Lynne Wiesecke, 5th Grade, Albemarle Road Elementary
Synopsis
2020 has been a year unlike any other. A global pandemic, an economic recession, racial tension and politically fueled xenophobia have left many of us feeling unprepared, unsettled and uncertain about our role, our future and our position as American citizens. Even young students are aware of the racial, financial and personal safety tensions that surround us in this year of turmoil. This curriculum unit explores the ideas of cultural and racial differences in addition to learned bias and the role of tolerance. I designed the activities in this unit to help children understand that bias exists in every one of us. It is a part of who we are and it affects how we think and act. Everyone sees the world, in a unique way based on life experiences and family history. This unit does not seek to encourage children to change, nor to think of their bias as bad or good, the goal is to simply be aware that people don’t just look different on the outside, but that we perceive, believe and receive reality differently because of our history and who we are. In today’s climate of ethnic violence, racial demagogy and Islamophobia, it is especially important to help children realize that personal actions without careful thought and consideration can lead to terrible consequences and great personal harm. Even young children can absorb the idea that it keeps everyone safer if we are tolerant of each other’s differences and recognize that opinion and judgements are based on bias. Ideally as we grow we learn to control for and self edit our thoughts and reactions based on what we know about our individually biased viewpoints.
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