 1976); Before You Came This Way (Baylor,1969); And It Is Still That Way: Legends Told by Arizona Indian

Children (Baylor, 1976); Forest, Village, Town, City (Beekman,1982); Turquoise Boy: A Navajo Legend (Cohlene, 1990); Indian

Chiefs (Freedman, 1987); Two Islands (Gantschev, 1985);Moonsong Lullaby (Highwater, 1981); An Arctic Community

(Kalman and Belsey, 1993); and Dancing Teepees: Poems of

American Indian Youth (Sneve, 1989). Books in the WatermillPress series on Native American Legends contain maps, histori-cal photographs, important dates and information on the every-day life of each tribe.

Older children who are avid readers may consider whetherNative Americans and other immigrant groups are accurately orunfairly portrayed by popular historical fiction authors, such asLaura Ingalls Wilder and Alice Dalgliesh, current movies, greet-ing cards and seasonal holidays.

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Activity 16: Tracing VoyagesIn this activity, the children will research their family history andrecord movements within and to the United States on a world map.

CognitiveChildren will trace the voyages of their ancestors and becomeincreasingly aware of the roles other nations played in the formationof the United States. They will also develop more sophisticatedmapping skills in locating countries and tracing migration andimmigration routes.

SocioemotionalThe children will begin to see themselves as a link to past and futuregenerations. They will grow in their understanding of the obstaclesand opportunities each generation encounters.

During this activity, students will research their family migrationand immigration patterns and then mark them on a world map. Thisoral history project is a natural way to involve families in their children’s learning.

Arrangements: As part of your regular discussions with families,you have undoubtedly learned about the ancestry of most of thechildren in the group. Use this information to help children in theirsearch for their families’ migration and immigration patterns.

Materials: Obtain a large Peters Projection world map that mini-mizes distortion of the size of continents. (The Council on Inter -racial Books for Children stocks a 35-inch � 50-inch map at a veryreason able price.) Offer as many colors of string as possible, per-haps one color for each continent, and pins with heads (push pins,thumb tacks) to hold the routes in place.

The following “Families on the Move” sheet, translated into theappropriate languages, can be copied if you think such specificdirection will improve the success of the project. The children canfill in their family name at the top and their own names in the appro-priate space.

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Objectives

Preparation

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Dear ,

Our class is learning about how families moved before coming tolive in America. Some of our ancestors sailed on ships from farawayplaces. Some family members walked across continents to comehere centuries ago. Others flew here in the past few years. Each ofus can trace a different family history.

We are very excited about this project, and we hope you can help usdo it accurately. Please help your child record information aboutyour family in the space below.

Each family’s voyage will be marked with string on a world map. Ifyou would like to help your child do this, we would be glad to haveyou come to our classroom during the next week.

Thank you for helping your child discover his or her family history!

Child’s Name:Child’s Birthplace (City/State/Country):

Other Places the Child Has Lived:

Parents’ Birthplaces:Mother (City/State/Country):

Father (City/State/Country):

Other Places Parents Have Lived:Mother:

Father:

Places Where Grandparents Have Lived:

Places Where Great-Grandparents Have Lived:

Places Where Earlier Ancestors Have Lived:

families onthe Move

Encourage each child to gather as much information as possibleabout his or her family, beginning with the present generation andgoing back as far as possible. Most families are delighted to assisttheir children in tracing their family roots, and they will have storiesof courage and hardship as well as success and pride to share. Somewill have only vague recollections or can go back only a generationor two, while others may have assembled volumes of lineage cov-ering hundreds of years. Ask the children to concentrate on placeswhere family members lived, rather than individual names or spe-cific relationships. Also be sensitive to the desire for family privacy.

As the children complete their family information, each child canlocate places pertinent to his or her family’s history on the map,measure the correct amount of string between each location, andtack the route of the voyages on the map. As the strings begin toform patterns, help the children note the commonalities and differ-ences in locations. This information can serve as the basis forengaging in any number of related activities about culture, trans-portation and history.

Language Arts. Seek pen pals for the children in their family’scountry of origin, especially if they no longer have ties to thatcountry. Set aside time regularly for the children to write lettersto another classroom. Ask families to help the children commu-nicate with relatives in faraway places and across generations.The children may write letters to various places for more infor-mation about the area now. Encourage the children’s develop-ment in two or more languages.

Reading. A few children’s books deal with immigration, migra-tion and related issues. Many young children will be acquaintedwith moving from place to place. Among the possibilities are:Before You Came This Way (Baylor, 1969); Wagon Wheels

(Brenner, 1978); Immigrant Kids (Freedman, 1980); How My

Parents Learned to Eat (Friedman, 1984); Family Pictures

(Garza, 1990); We Adopted You, Benjamin Koo (Girard, 1989);Hector Lives in the U.S. Now: The Story of a Mexican-American

Child (Hewett, 1990); My First American Friend (Jin, 1991); On

the Go (Morris, 1990); All Kinds of Families (Simon, 1976);Storm in the Night (Stolz, 1988); Little House on the Prairie

(Wilder, 1989); and Got Me a Story to Tell: Five Children Tell

about Their Lives (Yee and Kokin, 1977).

Geography. The children can compare the Peters Projectionworld map with the Mercator maps typically available. They canconsider how the sizes of the continents differ and why. Discussvarying climates, natural resources and other aspects of life in thechildren’s countries of origin. Forming small groups for eachcountry may be helpful.

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Math. The children can use math skills to grasp the enormity of distance and time. Small groups or individuals can calculate travel distances, the time it took to travel by various modes, howfast different vehicles travel or the number of years since arrivalin this country. Involve the children in preparing a pie chart oftheir different origins, perhaps by continent, state or even city.Assist the children in making a timeline that displays their fami-lies’ entry into the country. They may need a very long timeline!

History. Children can consider how the ancestors of NativeAmericans migrated from Asia and then across this continent longbefore recorded history, or how people arrived through the AngelIsland and Ellis Island immigration stations. Families may haveentered across land, from Mexico or Canada, for example, or bywater into Florida. Photographs from the Americans All®

Photograph Collection that have special interest for young childreninclude numbers 1, 42, 57, 121, 137, 169, 174, 184, 221 and 224.

Try to find a variety of photographs in addition to these thatdepict how families move from place to place, between and within countries.

History. The children may invite family members to bring inmementos (such as photographs) to share with the class andexplain their family history. If they are aware and willing to dis-cuss the topic, ask them to outline reasons why their familiescame to this country. Help the children in understanding thatsome immigrants were enslaved and were brought here againsttheir will under terrible conditions; others were moved to lesshospitable climates without their consent.

History. Crowd the children into a small space to help themunderstand the conditions on slave or passenger ships (displayAmericans All® photographs, including numbers 43, 166, 388 and417). Build a pretend ship and reenact a voyage across the ocean,perhaps tracing progress each day until arrival. Trek across openfields or city streets for a day to better understand how long ittakes—and how much energy is required—to walk great dis-tances. Bring ideas to life so the children can under stand theobstacles people can overcome in search of their dreams.

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PEOPLE OfOUR NATION

The following text, adapted from “People of Our Nation: AnIllustrated History” (Skog McGeehan, unpublished, 1992), is provided for teachers or volunteers to read to the children whenexploring the rich diversity of our nation’s history. For activity sug-gestions that utilize “People of Our Nation” see Activity 12: We AreMany Cultures (page 54).

To further illustrate the text being read, teachers may choose to display related photographs during the reading. Suggestions fromthe Americans All® Photograph Collection ap pear throughout thetext, where appropriate. Teachers are encouraged to supplementthese with images from other resources, both historical and contemporary, as well as from the teachers’ and/or children’s per-sonal collections.

The United States of America is a nation made up of many differentpeople. Some of them have lived here for thousands of years; somecame by choice, while some were forced to move to this country.

When people leave their home country to live in a new place, theyare immigrating. People moving to a different place in the samecountry are migrating.

Let us listen while six students, each of whom belongs to a differentgroup of people from our country’s history, share their peoples’immigration and migration stories with us.

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I am a Native American. My people have lived in America for manythousands of years. When Christopher Columbus landed in Americahe met groups of my people. He thought he was in India, so hecalled us Indios, or Indians.

More than 300 different groups of Native Americans lived in everypart of America back then. Each had its own laws, language, foods,arts, music and type of housing. All Native Americans lived with theland as their friend.

My people welcomed the first Europeans who immigrated toAmerica. We taught them how to grow foods—like corn, beans,sunflowers, squash and pumpkins—which were all new to theEuropean immigrants. Native Americans also showed them how tomake medicine from plants and herbs. The European immigrantsbrought metal tools, guns, sheep, goats and horses to share, too.

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NativeAmericans

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More and more Europeans came to America. Soon, the Europeanimmigrants who lived in America started a war against England forthe freedom to become their own country. Native Americans helpedthe immigrants by giving their troops food, clothing and medicine.After they won the war, these European immigrants called their newcountry the United States of America. But they did not make NativeAmericans citizens of this country.

European Americans kept migrating to the West, taking over landswhere Native Americans had always lived. Herds of bison, oftencalled buffalo, were killed as towns and railroads were built on thebisons’ grazing lands. European Americans would sign agreements,called treaties, with my people and then break the treaties to getmore land. My people fought to keep our lands, but the EuropeanAmericans had better weapons.

Many of my people were forced to migrate to where the UnitedStates government told them to. The small areas of land set aside forNative Americans were called reservations. Many reservations wereon dry land. My people could hardly grow the crops they needed orfind enough food to survive.

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European Americans also opened schools to teach my people theirway of reading, writing and arithmetic. Many Native Americanchildren had to leave their families and move far away to theseschools. There the children had to wear uniforms, get new haircutsand change their names to European names.

Finally, the United States government made all of my peopleAmerican citizens. Over the years, Native Americans have had tofight for land and for human rights and to keep our culture alive. Westill work hard to overcome the unfair treatment of long ago. Today,Native Americans work, play and go to school on reservations, intowns and in cities all over the United States.

I am an African American. My people have been a part of Americanhistory for a long time. Some historians believe that explorers fromAfrica came to America even before Columbus.

In Africa there were many different kingdoms of my people. Eachhad its own kings and queens, laws, languages and schools. In thevillages of these kingdoms there were skilled farmers, hunters and artists.

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Some Africans came to America as free immigrants, but most of mypeople were forced to come here by European slave traders.

Even though the African kingdoms tried everything to stop them,European slave traders took millions of Africans from their homes.They were forced to sail to America in the bottoms of big ships. Itwas dirty and very crowded and my people got little food, if any atall. A lot of Africans got sick and died before they even reachedAmerica.

Once in America, these enslaved Africans were sold. Enslavedpeople were owned by other people and were forced to workwithout pay. Most of the European Americans who bought enslavedAfricans owned big plantations in the South. My people workedlong, hard days farming, cooking and cleaning for their owners.Even enslaved African children had to work. Enslaved Africanscould not go to school or learn to read or write.

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My people fought against slavery and many tried to escape tofreedom in the northern states. The northern states wanted a lawagainst slavery, but the southern states disagreed. The southernstates tried to start their own country called the Confederate Statesof America.

A civil war, or fighting between two parts of one country, startedbetween the North and the South. After the war, slavery was madeillegal and all African Americans were supposed to be free. Butmany of my people were still treated badly. Long after the CivilWar, African Americans were segregated, or kept apart, fromEuropean Americans in many schools, buses, restaurants, restrooms and swimming pools. African Americans soon demanded tobe treated fairly.

African American leaders—like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King,Jr. and Malcolm X—led the fight for equality. African Americansstill work hard to overcome unfair treatment. Today, AfricanAmericans work, play and go to school in towns and cities all overthe United States.

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I am an Asian American. A group of sailors from the PhilippineIslands were the first few Asians to come to America. Then, whenmy people faced hard times in their Asian home countries, manymore Asians immigrated to the United States to find work and abetter life.

The first big group of Asian immigrants came from China. A lot ofthese Chinese Americans worked hard digging for gold during theCalifornia gold rush. Many Chinese Americans helped build therailroad that linked the eastern and western United States. Othersfound work fishing, farming or running laundries and restaurants.

Asians from Japan started coming to the United States, too. Manyof these Japanese immigrants got jobs in Hawaii cutting sugarcane.Some mined copper and iron in Wyoming. Others raised fruits andvegetables in California.

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AsianAmericans

A few Asians from the Philippine Islands, who are called Filipinos,came to the United States. They found jobs fishing and working inlumber mills on the West Coast. After Spain gave ownership of thePhilippine Islands to the United States, many more Filipinosimmigrated here freely.

Some European Americans were scared that hard-working AsianAmericans would take their jobs away. Laws were soon passed thatwere unfair to my people. In some places, Asian American childrencould not go to the same schools as European American children.Later, laws were passed stopping any more Asians fromimmigrating to the United States.

During World War II, Japan was the enemy of the United States.Many European Americans hated anything to do with the Japanesepeople. The United States government put thousands of JapaneseAmericans into prison camps. Many Asian Americans suffered forfour years in these camps.

My people have made it through bad times by working hard andbuilding their own communities. In these places, Asian Americanscould keep the customs and languages of their home countries alive.

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After World War II, it became easier for my people to geteducations, jobs and homes. Laws were passed letting more Asianscome to America. Today, Chinese, Japanese and Filipino Americancommunities are important parts of many American cities, wherewe work, play and go to school.

I am a European American. Christopher Columbus was the firstEuropean to come to America, and other European explorersfollowed him. Some of these Europeans stayed and made newhomes here.

People from northern Europe started to immigrate to North Americaand build villages they called colonies. These first EuropeanAmericans worked hard to survive in this land that was new tothem. Many nearby Native Americans helped my people learn tofind, make or grow the food, clothing, shelter and medicine theyneeded.

Europeans saw life in North America as an adventure. Land wascheap here, and a hard worker could make a fortune. ManyEuropeans came here to be able to practice their own religions.Protestants, Catholics and Jews, for example, could not do so insome of their European home countries.

Sometimes European criminals came to America instead of going toprison. They had to spend their first few years here as servants,working for whoever paid for their voyage. Many poor Europeanscame to North America as servants, too.

Some Europeans came here to escape war in their home countries.Some came wanting to set up fairer governments without kings,queens or dictators. Most of my people made their homes along theeast coast of North America. Farms and industries there grew fast.

More and more of my people immigrated to North America.Sometimes whole villages of Europeans came here together. Thenthese European immigrants started a war against England for thefreedom to become their own country. After the war was won, theystarted the United States of America.

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EuropeanAmericans

Millions of Europeans began to immigrate to the United States.New ships were built making the trip more comfortable. Theinvention of the steam engine made the voyage much shorter, too.These new European immigrants came not only from northernEurope, but also from countries all across Europe.

Europeans, along with people from all over the world, stillimmigrate to the United States today. My people keep the differentcustoms and traditions of our European home countries alive intowns and cities all over the United States, where we work, play andgo to school.

I am a Mexican American. Long before Columbus came toAmerica, groups of Native Americans, like the Maya and Aztecs,lived in what is now Mexico. They each had their own laws,languages, customs and traditions. Then Spanish priests andsoldiers came to Mexico, and everything changed.

Spanish soldiers, with their Native American friends, fought otherNative Americans and won control of their lands. For the next 300 years Spain ruled Mexico, and many Spaniards immigrated toMexico. They often brought enslaved Africans with them.Sometimes they would enslave Native Americans, too. Over time,these Spaniards, Native Americans and Africans together becamethe Mexican people. They made up their own food, clothing, musicand customs, and they spoke Spanish.

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My people soon wanted to run their own country. Father MiguelHi dalgo started the fight for Mexico’s freedom. After 10 years of war Mexico became its own country, but its problems had just begun.

Many European immigrants, whom we call Anglos, startedmigrating to Mexico. Soon more European Americans thanMexicans lived in the part of Mexico we now call Texas. Theyclaimed Texas as their own country, separate from Mexico. Nineyears later Texas became a state in the United States of America.My people were angry about this and wanted Texas back.

Mexico and the United States fought a war over Texas. Mexico lostthe war and had to give up even more land to the United States. Thatland became the states of New Mexico, California, Nevada, Utahand parts of Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming. Mexicans living inthose areas became the first Mexican Americans.

My people faced even more changes after that. United Statesrailroads and businesses took land owned by Mexican Americans.Many of my people who lost their land had to search for work and,even then, were paid very little. European Americans passed lawsthat were unfair to my people. Often Mexican American childrencould not go to the same schools as European American children.

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More and more Mexicans began immigrating to the United States,looking for jobs and a better life. My people helped grow fruits andvegetables and worked as cowboys, on railroads and in factories.Some started their own businesses.

Mexican immigrants are still coming to the United States today. Mypeople do all kinds of important jobs in all parts of our country. Wekeep our Mexican culture and traditions alive in towns and cities allover the United States, where we work, play and go to school.

I am a Puerto Rican American. My people come from an island offthe coast of Florida. For thousands of years a group of NativeAmericans, called the Tainos, lived on the island. They called theisland Borinquen. Christopher Columbus landed there on hissecond trip to America.

More Spanish travelers came to the island hoping to find gold. Theynamed the island Puerto Rico, which means “rich port” in Spanish.But there was not much gold there, and some Spaniards wanted toleave to look for gold someplace else. The Spanish government toldthem to stay and grow crops instead. Soon, ships loaded with sugar,coffee and tobacco sailed out of Puerto Rican ports all the time.

Puerto Rico had become a “rich port” without gold. More peoplebegan immigrating to Puerto Rico from Spain, France, Italy andAfrica. Over time, these different immigrants together became thePuerto Rican people. They spoke Spanish and made up their owncustoms, foods, clothing and music.

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Puerto Ricans soon wanted more control of their island. Spain letthem have some control, but many of my people wanted PuertoRico to become its own country. During a war between the UnitedStates and Spain, the United States took over Puerto Rico. PuertoRicans hoped that when the war ended the United States wouldmake Puerto Rico a free country. Instead, Puerto Rico stayed a partof the United States, and my people were made American citizens.

Life in Puerto Rico changed after the United States took over. Bigfarming businesses moved in, making it harder for small farmers tomake money. Land and jobs were hard to find. Many of my peoplebecame poor.

A lot of Puerto Ricans came to the United States to look for work.Farmers were hired to pick fruits and vegetables in the UnitedStates. Others signed up to work in big factories. When their jobswere done, some went back to Puerto Rico, while others stayed.

Many of my people made new homes in New York City. Some livedon farms and in small towns, then later moved to big cities. Thenthousands of Puerto Ricans began to immigrate to the United States.Most of these new Puerto Rican immigrants joined families andfriends already living in big cities.

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My people are different than other immigrants who come to theUnited States because we are already American citizens. Yet, we arethe same as other immigrants because we have our own languageand culture. We keep our original Puerto Rican traditions alive intowns and cities all over the United States, where we work, play andgo to school.

These different groups of people have worked hard through historyto build the United States of America we know today. All of us,together with those who immigrate here today, will create theUnited States of tomorrow.

All of us have a story of how our family came to and moved throughthe United States. When we find out more about the history of ourfamily and friends, we learn about our country and the whole world.We learn to be proud of how we are different in some ways, how weare the same in others, and that we are “Americans All.”

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91

Aims International Books, Inc.

7709 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45231513-521-5590 800-733-2067 [email protected]

Association for Childhood Education, International

17904 Georgia Avenue, Suite 215, Olney, MD 20832301-570-2111 [email protected]

Cherokee Publications

P.O. Box 430, Cherokee, NC 28719704-488-2988 800-948-3161 [email protected]

Children’s Book Council

54 West 39th Street, New York, NY 10018212-966-1990 [email protected]

Children’s Creative Response to Conflict

521 North Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960914-358-4924 [email protected]

Consumer Information Center

P.O. Box 100, Pueblo, CO 81002800-333-4636 www.pueblo.gsa.gov

Fulcrum Publishing

4690 Table Mountain Parkway, Suite 100, Golden, CO 80403303-277-1623 [email protected]

Gryphon House

P.O. Box 10, Lewisville, NC 27023800-638-0928 [email protected]

Hearts & Minds

234 East Main Street, Dallastown, PA 17313717-246-3333

Hispanic Book Distributors, Inc.

1665 W. Grant Road, Tuscon, AZ 85745520-822-9484

Institute for Peace and Justice

475 East Lockwood Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63119314-918-2630 [email protected]

Lakeshore Learning Materials

2695 E. Dominguez Street, Carson, CA 90749310-537-8600 www.lakeshorelearning.com

Music for Little People

105 Commerce Drive, Aston, PA 19104800-409-2457 www.mflp.com

National Association for the Education of Young Children

1313 L Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005202-232-8777 800-424-2460

TEACHER RESOURCES

National Gallery of Art

Publication Sales4th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20565202-737-4215

National Anthropoligical Archives, Museum Support Center

Smithsonian Institution4210 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, MD 20746301-837-2000

National PTA

1250 N. Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA 22314703-518-1200 800-307-4782 [email protected]

North American Council on Adoptable Children

970 Raymond Avenue, #106, St. Paul, MN 55114-1149651-644-3036 www.nacac.org

PBS Video

2100 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202703-739-5000 [email protected]

Redleaf Press

10 Yorkton Court, St. Paul, MN 55117-1065800-423-8309 www.redleafpress.org

Rounder Records

One Rounder Way, Burlington, MA 01803617-354-0700

Southern Early Childhood Association

P.O. Box 55930, Little Rock, AR 72215800-305-7332 [email protected]

Thomas Moore Records

3710 Monroe Road, Suite 2, Charlotte, NC 28205704-371-4077

United Indians of All Tribes Foundation

Discovery ParkP.O. Box 99100, Seattle, WA 98199206-285-4425 [email protected]

_______________

Note: Addresses are current as of the date of this printing.

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Adler, D. A., A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr., New York, NY:Holiday House, 1989. [E185.97.K5A63]

Adoff, Arnold, All the Colors of the Race, New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee &Shepard Books, 1982. [PS3551.D66A77]

Adoff, Arnold, Black Is Brown Is Tan, New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1978.[PZ8.3.A233B1]

Aliki, Corn Is Maize: The Gift of the Indians, New York, NY: Crowell, 1976.[SB191.M2A584]

Amon, Aline, The Earth Is Sore: Native Americans on Nature, New York,NY: Atheneum, 1981. [E98.P5A46]

Ancona, George, Helping Out, New York, NY: Clarion Books, 1985.[BF637.H4A53]

Andrews, Jan, Very Last First Time, New York, NY: Atheneum, 1986.[PZ7.A5665Ve]

Anno, Mitsumasa, All in a Day, New York, NY: Philomel Books, 1986.[PZ7.A5875A1]

Barton, Byron, Building a House, New York, NY: Greenwillow, 1981.[TH4811.5.B37]

Baylor, Byrd, And It Is Still That Way: Legends Told by Arizona IndianChildren, New York, NY: Scribner, 1976. [E78.A7A65]

Baylor, Bryd, Before You Came This Way, New York, NY: Dutton, 1969.[PZ7.B3435Be]

Beekman, Dan, Forest, Village, Town, City, New York, NY: Crowell, 1982.[HT123.B35]

Blanco, Alberto, The Desert Mermaid, San Francisco, CA: Children’s BookPress, 1992. [PZ73.B56]

Blia, Xiong, Nine-in-one Grr! Grr!, San Francisco: CA: Children’s Book Press,1989. [PZ8.1.B5845Ni]

Botting, Tom, trans., The Mitten, Moscow, Russia: Malysh Publishers, 1975.[MLCS89/16858p]

Brenner, Barbara, Wagon Wheels, New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1978.[PZ7.B7518Wag]

Brett, Jan, The Mitten: A Ukrainian Folktale, New York, NY: Putnam, 1989.[PZ8.1.B755Mi]

Brown, Tricia, Hello, Amigos!, New York, NY: Holt, 1986. [F869.S39M537]

Cameron, Ann, More Stories Julian Tells, New York, NY: Knopf, 1986.[PZ7.C1427MO]

Clifford, Eth, The Remembering Box, Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1986.[PZ7.C62214Re]

Cohlene, T., Quillworker: A Cheyenne Legend, Mahwah, NJ: Watermill Press,1990.

Cohlene, T., Turquoise Boy: A Navajo Legend, Mahwah, NJ: Watermill Press,1990.

Costabel, Eva Deutsch, The Pennsylvania Dutch: Craftsmen and Farmers,New York, NY: Atheneum, 1986. [F160.G3C67]

Craft, Ruth, The Day of the Rainbow, New York, NY: Viking Kestrel, 1989.[PZ8.3.C842Day]

D’Alelio, Jane, I Know That Building!, Washington, DC: Preservation Press,1989. [NA2555.D35]

Dalgliesh, Alice, The Courage of Sarah Noble, New York, NY: Scribner,1954. [PZ7.D153Co]

CHILDREN’SBOOKS ANDRECORDINGS

Daly, Niki, Not So Fast Songololo, New York, NY: Antheneum, 1986.[PZ7.D1715No]

Dault, G. M., Children in Photography: 150 Years, Willowdale, Ontario,Canada: Firefly, 1990.

Delacre, Lulu, Arroz con leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from LatinAmerica, New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc., 1989. [M1990.A76]

Delton, Judy, My Mother Lost Her Job Today, Chicago, IL: A.Whitman,1980. [PZ7.D388Mz]

Dragonwagon, Crescent, Home Place, New York, NY: Macmillan, 1990.[PZ7D7824Ho]

Escudie, Ren, Paul and Sebastian, Brooklyn, NY: Kane Miller, 1988.[PZ7.E7456Pau]

Fahs, Sophia Blanche Lyon, and Alice Cobb, Old Tales for a New Day: EarlyAnswers to Life’s Eternal Questions, Buffalo, NY: Prometheus, 1980.[P28.1.F1701]

Feeney, Stephanie, Hawaii Is a Rainbow, Honolulu, HI: University of HawaiiPress, 1985. [DU623.25.F44]

Flournoy, Valerie, The Patchwork Quilt, New York, NY: Dial, 1985.[PZ7.F667Pat]

Freedman, Russell, Immigrant Kids, New York, NY: Dutton, 1980.[HQ796.F7635]

Freedman, Russell, Indian Chiefs, New York, NY: Holiday House, 1987.[E89.F73]

Friedman, Ina R., How My Parents Learned to Eat, Boston, MA: HoughtonMifflin, 1984. [PZ7.F8975Ho]

Gantschev, Ivan, Two Islands, Salzburg, Austria: Verlag Neugebauer Press,1985. Natick, MA: Alphabet Press. [PZ7.G15336TW]

Garza, Carmen Lomas and Harriett Rohmer, Family Pictures, San Francisco,CA: Children’s Book Press, 1990. [E184.S75L66]

Gibbons, Gail, How a House Is Built, New York, NY: Holiday House, 1990.[TH4811.5.G53]

Girard, Linda Walvoord, We Adopted You, Benjamin Koo, Niles, IL: A.Whitman, 1989. [HV875.55.G57]

Goble, Paul, Buffalo Woman, New York, NY: Aladdin, c. 1986. [E98F6G62]

Goble, Paul, Her Seven Brothers, New York, NY: Aladdin, 1993.[E99.C53G64]

Goldstein, Andrew, My Very Own Jewish Home, Rockville, MD: Kar-BenCopies, c. 1979. [BM723.G64]

Greenfield, Eloise, Africa Dream, New York, NY: John Day Co., 1989.[PZ7.G845AF]

Greenfield, E., Daydreamers, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Dial, 1981.[PZ7.H141150x]

Hall, Donald, Ox-Cart Man, New York, NY: Puffin, 1983. [PZ7.H14115]

Havill, Juanita, Jamaica’s Find, Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1986.[PZ7.H3115Jam]

Hazen, Barbara Shook, Tight Times, New York, NY: Viking, 1993.[PZ73.H378]

Hewett, Joan, Hector Lives in the U.S. Now: The Story of a Mexican-American Child, New York, NY: Lippincott, 1990. [E184.M5H46]

Highwater, Jamake, Moonsong Lullaby, New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee &Shepard, 1981. [PZ7.H5443MO]

94

95

Howard, Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Aunt Flossie’s Hats (& Crab Cakes Later),Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1991. [PZ7.H83273]

Jin, Sarunna, My First American Friend, Milwaukee, WI: Raintree Publishers,1991. [E184.C5J55]

Johnston, Tony, The Quilt Story, New York, NY: Putnam, 1985.[PZ7.J6478Qu]

Jonas, Ann, The Quilt, New York, NY: Puffin Books, 1994. [PZ7.J664Qi]

Kalman, Bobbie and William Belsey, An Arctic Community, New York, NY:Crabtree, 1993. [F1100.5.R36K35]

Kandoian, Ellen, Is Anybody Up?, New York, NY: Putnam, 1989.[PZ7.K1274]

Lasky, Kathryn, The Weaver’s Gift, New York, NY: Warne, 1980.[TT699.L36]

Lessac, Fran, My Little Island, New York, NY: Lippincott, 1984.[PZ7.L56283]

Lionni, Leo, Swimmy, New York, NY: Knopf, 1989. [PZ7.L6634Fp]

Livingston, Myra Cohn, ed., Dog Poems, New York, NY: Holiday House,1990. [PS595.D63D57]

Loh, Morag Jeanette, Tucking Mommy In, New York, NY: Orchard, 1988.[PZ7.L8289Tu]

Martel, Cruz, Yagua Days, New York, NY: Dial, 1976. [PZ7.M356757Yag]

Mathieu, Joseph, The Olden Days, New York, NY: Random House, 1981.[F8.M37]

Mattox, Cheryl Warren, ed., Shake It to the One that You Love the Best: PlaySongs and Lullabies from Black Musical Traditions, El Sobrante, CA:Warren-Mattox Productions, 1989.

Maury, Inez, My Mother and I Are Growing Strong/Mi mama y yo nos hace-mos fuertes, Berkeley, CA: New Seed Press, 1979.

McMillan, B., One Sun: A Book of Terse Verse, New York, NY: HolidayHouse, 1990. [PE1517.M36]

Meyer, Linda D., Harriet Tubman: They Called Me Moses, Seattle, WA:Parenting Press, 1988. [E444.T82M48]

Morris, Ann, Bread, Bread, Bread, New York, NY: Mulberry Books, 1993.[TX769.M664]

Morris, Ann, On the Go, New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1990.[TA1149.M67]

Music for Little People, “Peace is the World Smiling,” compact disc or cassettetape recording, Redway, CA: Music for Little People, 1989. [MLPD-2104]

Oakley, Ruth, Games Children Play Around the World, New York, NY:Marshall Cavendish, 1989. [GV1312.025]

Ortiz, Simon J., The People Shall Continue, San Francisco, CA: Children’sBook Press, 1988. [E77.4.077]

Ovale, Hiver, Sillery, Quebec, Canada: Ovale, Inc., 1981.

Paul, Ann Whitford, Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet, New York,NY: HarperCollins, 1989. [TT835.P386]

Pinkwater, Daniel Manus, The Big Orange Splot, New York, NY: Hastings,1977. [PZ7.P6335Bi3]

Polacco, Patricia, The Keeping Quilt, New York, NY: Simon & SchusterBooks for Young Readers, 1998. [PZ7.P75186Ke]

Pomerantz, Charotte, The Chalk Doll, New York, NY: Lippincott, 1989.[PZ7.P77Ch]

Provensen, Alice and Martin Provensen, Shaker Lane, New York, NY: VikingKestrel, 1987. [PZ7.P945Sh]

Rabe, Bernice, The Balancing Girl, New York, NY: Dutton, 1981.[PZ7.R105Bal

Rogers, Fred, Making Friends, New York, NY: Putnam, 1987. [BJ1533.F8R66]

Say, Allen, Tree of Cranes, Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1991.[PZ7S2744Tr]

Schlank, Carol Hilgartner and B. Metzger, Martin Luther King, Jr.: ABiography for Young Children, Mt. Rainier, MD: Gryphon House, 1990.[E185.97.K5S33]

Seuss, Dr., The Butter Battle Book, New York, NY: Random House, 1984.[PZ8.3.G276Bu]

Sewall, Marcia, People of the Breaking Day, New York, NY: Atheneum,1990. [E99.W2S49]

Shachtman, Tom, The President Builds a House, New York, NY: Simon &Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1989. [HD7287.96.U62A867]

Showers, Paul, Your Skin and Mine, New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1991.[QP88.5.S47]

Simon, Norma, All Kinds of Families, Chicago, IL: A. Whitman, 1976.[HQ734.S599]

Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk, Dancing Teepees: Poems of American IndianYouth, New York, NY: Holiday House, 1989. [PM197.E3D36]

Soya, Kiyoshi, A House of Leaves, New York, NY: Philomel Books, 1987.[PZ7.S7317Ho]

Steptoe, John, Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee &Shepard, 1987. [PZ8.S585Mu]

Stolz, Mary, Storm in the Night, New York, NY: Harper and Row, 1988.[PZ7.S875854St]

Tr`ân-Khán-Tuypêt, The Little Weaver of Thai-Yen Village, San Francisco,CA: Children’s Book Press, 1987. [PZ90.V5T7]

Travers, Pamela Lyndon, Two Pairs of Shoes, New York, NY: Viking, 1980.[PZ8.1T69Tw]

Tresselt, Alvin R., The Mitten, New York, NY: Mulberry Books, 1989.[PZ8.1.T7M]

Wilder, Laura Ingalls, On the Banks of Plum Creek, New York, NY: Harper,1953. [PZ7.W6461On2]

Wilder, Laura Ingalls, Little House on the Prairie, Santa Barbara, CA:Cornerstone Books, 1989. [PZ7.W461Lit]

Yarbrough, Camille, Cornrows, New York, NY: Coward, McCann &Geoghegan, 1979. [PZ7.Y1955Co]

Yee, Sylvia Mei-ling and L. Kokin, Got Me a Story to Tell: Five ChildrenTell about Their Lives, San Francisco, CA: St. John’s Education Threshold,1977. [HQ796.G667]

Library of Congress call numbers are provided in sic brackets [ ] whenever possible.

96

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Bjorklund, G., and C. Burger, “Making Conferences Work for Parents,Teachers, and Children,” in Young Children, Washington, DC: NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children, January 1987.[LB1140.A1J6]

Boutte, G. S., and C. B. McCormick, “Authentic Multicultural Activities:Avoiding Pseudomulticulturalism,” in Childhood Education, Wheaton, MD:Association for Childhood Education International, spring 1992. [LB1141.C5]

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Bruchac, Joseph, Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories, Golden, CO:Fulcrum, 1991. [E98.F6B9]

Caduto, Michael J., and Joseph Bruchac, Keepers of the Earth: NativeAmerican Stories and Environmental Activities for Children, Golden, CO:Fulcrum, 1989. [E98.F6B9]

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Clark, L., S. DeWolf and C. Clark, “Teaching Teachers to Avoid HavingCulturally Assaultive Classrooms,” in Young Children, Washington, DC:National Association for the Education of Young Children, July 1992.[LB1140.A1J6]

Clemens, S. G., “A Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Curriculum: Playing theDream,” in Young Children, Washington, DC: National Association for theEducation of Young Children, January 1988. [LB1140.A1J6]

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Copage, Eric V., Kwanzaa: An African-American Celebration of Culture andCooking, New York, NY: Morrow, 1991. [TX715.C7865]

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Problem Solving, Seattle, WA: Parenting Press, 1984. [BF449C73]

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Curry, Nancy E., and Carl N. Johnson, Beyond Self-esteem: Developing aGenuine Sense of Human Value, Washington, DC: National Association forthe Education of Young Children, 1990. [HQ767.9.C87]

Derman-Sparks, Louise and the A.B.C. Task Force, Anti-Bias Curriculum: Toolsfor Empowering Young Children, Washington, DC: National Association for theEducation of Young Children, 1989. (Also available is a videotape, Anti-BiasCurriculum, elaborating on these ideas. It may be ordered from Pacific OaksCollege Bookstore, 5 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, CA 91103.) [LB1139.4]

Derman-Sparks, Louise, M. Gutiérriez and C. B. Phillips, Teaching YoungChildren to Resist Bias: What Parents Can Do, Washington, DC: NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children, n.d.

First, Joan, and John Willshire Carrera, New Voices: Immigrant Students inU.S. Public Schools, Boston, MA: National Coalition of Advocates forStudents, 1988. [LC3746.F57]

Forester, L. M., and D. Little Soldier, “Learning Centers for Young NativeAmericans,” in Young Children, Washington, DC: National Association forthe Education of Young Children, March 1978. [LB1140.A1J6]

Fromboluti, C. S., Helping Your Child Learn Geography, Pueblo, CO:Consumer Information Center, 1990.

Fry-Miller, Kathleen and Judith A. Myers-Wall, Young Peacemakers ProjectBook, Elgin, IL: Brethren Press, 1988. [JX1963.F87]

Gardner, H., “The School of the Future,” in Ways of Knowing: Reality ClubIII, New York, NY: Prentice-Hall, 1991. [B73.W38]

Gareau, M., and C. Kennedy, “Structure Time and Space to Promote Pursuit ofLearning in the Primary Grades,” in Young Children, Washington, DC: NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children, May 1991. [LB1140.A1J6]

Glover, M. K., “A Bag of Hair: American 1st-graders Experience Japan,” inChildhood Education, Wheaton, MD: Association for Childhood EducationInternational, spring 1990. [LB1141.C5]

Goble, Paul, Buffalo Woman, New York, NY: Aladdin Books, 1984.[E98.F6G62]

Harris, V. J., “Research in Review. Multicultural Curriculum: African AmericanChildren’s Literature,” in Young Children, Washington, DC: National Associationfor the Education of Young Children, January 1991. [LB1140.A1J6]

Hatcher, B., D. Paper and R. T. Nicosia, “Group Games for GlobalAwareness,” in Childhood Education, Wheaton, MD: Association forChildhood Education International, fall 1988. [LB1141.C5]

Hirsch, Elizabeth S., ed., The Block Book, Washington, DC: NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children, 1994. [LB1139.C7B58]

Hitz, R., and A. Driscoll, “Praise or Encouragement? New Insights intoPraise: Implications for Early Childhood Teachers,” in Young Children,Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children,July 1988. [LB1140.A1J6]

Holt, Bess-Gene, Science with Young Children, Washington, DC: NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children, 1989. [LB1585.H64]

Honig, A. S., Love and Learn: Discipline for Young Children, Washington,DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1989.

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Hopkins, S., and J. Winters, Discover the World: Empowering Children to ValueThemselves, Others and the Earth, Santa Cruz, CA: New Society Publishers, 1990.

Jones, M., Jr., “It’s a Not So Small World: Multiculturalism Is Broadening theHorizons of Children’s Literature,” in Newsweek, New York, NY: Newsweek,Inc., September 1991. [HD9710.35.U62A14]

Kamii, Constance, and R. DeVries, Group Games in Early Education:Implications of Piaget’s Theory, Washington, DC: National Association forthe Education of Young Children, 1980. [LB1140.35.E36K35]

Katz, Lilian G., and Sylvia C. Chard, Engaging Children’s Minds: The ProjectApproach, Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1989. [LB1027.43.K38]

Kendall, Frances E., Diversity in the Classroom: A Multicultural Approach tothe Education of Young Children, New York, NY: Teacher’s College Press,1983. [LC1099.3.K447]

Kohn, A., “Group Grade Grubbing versus Cooperative Learning,” inEducational Leadership, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision andCurriculum Development, February 1991. [10663467]

Little Soldier, L. M., “Building Optimum Learning Environments for NavajoStudents,” in Childhood Education, Wheaton, MD: Association for ChildhoodEducation International, spring 1992. [LB1141.C5]

Little Soldier, L. M., “Children as Cultural Anthropologists,” in ChildhoodEducation, Wheaton, MD: Association for Childhood Education International,winter 1989. [LB1141.C5]

Manley, R., The Vanishing Indian. Ray Manley: A Portfolio, Tucson, AZ: RayManley Publishing, n.d.

McCracken, John Brown, Valuing Diversity: The Primary Years, Washington,DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1993.[LC1099.3.M33]

Miller, C. S., “Building Self-control: Discipline for Young Children,” inYoung Children, Washington, DC: National Association for the Education ofYoung Children, November 1984. [LB1140.A1J6]

Morris, L., ed., Extracting Learning Styles from Social/Cultural Diversity: AStudy of Five American Minorities, Washington, DC: United States Office ofEducation, Southwest Teacher Corps Network, 1986.

Morrow, R. D., “What’s in a Name? In Particular, a Southeast Asian Name?”in Young Children, Washington, DC: National Association for the Educationof Young Children, September 1989. [LB1140.A1J6]

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National Association of Elementary School Principals, Early ChildhoodEducation and the Elementary School Principal: Standards for QualityPrograms for Young Children, Alexandria, VA: National Association ofElementary School Principals, 1990. [LB1139.25.E26]

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Force on School Readiness, Alexandria, VA: National Association of StateBoards of Education, 1991.

National Association of State Boards of Education, Right from the Start. TheReport of the NASBE Task Force on Early Childhood Education, Alexandria,VA: National Association of State Boards of Education, 1988.

National PTA and Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, What to Tell YourChild About Prejudice and Discrimination, Chicago, IL: National PTA andAnti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, 1989.

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Orlick, Terry, The Cooperative Sports and Games Book: Challenge withoutCompetition, New York, NY: Pantheon, 1978. [BF723.P75A45]

Pechman, E. M., “Child as Meaning Maker: The Organizing Theme forProfessional Practice Schools,” in Professional Practice Schools: Reflectionsof School Reform in Teacher Education, New York, NY: Teacher’s CollegePress, in press. [GV1201.07]

Pederson, Paul, A Handbook for Developing Multicultural Awareness,Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association, 2000. [BF637.C6P336]

Phillips, C. B., “Nurturing Diversity for Today’s Children and Tomorrow’sLeaders,” in Young Children, Washington, DC: National Association for theEducation of Young Children, January 1988. [LB1140.A1J6]

Ramsey, Patricia G., “Beyond ‘Ten Little Indians’ and Turkeys: AlternativeApproaches to Thanksgiving,” in Young Children, Washington, DC: NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children, September 1979.[LB1140.A1J6]

Ramsey, Patricia G., “Multicultural Education in Early Childhood,” in YoungChildren, Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of YoungChildren, January 1982. [LB1140.A1J6]

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Richards, B., “Mapping: An Introduction to Symbols,” in Young Children,Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children,January 1976. [LB1140.A1J6]

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Seefeldt, C., “‘Is Today Tomorrow?’ History for Young Children,” in YoungChildren, Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of YoungChildren, January 1975. [LB1140.A1J6]

Seefeldt, C., “What’s in a Name? Lots to Learn!” in Young Children,Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children,July 1984. [LB1140.A1J6]

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101

Educational Leadership, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision andCurriculum Development, February 1991. [L11E.443]

Smith, C. A., and D. E. Davis, “Teaching Children Non-sense,” in YoungChildren, Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of YoungChildren, September 1976. [LB1140.A1J6]

Smith, Frank, Insult to Intelligence: The Bureaucratic Invasion of OurClassrooms, Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1986. [LB1025.2.S59]

Sobol, J., Everybody Wins: 393 Non-competitive Games for Young Children,New York, NY: Walker, 1983.

Soto, L. D., “Research in Review: Understanding Bilingual/Bicultural YoungChildren,” in Young Children, Washington, DC: National Association for theEducation of Young Children, January 1991. [LB1140.A1J6]

Spottswood, R. K., Music of America’s Peoples: A Historical Perspective,Washington, DC: The Portfolio Project, 1989.

Stone, Jeannette Galambos, A Guide to Discipline, Washington, DC: NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children, 1978. [LB3013.S77]

Wardle, F., “Building Positive Images: Interracial Children and TheirFamilies,” in Alike and Different: Exploring Our Humanity with YoungChildren, Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of YoungChildren, 1992. [BF723.P75A45]

Wardle, F., “Endorsing Children’s Differences: Meeting the Needs of AdoptedMinority Children,” in Young Children, Washington, DC: NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children, July 1990. [LB1140.A1J6]

Weikart, David P., Quality Preschool Programs: A Long Term SocialInvestment, New York, NY: Ford Foundation, 1989. [LB1140.23.W44]

West, B., “Children Are Caught—Between Home and School, Culture andSchool,” in Alike and Different: Exploring Our Humanity with YoungChildren, Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of YoungChildren, 1992. [BF723.P75A45]

White, S. H., and A. W. Siegel, “Cognitive Development in Time and Space,”in Everyday Cognition: Its Development in Social Context, Cambridge, MA:Harvard University Press, 1984. [BF311.E87]

Williams, L. R., “Issues in Education: Diverse Gifts, Multicultural Educationin Kindergarten,” in Childhood Education, Wheaton, MD: Association forChildhood Education International, fall 1989. [LB1141.C5]

Wong Fillmore, L., Second Language Learning in Children: A ProposedModel, Proceedings of a conference on issues in English language develop-ment, Arlington, VA, 1985. [ERIC Document No. 273,149]

York, Stacey, Roots and Wings: Affirming Culture in Early ChildhoodPrograms, St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 1991. [LB1140.35.A37Y675]

Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States, New York, NY:HarperCollins, 1999. [E178.Z75]

Notes: This bibliography was compiled by the author at the time the publication was originallycreated.

Library of Congress call numbers are provided in sic brackets [ ] whenever possible.

102

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103

front Covertop left A Vietnamese Buddhist priest conducts a religious service

for refugees, 1975.Official United States Marine Corps Photograph, photo 014-12181-76, Cpl. M. A. Tobiasz

top right Captain Antone T. Edwards and crew on the Wanderer.

New Bedford Whaling Museum, identification number unknown

bottom left Border crossing, Laredo, Texas. Official United States Immigration and Naturalization Service Photograph, identification number unknown

bottom right Indian Day Parade, Omaha, Nebraska, 1898.National Archives, photo 111-SC-82401

People of Our NationThumbnail photos provided in “People of Our Nation” are from theAmericans All® Photograph Collection. For credits for individualphotographs, see A Guide to the Americans All® Photograph and Poster

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janet brown mccracken · janet brown mccracken, m.ed., an early childhood educator, spe-cializes in...

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