Multicultural Education 

Michaela Griffin

ECE 280

Professor Flowers

9/3/24

                                                            Cultural Autobiography

My name is Michaela Griffin, my maiden name is Williams. I am 30 years old, and I was

 born in Richmond California. I moved to Las Vegas when I was 7 years old and I’ve

 been here ever since. I do not know much about my culture except that I am mixed, I am

African American, and I recently found out that I have Irish in me from my mom’s side.

 While I was younger, my parents fell on tough times and became drug users, during that

 time my parents sent me and my siblings to live with our grandparents on our mom side.

 While living with our grandparents, my parents separated and eventually got a divorced.

 Once I turned 7, we moved to Las Vegas to live with my father and stepmother.

         Growing up with my father showed me more of my black side. We went to church

 every Sunday, bible study every Wednesday, and choir/ usher practice every Saturday. I

 loved waking up Saturday mornings to gospel and old school music blasting while we

 cleaned the house and my stepmom cooking breakfast. As I became an adult, I realized

 that the things I did as a child, I am now doing to my children. Growing up black has its

 ups and downs, When I was in school my classmates did not consider me black because I

 did not have the qualities as other black kids. I was called the “black/white girl” because

 of how I talked and carried myself. As a black child you are stereotyped into being

 someone who can dance, sing, do hair, and into illegal activities. The older I got the

 more I resented not being able to feel connected towards my black side because I felt I

  was not black enough. I tried to change my behavior and attitude to fit in with the other

 black children I grew up around. The older I got the more I realize that being raised in

 the household I was raised in made me be the person I am today.

         I grew up in church and my father was a preacher, he raised us to not follow what

 other people do and it was okay to not fall into the stereotype. I am not familiar with my

 white side of the family. My mother’s father is Irish, but she never met him, so I do not

 know anything about that side. As an adult, I am learning more about my culture when it

 comes to dreadlocks (locs) and what they stand for, and the spiritual relationships. I got

 my hair locked up and I have been on my loc journey for about 3 years now and I am

 loving every minute of it! Having these locs are making me learn more about myself and

 connect more to my black roots. With my mother not knowing her father and my father

 passing away, it is hard for me to find out information about my culture. As of today,

 being a 30-year-old black women, wife, and mother, I am more confident in myself and I

 love being black!

I would have loved the chance to fully understand my culture and have some of my

 questions be answered, but I am grateful for knowing what I know and learning how to

 embrace my culture because I never want my children to feel that they are less important

 because of the color of their skin. Having to write this paper was difficult for me because

 I feel guilty for not knowing a lot of information about my culture, but I am going to take

 the initiative to learn more about both sides of my culture so I can have a better

 understanding of who I am.

Theme: Culture Differences

Title: Around the World

Age group: Kindergarten

·  Instructions:

I would start the lesson off by explaining to the children that people from all over the world have different cultures, that includes their traditions, foods, clothes, and ways of living. You can use the map/ globe to show them where the different countries are located. The next step in the activity would be a cultural show and tell. While doing the show and tell the teacher would bring out pictures and toys that represents the cultures. Since it is new to them you can start off by only introducing 1 or 2 countries to them. I would also have music playing in the background from the country that we are learning about and show the children dances from that country. You can also have the students show you some dances. The last activity would by the art activity. Provide the children with paper and art supplies, have the children make a collage/ color/ draw something that they learned about from the culture that they learned about. After they are finished with the project, encourage the students to share what they made and why they made that. Remember to ask open-ended questions to have the children use their critically thinking skills.

Remember to reinforce the idea that while we all come from diverse cultures, we can all learn from one another and and celebrate our uniqueness. This activity will get the children to embrace their peer's culture and have respect for it. This will also help each student feel welcomed and safe in this environment. It can help encourage creativity and communication among young learners.

Theme: Hatred is learned

Title: Kindness Seeds

Age Group: Kindergarten

·  Introduction:

I would start off this lesson by discussing feelings with children. Explain to them that everyone has feelings. I would talk about the different kinds of feelings and how some feelings can lead to unkind actions, like hatred. Make sure to emphasize that kindness is a choice, and it can be learned. After introducing it to the children, you can read a short story that talks about the illustrates the impact of kindness versus unkindness. Make sure to choose a simple story where the characters are faced with a conflict, but overcome it. After the story, have a conversation about how the characters felt and the importance of being kind. Make sure to ask open-ended questions. After the discussion you can start the kindness seed activity. For this activity you will pass out paper and art supplies, have the children draw a picture of an act of kindness or write kind words on the paper. After they finish with their paper, they can use the small pots and soil to plant their kindness seeds and watch them grow.

Remember to have the children share their finished kindness seeds with the class and explain to them how kindness can grow and spread just like the flowers. Challenge the students to look for opportunities to express their kindness everyday. This activity promotes emotional awareness, empathy, and the understanding that kindness can be learned and shared, helping to counteract negative feelings like hatred.

Michaela Griffin

EDU 280

Professor Flowers

28 September 2024

 Lesson Plan: Exploring Cultural Traditions and Celebrations

Grade Level: 1st grade

Subject: Social Studies

Theme: Unity in Diversity

Objectives:

-   Students will learn about various cultural traditions and celebrations from around the world.

-   Students will be able to identify and describe different cultural practices.

-   Students will express their understanding of cultural traditions through art and sharing.

Concept: The concept of this lesson is centered around cultural awareness and appreciation. Teaching students that diverse cultures have unique traditions, and we will learn about them and gain more knowledge about the different cultures.

General Goal: The general goal of this lesson is to foster cultural awareness and appreciation among students.

Materials Needed:

-   Picture books about cultural traditions

-   Construction paper

-   Crayons, markers, and colored pencils

-   Celebration chart

-   World map/ globe

Lead: By starting off this lesson the teacher will create a welcoming environment. Make sure you have all the materials prepared for this lesson so once the students come in you are ready to start the day. Make sure you ask open-ended questions to foster the children critical thinking skills.

Lesson Steps:

1. Introduction: (10 minutes)

-   Discussion starter: Gather students in a circle and ask, “what is a celebration?” Discuss various kinds of celebrations.

-   Introduce cultural traditions and explain that diverse cultures celebrate in unique ways.

2. Class Discussion: (Large Group) (15 minutes)

-   Choose a picture book that highlights various cultural, read it aloud and make sure you are asking open ended questions throughout the book.

-   Ask them questions about celebrations that they learned in the book and how are they different from the celebrations they do.

Main Activity (25 minutes)

-   Art Project: Divide students in small groups and assign each group a different culture or celebration.

-   Provide resources/ books for groups to explore their assigned celebration. Encourage them to find out what traditions, food, and activities are involved.

-   Have each group create a poster representing their assigned celebration. (Drawings, words, and symbols that represent the festivities.)

3. Sharing time: Once the posters are complete, have each group present their celebration to the class, explaining what they learned about the traditions and customs.

4. Collaborative Activity: Celebration Chart. (15 minutes)

-   Introduce a chart where students can write or draw their favorite celebrations, creating a classroom display of cultural traditions.

Closing Circle: (small group) (10 minutes)

-   Reflection: Gather students back in a circle and discuss what they enjoyed learning about other cultures. Ask them open ended questions.

Assessment:

-   Observe students participation during discussions and group activities.

-   Assess group posters for understanding and creativity in representing cultural traditions.

Extensions:

-   Family Involvement: Encourage students to ask their families about their own cultural traditions and bring in information or items to share.

-   Cultural celebration day: Plan a day where students can bring food or dress in traditional attire from their cultures.