Culturally Responsive Toolkit

ED 307-01
February 12, 2021
Introduction

Multicultural Education is any education that incorporates other cultures perspectives,

values, and practices. It helps teach students about other cultures and hopefully teaches
them to be more tolerant and understanding of people who are different than them.
Multicultural Education is something that every teacher must employ from early
childhood all the way up to post secondary education. The in inclusion of other cultures is
vital to students fully understanding the material, their peers and themselves.
Teaching Strategies For Multicultural
Classrooms
Strategy 1

- Learning For Justice Lesson Plans (Link)

- Learning for Justice is a resource for teachers created by the Southern Poverty Law Firm
- They have lesson plans for all grade levels on all different multicultural issues
- Application
- I would take these lesson plans and modify them to fit my individual students needs. I would make
sure it makes sense for my class’s cognitive and moral development.
- Depending on the classroom, I would pick a topic that my students have little experience with. So for
example, in a classroom with predominantly white students I would pick a lesson on racial tolerance.
- I would make sure to ask questions to guide them toward empathy and compassion
Strategy 2

● Field Trips
○ I could take students on field trips to important local cultural and historical sites to help them learn
about other perspectives.
● Application
○ I could organize a trip to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the 16th Street Baptist Church
across the street. As we go through the museum, I would have students fill out a worksheet on the civil
rights movement and its impact today
○ Once we get back from the trip, we could have a class discussion on racism and how people experience
it today
Strategy 3

● Pen Pal
○ A pen pal program would help students form a connection to another person without actually seeing
them. This helps mitigate any preconceived notions they might form based on someone's appearance,
ability etc.
● Application
○ I could organize a pen pal program with a school or even an individual class whose demographic
makeup is much different from mine. For example, if I want to teach my students about ableism, I
might organize a pen pal program with a special education class. I would have the students write to
each other for several months before organizing a trip to visit their pen pals
Strategy 4

- Inviting a guest speaker

- I could invite someone who is from a different demographic group than my students to come in and
talk about their life experiences
- Application
- If I wanted to build my students tolerance towards the LGBT community for example, I could ask a
advocate who is in that community to come in and talk to my students about the struggles they face.
- Afterwards, we would have a class discussion on Homophobia or Transphobia, how it impacts people
and what to do to stop it.
Strategy 5

● Multicultural Literature
○ Having students read books from different perspectives will help them better understand different
people
● Application
○ I could have students read two book on the same topic whose authors are from different backgrounds.
Then we could do a venn diagram comparing and contrasting the two books and discuss how and why
the authors think differently about the same topic
Culturally Responsive Resources for Teachers
Culturally Responsive Resource 1

- Brown University’s Page on Teaching Diverse Learners (Link)

- Description
- This is a resource for teachers to help them work better with ELL students. It has pages on teaching
strategies and assessments as well as a page on fostering better school-family relationships.
Culturally Responsive Resource 2

- TeacherVision’s page on Strategies for Teaching Culturally Diverse Students (Link)

- It has two pages. One on teacher behaviors and one on instructional strategies to help meet the needs of
culturally diverse students
- They also have general resources like graphic organizers listed by grade level
- They have another page on teaching students about diversity with lesson plans
Culturally Responsive Resource 3

The Inclusive Schools Network has a page of resources for educators (link)
- They include self assessment tools, a course on inclusion basics, and a resource on
how to instruct diverse learners.
- They have many articles on inclusive classrooms and how they function best
Culturally Responsive Resource 4

GLSEN has a page on resources teachers can use to help LGBTQ students (link)
- They have pages on lesson plans and inclusive curriculum as well as resources to
help teachers create a safe environment for their students.
- They also have a professional development program to help teachers be more
supportive and make a positive impact.
Culturally Responsive Resource 5

CommonSense Education has a list of tools teachers can use to help them teach students
about other cultures (link)
- It is basically a curated list of resources. They have diverse lesson plans, places to
find good curriculum, and resources to help with things like pen pal projects.
- They also include the price of the resources and many of them are free. This makes it
it accessible to teachers who have to purchase out of pocket.
Multicultural Books
Lila and the Crow
Description: “Lila has just moved to a new town and can't wait to make friends at school. But on the first day, a boy points
at her and shouts: “A crow! A crow! The new girl's hair is black like a crow!” The others whisper and laugh, and Lila's heart
grows as heavy as a stone.

The next day, Lila covers her hair. But this time, the boy points at her dark skin. When she covers her face, he mocks her dark
eyes. Now every day at school, Lila hides under her turtleneck, dark glasses, and hat. And every day when she goes home, she
sees a crow who seems to want to tell her something. Lila ignores the bird and even throws rocks at it, but it won't go away.

Meanwhile, the great autumn festival is approaching. While the other kids prepare their costumes, Lila is sadder and lonelier
than ever. At her lowest point of despair, a magical encounter with the crow opens Lila's eyes to the beauty of being different,
and gives her the courage to proudly embrace her true self. “(Grimard and Ayer, 2016)

Racism and bullying

Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins

Description: “Janet Collins wanted to be a ballerina in the 1930s and 40s, a time when racial segregation was widespread
in the United States. Janet pursued dance with a passion, despite being rejected from discriminatory dance schools.

When she was accepted into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as a teenager on the condition that she paint her skin white for
performances, Janet refused. She continued to go after her dreams, never compromising her values along the way. From her
early childhood lessons to the height of her success as the first African American prima ballerina in the Metropolitan Opera,
Brave Ballerina is the story of a remarkable pioneer as told by Michelle Meadows, with fantastic illustrations from Ebony
Glenn.” (Meadows, 2019)

Systematic racism and descrimination

Stella Brings the Family

Description: “Stella's class is having a Mother's Day celebration, but what's a girl with two daddies to do? It's
not that she doesn't have someone who helps her with her homework, or tucks her in at night. Stella has her Papa
and Daddy who take care of her, and a whole gaggle of other loved ones who make her feel special and supported
every day. She just doesn't have a mom to invite to the party. Fortunately, Stella finds a unique solution to her party
problem in this sweet story about love, acceptance, and the true meaning of family.” (Schiffer and Clifton-Brown,
2015)

LGBT parents
Grandmother's Dreamcatcher

Description “While Kimmy's parents look for a house close to Daddy's job, Kimmy stays with her Chippewa
grandmother. The bad dreams she has had still bother her. But with her grandmother's help, she learns about
dreamcatchers and together they make one.” (McCain and Schuett, 1998)

Native American Culture

The Patchwork Torah

Description “As a child, David watches his grandfather, a Torah scribe or sofer, finish a Torah scroll for the
synagogue. "A Torah is not something to be thrown away," his Grandfather explains. David's grandfather carefully
stores the old Torah his new one has replaced in his cabinet, hoping to one day repair the letters so the Torah can be
used again.

David grows up and becomes a sofer just like his grandfather. Through the years, people bring him damaged Torahs
they have saved from danger and disaster - one damaged by Nazi soldiers during World War II, one damaged in a
fire in a synagogue, and one in flooding during Hurricane Katrina. David stores each of these precious Torahs in his
cabinet, until his granddaughter Leah gives him the idea to make a recycled Torah from the salvaged Torah scrolls.”
(Ofanansky, 2014)

Jewish Culture and Religion

 References
Classroom resources. (2020). Learning for Justice. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.learningforjustice.org/classroom-resources

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Resources for Classrooms. (n.d.). CommonSense Education. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-

picks/diversity-equity-and-inclusivity-resources-for-classrooms

Educator resources. (2019). GLSEN. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.glsen.org/educator-resources

Grimard, G., & Ayer, P. (2016). Lila and the crow. Annick Press.

Inclusion resources. (2020). Inclusive Schools Network. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://inclusiveschools.org/inclusion-resources/

McCain, B. R., & Schuett, S. (1998). Grandmother's Dreamcatcher. Albert Whitman & Company.

Meadows, M. (2019). Brave ballerina: The story of Janet Collins. Henry Holt and Company.

Ofanansky, A. (2014). The Patchwork Torah. Kar-Ben Copies.

Schiffer, M. B., & Clifton-Brown, H. (2015). Stella brings the family. Chronicle Books.

Teaching diverse learners. (2021). Brown University. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.brown.edu/academics/education-alliance/teaching-diverse-learners/

Teaching strategies for culturally diverse students. (2001, May 11). TeacherVision. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.teachervision.com/teaching-

strategies/strategies-teaching-culturally-diverse-students