Exploring Diversity Through S.T.E.M

Essential Question

What makes us who we are?
How are our identities today shaped by society?
Do the ways we identify ourselves change over time?
How do different parts of our identities combine to make us who we are?

Texts

Literature

What If There Were No Black People?

In this poem, the speaker explores how our culture would be lacking—in people, in music, in movements, in contributions—without contributions of African Americans.

Sean Mauricette (aka SUBLIMINAL)

Grade Level

3-5 6-8

Subject

History

July 3, 2014

Literature

Sure You Can Ask Me a Personal Question

In this poem, the speaker--who is Native American--responds to a series of unspoken discriminatory questions. The reader can deduce the missing questions based on the speaker's responses.

Diane Burns

Grade Level

6-8

July 3, 2014

Literature

The Skin I'm In (Chapter 4)

Maleeka gets made fun of at school about her clothes, her grades, even the color of her skin. In this chapter, one of her teachers, with white blotches on her face, shows how she's been able to accept the skin she's in.

Sharon Flake

Grade Level

6-8

July 3, 2014

Literature

Only One Me

This poem's speaker describes being bullied and feeling depressed and skipping school to avoid the harassment. Spiraling downhill emotionally, the speaker ultimately comes to accept and appreciate his/her unique identities.

Sean Mauricette (aka SUBLIMINAL)

Grade Level

6-8

Topic

Bullying & Bias

July 8, 2014

Teaching Strategies

Word Work

Illustrated Vocabulary

In this visual strategy, students divide vocabulary words into parts and draw illustrations to represent the separate meaning of each part.

Grade Level

6-8 9-12

CCSS

L.6-12.4, L.6-12.6

July 19, 2014

Word Work

Prior Knowledge and Personal Association Surveys

These surveys ask students what they know or how they feel about specific words in the text they are reading.

Grade Level

6-8 9-12

July 19, 2014

Word Work

Traits Matrix

In this semantic feature analysis strategy, students use a grid to show how vocabulary words relate to one another and to conceptual frameworks (e.g., masculine versus feminine).

Grade Level

6-8 9-12

CCSS

L.6-12.4, L.6-12.5, L.6-12.6

July 19, 2014

Word Work

Vocabulary Frames

Students use this tool to identify a word’s meaning, its parts and its opposite. After organizing the information on an illustrated flashcard, students practice using the word in a sentence.

Grade Level

6-8 9-12

CCSS

L.6-12.4, L.6-12.6

July 19, 2014

Community Inquiry

Four Perspectives

A strategy to introduce the anti-bias framework into group discussion and textual analysis. Students respond to and pose questions from the four anti-bias domains: identity, diversity, justice and action.

Grade Level

6-8 9-12

CCSS

RL.6-12.1, RI.6-12.1, SL.6-12.1, SL.6-12.4, SL.6-12.6

July 13, 2014

Student Tasks

Write to the Source

Problem Solver

Problem Solver asks students to demonstrate their argumentative skills when identifying problems and solutions in writing.

Grade Level

6-8 9-12

CCSS

W.6-12.1, W.6-12.4, W.6-12.9

July 19, 2014

Write to the Source

The Pages of My Life

The Pages of My Life asks students to demonstrate their writing skills when constructing a personal narrative.

Grade Level

6-8 9-12

CCSS

W.6-12.3, W.6-12.4

July 19, 2014

Plan Built By

skomalley

Exploring Diversity Through S.T.E.M

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