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Tanenbaum Curriculum

Religions In My Neighborhood, p. 57
Lesson Name

Appreciating and Valuing Differences Among Us
Grade Band

Elementary (Grades 3-5)

Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Essential Question Why should we appreciate and value differences among us?
Learning Objectives

  • Describe multiple examples of differences found in the world

  • Articulate how they would feel if they were forced to be the same as everyone else

  • Recognize that differences are a normal and natural part of life
Required Materials

– Index cards

– Bag for index cards

– Marker

– Chart paper

– Masking tape
Standards / Competencies

CASEL Core Competencies

  • Self-Awareness

  • Social Awareness

  • Relationship Skills

  • Responsible Decision-Making

ELA Standards

  • Speaking and Listening

  • Writing

Social Studies Themes

  • Individual Development and Identity

  • Culture
Recommended Time 45 minutes
Important Vocabulary

– Differences

– Diversity

– Prejudice

– Bias

– Empathy

– Compassion
Activating Prior Knowledge

Divide the class into small groups. Ask one person from each group to come up and pick an index card from the bag. Give each group a marker and a chart paper titled with the category on the index card its representative picked from the bag. (Colors, Clothes, Foods, Music, Sports)

Tell the groups they have three minutes to think about their topic and write down as many different examples of their topic as they can think of. Give as an example: If we were in a group with the topic
dogs, what would we list? Get two or three breeds from students. Ask the students to make sure everyone in their group is part of the brainstorming. When three minutes are up, provide masking tape to each group and ask one person from each group to post the group’s list on the wall.
Core Instruction

Keep the class in their small groups. Make a positive comment about each list, such as: You really have a long list. Or: Your list of foods comes from many cultures. Or: Your list
of sports comes from all over the world. Ask each group if they could have made a longer list if they had had more time. After all groups have responded, ask the class if they would agree that making their lists was fairly easy.

Ask: Why was it easy to make your lists? Generate a list on the board such as: there are a lot of different kinds of things in the world; everyone in the group came up with different ideas; when you look at a category, there are lots of different kinds of the thing under the topic; and so on.

State: Listening to all your reasons for why it was an easy
activity, would you agree that we think there are a lot of differences
in the world and it is easy to find them? Ask if anyone disagrees with this idea, and if a student does disagree, ask why.

State: I am going to give each small group a question to talk
about together for three or four minutes. Hand out the prepared question sheets to each applicable group. Tell students you will give them a one-minute warning when the time is almost up. (Circulate around the room to monitor student engagement within each group and offer assistance as needed to help students name how they would feel and why. Provide more than five minutes if all students are engaged.)

At the end of the discussion, ask each group to jot down on their question sheet their answer to their group’s “How would you feel? Why would you feel that way?” questions.

Ask for a volunteer group to go first. Ask the group to first read their question, then tell how the group members said they would feel. (As each group is reporting on how they would feel, list feeling words on the board or chart paper.) Go around to each group to chart how members would feel. After all the groups have gone, read aloud the feeling words that have been listed. Note words that have been repeated by more than one group.

Ask the class: Why do you feel the way you do about being told
everyone must be the same? How would that affect you? Generate a list of
responses. What is it about people being different that makes you glad
that the world is filled with diversity?
Wrap-up Ask: What is it you like about being able to be different? Why
do you think it’s important for us to recognize that difference is
something to be valued? What does this tell us about why we should
respect and appreciate each other’s differences?
Learning Beyond Classroom Walls Extension: Give students the following assignment: Write a
paragraph (or more, depending on grade level) about someone you know who
you like and who is different from you in some way.