(1993). Appreciating Continuity and Change in India through Literature, Customs, Culture, and Socioeconomic and Political Perspectives. Fulbright-Hays Curriculum Project. This curriculum project was developed by an individual who studied in India for 5 weeks in 1993 as part of the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program. The activities seek to: (1) offer factual information on India from literature, customs, culture, and socioeconomic and political perspectives; (2) help students be more tolerant about people of another race, of another country, and the conditions under which they live; (3) expand students' spheres of understanding to include a culture other than their own; (4) create a desire in students to keep informed about current events on an international level; (5) answer a need for recreational reading with books that feature factual places as part of the story; (6) help develop aesthetic tastes through writing and illustrating answers to teacher-prepared questions; and (7) furnish more unusual and unique reading material for all middle school reading/language arts and social studies classes to initiate interesting classroom discussions. (EH)… [PDF]
(1987). Saudi Arabia Today. A Teaching Program on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: (1) Grades 1-3, Our Visit to Saudi Arabia; (2) Grades 4-6, A Modern Kingdom; (3) Junior High School, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; (4) Senior High School, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This package includes materials for students and accompanying teaching guides and posters for teaching about life in contemporary Saudi Arabia for grades 1-8. The student folder for grades 1-3 presents information about the Middle Eastern nation in the form of a boy's letter to a friend back home. In the letter are descriptions of the cities of Riyadh and Jeddah, the Islamic faith, Saudi farming, recreational activities, the Saudi oil industry, and other aspects of life in the country. The teaching guide sets out general teaching objectives, then presents background material, objectives, skills tips, and discussion questions corresponding to each page of the child's letter. Student worksheets in the guide include a connect-the-dots illustration, a page requiring students to tell the boy's story chronologically, multiple choice questions, and other activities. Presented in the form of a one-act play for classroom role playing, the pamphlet for grades 4-6 describes Saudi Arabia as a… [PDF]
(1995). Celebrating Diversity: A Multicultural Resource. First Edition. This guide emphasizes the inclusion of traditionally under-represented cultural groups by recognizing calendar events of multicultural significance. The approach presumes that activities centered in the cultural understandings and experiences of diverse students encourage general student involvement and build critical thinking skills. Strategies for encouraging alternative perspectives on social problems and historical events are given. The book, organized by calendar year, gives background information for each month, along with selected events; people, places, and events of the month; and teaching units that include instructional activities and teaching ideas. The teaching units address the following issues and topics: (1) "In the Beginning"; (2) "Native Americans – The First Nations of the Western Hemisphere"; (3) "Harvest and Thanksgiving Celebrations around the World"; (4) "Winter Holidays around the World"; (5) "A Simulation Trip to…
(1992). Multicultural Aspects of Library Media Programs. Designed to help library media specialists, as well as administrators, teachers, and parents, develop a greater sensitivity to the multicultural problems and issues that young people face in schools, this collection of essays offers diverse perspectives on multicultural issues in the media program. The four main sections of the book and the essays that comprise them are as follows: (1) the introduction, \Multicultural Library Media Centers\ (Kathy Howard Latrobe); (2) information on gaining perspective including \Understanding and Appreciating the Unique Needs of Asian-Pacific Americans\ (Leslie S. J. Farmer); \Understanding and Appreciating the Unique Needs of African Americans\ (Melvin N. Bowie); \Understanding and Appreciating the Unique Needs of Mexican Americans\ (Rose Mary Flores Story); \Understanding and Appreciating the Unique Needs of Native Americans\ (Lotsee Patterson); \Understanding and Appreciating the Unique Needs of European Americans\ (Donna S. Richey); and…
(1991). The Good Common School: Making the Vision Work for All Children. A Comprehensive Guide to Elementary School Restructuring. In order for children to have access to quality educational experiences, all members of the school community must participate in school restructuring (parents, advocates, educators, community leaders, and policymakers). Researchers and teacher training institutions also play a vital role. This book provides easy access to information of particular interest to different groups and individuals who support advocacy-driven school reform. It is organized around 10 vital student entitlements discussed within 8 chapters that focus on the following topics: parent participation, student admission and placement, student instruction, enhancing individual potential, student support services, school climate, teacher empowerment, and school finance. A fictional vignette is presented at the beginning of each chapter, representing an imaginary elementary school on its way to becoming the Good Common School (a school with the primary goal of providing educational excellence for all of its students)….
(1994). Educating Young Children in a Diverse Society. This paper examines the impact of ethnicity, gender, and social class on young children and discusses the ways in which children can be educated to appreciate and value diversity. It also summarizes the ideas of E. King's \Educating Young Children in a Diverse Society\ (1994), highlighting the strategies advocated in the book that encourage teachers and educators to implement diversity into programs for young children. The paper notes that early childhood educators need to focus on content integration, knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, equitable pedagogy, and empowerment when considering curriculum development and program practices. Educators also need to address their own cultural, gender, and class attitudes, as well as the attitudes of their students, when formulating curriculum content and teaching methods. The paper concludes by noting that using information about culture and learning in sensitive and positive ways will help educators value and promote diversity in… [PDF]
(1991). Six Alaskan Native Women Leaders: Pre-Statehood. This booklet provides resources for teaching about pre-statehood Alaska history and the role of Alaska Native women. The six women leaders featured come from different backgrounds, languages, and cultures. They include an oral historian, a civil rights activist, a bilingual teacher, a traditional storyteller, a healer, and a tradition bearer. The period covered by the lifetimes of these women–from the early 19th century through the present–facilitates consideration of issues ranging back to the first contacts with Russian explorers. Each section contains an introduction to the historical and geographic context in which the women lived and a brief biographical sketch. Supplemental materials include a book chapter in English and Gwich'in on remembrances of subsistence living, a Yup'ik legend, diplomatic letters and other communications, newspaper articles, a language map, and photographs. Each section also contains suggestions for follow-up discussions, activities aimed at… [PDF]
(1993). Comparison of Student Academic Performance at Multi-Ethnic Schools versus Single-Ethnic Schools. This study examined whether students perform better academically if they are in a multi-ethnic school setting, in the minority in a predominantly single-ethnic school, or in the majority at a predominantly single-ethnic school. The study looked at three ethnic/racial groups: White, Black, and Hispanic; and analyzed urban students' mathematics and reading test scores from the fourth through eighth grade. An analysis of variance was used to assess group differences and compare groups of the same ethnicity who were in different school settings. Data from the state education agency's database for students from 1986-87 through 1990-91 from their fourth through eighth grade years were used. Student ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic status, and standardized test scores were evaluated. The results suggest that it may be more academically beneficial to minority students for school districts to emphasize desegregating schools rather than promoting single-race schools. In particular, the… [PDF]
(1998). Children with Special Health Care Needs and Their Families: Building on Cultural Strengths. CYDLINE Reviews. This annotated bibliography focuses on materials published after 1991 about cultural competence and children with special health care needs. It is divided into the following sections: (1) epidemiology and demographics (11 publications); (2) cultural competence (15 publications); (3) cultural competence and children and youth with disabilities (29 publications); (4) family systems (6 publications); (5) cultural competence and service delivery (12 publications); (6) cultural competence and health care policy (6 publications); and (7) educational materials (23 publications). The booklet closes with a list of three organizational resources on child health and cultural competence. (CR)… [PDF]
(1990). Flight to Hope: A Catholic Collaborative Educational Project on Refugee Awareness for Today's Students. This curriculum guide offers materials for a refugee awareness program, Flight to Hope, merging factual information with experiential learning activities to provide a holistic approach to understanding refugees for presentation in Catholic schools and involving parish participation. Included in notes on using and coordinating the program are a suggested calendar of events, a sample letter and family activities for parents, a sample letter and parish activity sheet for parish ministry teams, and a discussion of how to integrate the larger school and parish community into the classroom program. The teacher's guide provides background for teachers seeking an understanding of the world of refugees including a discussion of who refugees are, refugee relief efforts, the politics of refugee determination in the United States and abroad, and the challenges and difficulties facing refugees. The Flight to Hope Program includes the following eight lesson plans for grades 6 through 12: (1)…
(1990). More Than Just Chinese Food…A Collection of Writings by Adult ESL Learners and Three Approaches to Teaching and Writing in the ESL Classroom. This book consists of a collection of stories written by adults who attend a bilingual ESL (English as a Second Language) program co-sponsored by the Toronto Board of Education and Chinese Information and Community Services. All the writings deal with Chinese culture but the book may be used by people of diverse backgrounds and of varying levels of English language proficiency. The stories and accompanying exercises are of different levels of difficulty. Discussion questions follow each story. The goal of the book is to: (1) promote language development by way of exercises and discussions of topics that are relevant and meaningful to adult learners; (2) to provide instructors with descriptions of three approaches to teaching writing (Language Experience Approach, Process Writing and a Variation on Process Writing) that they can use in their programs and (3) to provide a springboard for intercultural communication and understanding through cultural exploration and comparison….
(1994). Culturally Specific Learning Styles: Some Suggestions for Teachers. This paper examines the importance of culturally-specific learning styles within the context of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990. The Act posits that all students can learn, that students learn differently, and that students learn better when they are taught utilizing their preferred learning modalities. A review of the literature indicates that all cultures, communities, and families can be divided into two major dimensions–traditional and modern–in terms of gender roles, family identity, sense of community, family identification, time orientation, age status, importance of tradition, subservience to convention and authority, and spirituality/religion. Teachers need to understand the cultural style of students; to use a proactive approach to reach out to those students whose values and needs differ from the mainstream; to exhort the message that "to be different means to be distinct but not inferior"; and to accommodate students with differing needs and… [PDF]
(1987). The Culture of Immigrant Populations and Cultural Policies: Socio-Cultural Innovations in the Member States of the CDCC. Summary of the Meeting (Strasbourg, France, March 4-5, 1986). The CDCC's Project No. 7: "The Education and Cultural Development of Migrants.". Proceedings of a meeting on immigrant culture are summarized in this report, which aims to outline the main questions asked and answered at this final activity of a 5-year project carried out by the Council for Cultural Cooperation. The introduction discusses the goals of the meeting which were to define the culture of migrants, especially of young people of immigrant origin, and to call on institutions to explain their cultural policies and programs for the benefit of migrants and ethnic minorities. A summary of Antonio Perotti's keynote speech lists new trends in European migration and notes problems such as youth unemployment, antisocial behavior, and racist attitudes towards young people. Part I of the report deals with ways in which migrants give expression to and develop their culture. Strategies for cross cultural communication are cited, including a German coffee house-meeting house scheme for women of foreign extraction, the use of drama, and literary and music competitions…
(1988). Children with Special Needs in Family Day Care Homes: A Handbook of Approaches and Activities for Family Day Care Home Providers. Practical information and sample teaching activities for child caregivers who work with young developmentally disabled children in family day care settings are provided in this manual. Each chapter shares a typical experience a caregiver may have with a particular child. Chapter 1 focuses on getting to know a new child, initial expectations, and testing a new environment, with related activities such as following simple directions and learning sounds. Topics covered in chapter 2 include sensitivity to the child's changing needs, developmental stages, sequencing and repeating activities, and creativity, with related activities which include imitating sounds and giving objects. In chapter 3, the how-to's of designing and preparing for activities are described. Activities in chapter 4 (e.g., wheelbarrow walk, Simon Says) accompany a discussion of the meaning of play for children. Chapter 5 focuses on the creation and use of toys and spaces for play, with activities such as pointing to… [PDF]
(1988). Cuidado de Ninos con Necesidades Especiales en el Hogar: Manual de Estrategias y Actividades para Proveedores que Cuidan Ninos en Sus Hogares (Children with Special Needs in Family Day Care Homes: A Handbook of Approaches and Activities for Family Day Care Home Providers). Practical information and sample teaching activities for child caregivers who work with young developmentally disabled children in family day care settings are provided in this manual. Each chapter shares a typical experience a caregiver may have with a particular child. Chapter 1 focuses on getting to know a new child, initial expectations, and testing a new environment, with related activities such as following simple directions and learning sounds. Topics covered in chapter 2 include sensitivity to the child's changing needs, developmental stages, sequencing and repeating activities, and creativity, with related activities which include imitating sounds and giving objects. In chapter 3, the how-to's of designing and preparing for activities are described. Activities in chapter 4 (e.g., wheelbarrow walk, Simon Says) accompany a discussion of the meaning of play for children. Chapter 5 focuses on the creation and use of toys and spaces for play, with activities such as pointing to… [PDF]