LESSON TITLE - CULTURAL DIVERSITY TO YOUR RESCUE
Grades 3rd – 5th
Time Required: 30 – 45 Minutes
Content Standard: 4. Global Citizenship
This lesson aids students in acquiring attitudes and personal insight regarding
social and cultural issues associated with being a globally responsible citizen.
Competency:
4.1 Intercultural Perspectives
This lesson aids students in acquiring attitudes and knowledge of an intercultural
perspective that contributes to civil and considerate living for our society and
community.
4.2. Democratic Principles:
Students will acquire a better attitude to enable them to perform behaviors that
contribute to a just and peaceful environment.
Learning Outcome:
Students will acquire a more diverse world view to help them interact more
respectfully and thoughtfully in our diverse world.
Objective:
Students will be able to state specific things that they should and shouldn’t do to help others to
feel like they belong and are welcome, such as not laughing at a person’s differences, and
inviting the new person to join you in conversation, a game or activity.
GOAL: Students will have more insight regarding what it is like to be the new
person or the minority in a group, and what behaviors students can do, or refrain
from doing to help insure that everybody feels respected and welcome.
Materials It will be helpful to have this lesson plan to aid in guiding class discussions.
Procedure:
Define and discuss what cultural diversity means.
(Spend just three to five minutes on this opener). Give the class a pretend scenario in which a
student from another culture, whose accent and culture is slightly different from ours, such as a
person from New Jersey, moves to our school and is a student in their class. Discuss how some
students might be tempted to laugh at times, such as when the student pronounces a word
differently than we do. Discuss how students’ laughter might make the New Jersey transfer
student feel, even if the laughter was not meant to be mean or hurtful.
ACTIVITY
Tell the students to now close their eyes and imagine this:
Your mother (or caregiver) gets a great new job working at the Toyota plant in Putnam County
which means a very nice pay raise. You and your family are really enjoying the extra money.
You have been going to your favorite restaurant way more often. You received that brand new
expensive game system that just came out for your birthday, and your family is planning a super
awesome vacation to Disney World. You are so glad your mother got this new job. After a
couple of months your mom comes home and tells you that the plant manager is so pleased with
her work that the company wants her to become a trainer. They have asked her to move to
Tokyo, Japan in six months and to stay for one year to train workers in Tokyo. The Toyota
company is offering your mom a $100,000.00 bonus, in addition to her regular pay check, if she
accepts the assignment.
Your mom tells you that she will not go without you. No matter how much you beg to stay home
with a relative, your mom states she will not go unless the whole family goes. Your mom
explains she feels really proud to be offered this assignment. You realize at this point that you
need to do this to show your support for her, so you agree to accept the move.
Your mom explains that during the next six months, the family will spend a great deal of time
with a tutor studying how to speak Japanese in preparation for the move to Tokyo.
(ADJUST THE NAME OF THE COMPANY AND SUCH TO MAKE THE SCENARIO MORE REALISTIC FOR THE
STUDENTS IN YOUR GEOGRAPHICAL AREA. IN SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA YOU MIGHT USE A COAL
COMPANY NAME. IN NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA YOU MIGHT USE THE NAME OF THE LOCAL AIRCRAFT
COMPANY AND THE MOVE MIGHT BE TO A DIFFERENT COUNTRY).
Divide the class into small groups and tell them to imagine that they are now living in Tokyo. Tell them to
make a list of things that the Japanese students might find funny about them. Have them note any
physical features that might bring stares. Note difficulties that might impede friendships. Have them also
note any aspects of the school day that they think might be more difficult than others.
Discussion:
WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION –
Have each group share how the students felt when they imagined themselves in a Tokyo school.
Have the students specifically note concerns related to being different from the overwhelming
majority of the students at their school.
Discuss what things their Japanese classmates can do to make things easier for them. As these
are listed, write these overhead so that all the students can see them. When this list is complete,
ask the students if they have done any of these things for new students who have come to our
school.
Additional Resources:
Diversity Lesson Plans and Activities - diversitycouncil.org
www.diversitycouncil.org/elActivities.shtml
Extension Activities:
For homework, ask the students to talk to one or both of their parents or guardian about the Tokyo
scenario, and write down a list of social difficulties that the parent thinks the family might face; have
them bring the lists back so the class can discuss them in the next counseling class.
Lesson Evaluation:
Success Indicators – Students can verbally identify the difficulties faced by minorities trying to
assimilate into a community. Students can also identify behaviors that are harmful and helpful
in aiding people of different cultures to adjust and form comfortable relationships within the
school and community environments.