Celebrating and Exploring Diversity and Community through Multicultural Literature with integrated Arts: Our “Maybe Something Beautiful”

Julie Soto-Pendleton, 2nd Grade, University Park Creative Arts

Curriculum Unit (pdf)

Synopsis

University Park Creative Arts Elementary School students come from many diverse backgrounds.  We teach Academics with the Arts integrated into the curriculum.  University Park Creative Arts Elementary School is a partial Magnet school. Our school is located in a community that is considered to be a high risk, low-income community and has a high number of homeless or displaced families. This curriculum unit will make a significant contribution to social development and tolerance to diversity and cultures. The students will be introduced to multicultural literature that will teach tolerance of differences in people and identify similarities different cultures have as well. Students will learn about school and community and how to be kind and make friends. They will learn through social studies and arts integration linking to the Literacy lessons. Parents will be invited to contribute to our end of unit project and volunteer to clean our 2nd grade garden and create an environment the students can enjoy and utilize throughout the school year.  We will also create a mural within the school building; further using art to make their school environment beautiful and represent their visions and goals for their growing knowledge and goals for their future.  Students will overall develop a mindset that will help them grow into world leaders with a global awareness that will help to build bridges between cultures.