Kindergarten/First Grade

The following are areas that the children are exposed to and guided to work towards an understanding of:

• Gain basic understanding of anti-bias terms including stereotype, minority, majority, ally, bully, equity, equality, inclusion, exclusion, put-up, put-down.
• Study strong characters and events in literature, history, and real life connected to anti-bias issues and oppressed groups.
• Understand definition of bias
• Develop anti-bias language
• Begin to recognize bias in literature, media, and real life events
• Help create an environment where students and teachers feel save to share their opinions and feelings
• Take on the role of a mediator in classroom conflict
• Continue to develop conflict resolution skills and strategies to work towards resolving issues of bias on personal, peer, community, and global levels
• Recognize that biases exists today and students have the power to change them
• Identify differences in skin tone and look for examples of different people of color in literature
• Begin to gain a historical perspective of racism
• Review television ads for gender stereotypes
• Empower selves and others to do activities based on interest, not gender
• Understand the value of what we have and recognize that not everyone has access to the same things
• Begin to recognize the power structure in the United States
• Participate in community service projects benefiting local organizations
• Make connections with and develop understand of older and younger people Recognize and respect various family structures
• Begin to define and use vocabulary including gay, lesbian, and straight.
• Continue to care and take steps to respect and understand all people of the world by learning about their culture, religion, core beliefs, and history.

Learning Looks Like This:

On a cold day in November, the children enter the classroom and notice that a polling station has been set up. It's Election Day and the children are voting on what to have for snack that day. Campaign signs have been made and a mock debate has helped make up some minds the day before. Later in the day after the vote has been tallied and the children have felt the joy of victory or the satisfaction of a good campaign, the teacher counts the total number of votes and compares them to the number of children in class that day. The children notice they are the same. The teacher then reads The Day Gogo Went To Vote, by Eleanor Betezat Sisulu, about the day that Gogo, grandmother of the story's narrator, was first allowed to vote in South Africa. A history lesson follows and many children are outraged that this is a true story. The class talks about who can and can not vote in South Africa and are just as shocked to learn the history of voting in the United States.

The next day the class reads The Ballot Box Battle, by Emily McCully, a fictionalized history of the inspiring story of Cordelia, a young girl whose relationship with her neighbor, the great suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, inspires her to a remarkable act of courage. The children then discuss if they can think of any unfair practices that go on today. A list is made and they work in their journals on what they could do to battle the injustice and draw a picture of how they would feel if they were Gogo or Cordelia.

Throughout the year, as discussions regarding other marginalized groups occur, the children reflect back on Gogo and continue to problem solve ideas to help all people who experience discrimination.