Celebrating Different Cultures in the Classroom
Why should we celebrate different cultures in the classroom?
With the growing cultural diversity in the U.S.A, it is important for educators in America to recognize and celebrate the important events and days for each culture. Some teachers may find it easier to throw all holidays out the window, and just let the family take care of educating there children on varying cultures. However, we believe the school is responsible for a child’s whole education, and that much can be gained by including the cultures different holidays in the classroom.
Which holidays to choose? There are so many different cultures and celebrations, teachers may not be able to fit all them into the school year. It might be best to start by looking at the cultures represented in your classroom. That doe not mean that if your class seems to be filled with homogenous population to avoid diversity. If you are unsure of the cultural diversity represented in your classroom, you can start by picking a few major traditions to teach about. This may include a variety such as Cinco de mayo, Yom Kippur, Christmas, Muharram (the Islamic new year), thanksgiving, Kwanza, and the Chinese new year. Those are just a few ideas that only represent a few cultures. Certainly the holidays you choose to represent can change to best fit your classroom.
How should these celebrations, or educational lesson plans look like? Well, there are a few things to be remembered when planning. First, if you have students with cultural backgrounds that match up with the holiday or culture you are teaching about, you can ask their parents if they would like to come in and speak about it- they will know more on the subject than you do! You could also bring in cultural food dishes, watch movies, read from a book, or do crafts. It is important to take care not to take away from any of the cultures or stereotype them in any way. Being respectful is key!
We hope we have given you something to think about as you continue educating young minds! We have provided some links that may prove helpful when coming up with these popular lesson plans.
With the growing cultural diversity in the U.S.A, it is important for educators in America to recognize and celebrate the important events and days for each culture. Some teachers may find it easier to throw all holidays out the window, and just let the family take care of educating there children on varying cultures. However, we believe the school is responsible for a child’s whole education, and that much can be gained by including the cultures different holidays in the classroom.
Which holidays to choose? There are so many different cultures and celebrations, teachers may not be able to fit all them into the school year. It might be best to start by looking at the cultures represented in your classroom. That doe not mean that if your class seems to be filled with homogenous population to avoid diversity. If you are unsure of the cultural diversity represented in your classroom, you can start by picking a few major traditions to teach about. This may include a variety such as Cinco de mayo, Yom Kippur, Christmas, Muharram (the Islamic new year), thanksgiving, Kwanza, and the Chinese new year. Those are just a few ideas that only represent a few cultures. Certainly the holidays you choose to represent can change to best fit your classroom.
How should these celebrations, or educational lesson plans look like? Well, there are a few things to be remembered when planning. First, if you have students with cultural backgrounds that match up with the holiday or culture you are teaching about, you can ask their parents if they would like to come in and speak about it- they will know more on the subject than you do! You could also bring in cultural food dishes, watch movies, read from a book, or do crafts. It is important to take care not to take away from any of the cultures or stereotype them in any way. Being respectful is key!
We hope we have given you something to think about as you continue educating young minds! We have provided some links that may prove helpful when coming up with these popular lesson plans.