“Am I unique? Is everyone unique?”
This co-created kindergarten -2nd grade lesson is featured in Educating for American Democracy
Children pour into Ms. Teagle’s kindergarten classroom at PS20 in Brooklyn for the first time ever. Some of the children have never been in school before, so now know few kids outside their family circle. Some students are reading already, some are not. Plus these brand new students come from contrasting cultural experiences. The challenge is to help them form a community of citizens while celebrating each of their individual personalities. Scroll down to see the Lesson Plan, Learning Standards, Lesson Examples, etc.
Ms. Teagle greets each student, eager to get to know them all but even more eager for them to get to know each other, for them to show off to each other who they are. As they sit down at tables she gives them each colored pencils and a piece of white paper with an outline of a head. She asks “How many eyes do you have?” They all say “Two.” She asks them to add their eyes to the portrait. She asks, “What’s your hair like?” “Your mouth?” “Your nose?” A self portrait is created by each child. Ms.Teagle adds them all to the Learning Wall to make a classroom portrait. The children start to understand and celebrate their new community because it is made of individuals just like them. The process of civic participation has begun. Check out the full lesson here:
Left: Ms. Teagle shows off a very full Learning Wall on which the students answer the essential question “Is everyone unique?”
This unit kicks off the school year at PS20 in kindergarten and becomes the anchor for the entire year. Supporting questions lead the children to explore their physical features as well as their families, favorite foods, colors, and talents.
The children eagerly learn the definitions of uniqueness and other complex words because it’s relevant to them and so expand their vocabulary.
During the semester the children spend a lot of time sitting on the rug in a semi circle listening to stories read aloud by Ms. Teagle and, as the students’ verbal and visual literacy increases. They start to write about their unique lives. The interconnections they recognize in their community are celebrated. Ms. Teagle adds, “Each of my students also create a book called “I Am Unique” for this unit, which correlates with all of the other activities and discussions we have. Relating to the child’s age appropriate self centeredness each page is all about them.
Ms. Teagle asked all the students to take a close look at themselves and after their self portraits were put on the Learning Wall, they could clearly see their uniqueness and the uniqueness of all their new classmates.'
skin is the color of … (Ms. Teagle gives them creative examples to use imagery to describe the color).
My hair is … Examples - shiny as gold, soft like a pillow, puffy like a marshmallow— they come up with this—- it’s usually centered around touch more than color, but not always. It’s whatever the child comes up with.
My eyes are … Examples - blue like the ocean/brown like chocolate.
This is my family … Examples - older or younger siblings/adults/pets
I like to eat … Examples - pizza/noodles/hot dogs
I like to … Examples - play soccer/dance/run, etc.
My name is … and .... I am unique!
“This process of exploring difference and similarities starts with physical attributes but quickly expands to differing tastes in food, different family structures, life experiences like family traditions during holidays. By the time we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, they have become part of a larger caring, more complex civic community that embraces diversity.” Ms. Teagle says.
Ms. Teagle’s kindergarten class always has a big celebration at the end of the year during which the students share their books and watch the video she makes of them. She adds, “Families are invited and it’s a whole to do. It’s a lot of fun. This year (during COVID) we did it twice virtually so all students could share on the day they were remote. “
“Am I Unique"?” is an inquiry-centered unit developed by C3 Teachers in alignment with New York State standards. Ms.Teagle and the other kindergarten teachers at PS20 have made it their own partly by focusing on the Learning Wall as a primary tool.
In the bilingual Kindergarten classroom at PS20 the Learning Wall provides ways to label in a foreign language during the unit “Is everyone unique?”
The Learning Wall is student-driven in each classroom at PS20. It’s like the students’ townhall of ideas and learnings.
Mes yeux = My eyes
Books about diversity
Ms. Teagle recommends these books for kindergarteners (scroll down for our extended list)
Elmer - David McKee
Mixed: a colorful story - Arree Chung
Yoko - Rosemary Wells
The Straight Line Wonder - Mem Fox, Author, Marc Rosenthal, Illustrator
Same, Same But Different - Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
The Colors of Us - Karen Katz
The Skin You Live In - Michael Tyler
It’s Okay to be Different - Todd Parr
The Big Orange Splot - Daniel Pinkwater
Other great resources - songs and videos from Sesame Street
In learning about nature, Ms. Teagle helped the kids transform their Learning Wall and entire classroom into life on an African savannah.
Lesson plan
Learning standards
Art standard: VA:Cr2.3.PKa VA:Cr2.3.Ka Create art that represents.
Language standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.6 Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.
SS standard/Civic skill: 2C.1a. Identify ways to work and play well with others.
The inquiring mindset: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.D Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how)
Social-emotional learning: 2B.1a. Describe the ways that people are similar and different.
Engagement
All about us - starts with self-identifying traits and self-portraits, then moves into applying what they know about themselves and their classmates and generalizing concepts learned from listening to texts to comparisons, connections, and analysis.
Tier 2 vocabulary
similar, different, unique, notice, wonder, pronouns, compare, texture, shades, tones, iris, pupil, eyelid, eyebrow, sclera (white part), tear duct, lashes, …
Lesson Example: Look into Our Eyes
Goal/Core purposes
Content Objective: I can create, display, and describe scientific drawings of my eyes.
SS/Civic Mindset: I can compare and celebrate similarities and differences in classmates' eyes in respectful and accurate language.
Language Objective: I can describe in detail my eyes and compare them with my friends.
Potential barriers
Students who are color-blind will have difficulty distinguishing eye color.
Students may lack the language to describe the various shapes and colors of their eyes.
Students may have implicit understandings of beauty and lack exposure to differences.
Varying levels of development (language, fine motor, social)
Supports
An Explanation of how we see colors and not everyone sees colors the same.
Model use of descriptive language and add to ‘wordwall’.
Proactive norms for comparison agreed upon.
Provide multiple points to access and contribute to discussions and learning.
Give choice to use collage, drawing, mirrors, or more abstract images.
Lesson Steps and activities
Read aloud “The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath”
turn and talk- tell your neighbor about their eyes
how many eyes do you have?
unique physical features of eyes
The teacher explains scientific drawing using eye vocabulary of iris, pupil, eyelid, eyebrow, white part or sclera, tear duct, lashes, …
Students look at a mirror and draw their eyes with their best scientific accuracy
Student describes their drawing to peers. How are your eyes unique? What are your eyes like?
The teacher displays drawings on the learning wall and students describe “what do you notice?” and “what do you wonder?”
Students observe and ask questions using the following sentence stems: I notice … . I wonder…
Probing Questions
“What do you notice?” and “what do you wonder?”
Similes explored: My eyes are brown like ….
How are your eyes unique?
How are your eyes similar to your classmates?
Assessment
Observational checklist:
Was the student able to ask a question when talking to a peer or looking at the learning wall?
Did students use the wordwall, language of the classroom, and tier 2 vocabulary in their descriptions and responses?
Did students draw and describe their eyes with accuracy?
Do students show appreciation of differences when discussing eyes?
Display (follow-up)
Books - extended from Ms Teagle’s suggestions
The Straight Line Wonder - Mem Fox, Author, Marc Rosenthal, Illustrator
Same, Same But Different - Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
The Colors of Us - Karen Katz
The Skin You Live In - Michael Tyler
It’s Okay to be Different - Todd Parr
The Big Orange Splot - Daniel Pinkwater
My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay - Cari Best and Vanessa Brantley-Newton
My Travelin’ Eye - Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
As Brave As You - Jason Reynolds
The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath - Julia Finely Mosca
Extended Practice
The next few lessons continue with other parts of their faces - ears, mouths, nose, hair …The kiindergartners each create a self-portrait and write an individual book called “I am unique”. Although the inquiry unit starts with physical features the students continue to explore differences and similarities and expand to differing tastes in food, different family structures, and life experiences like family traditions during holidays. The class becomes part of a larger caring, more complex civic community that embraces diversity.