Respect for the ethnic and cultural diversity, the supported civic education in the total and extended citizenship, the curricular pertinence for the different social and cultural realities with which the children arrive at the schools, as well as the promotion of communicative practices based on the respect for each other and the reciprocity in the understanding are basic elements that the school must have today. It is necessary to teach the child from a very early age that we do not discriminate people because of their race or ethnic origin. It is necessary to fight against racism rooted for centuries in our cultures. It is necessary to teach the child to respect diversity, to understand that diversity is present in different cultures and races, that it is different because we were educated in different cultures, but as we are all human beings our values differentiate us. It is necessary to teach them to love their friends no matter if they are black, Chinese, white, Arab or native, to respect their cultures and traditions. The educator has before him the crucial task of educating the respect towards diversity, because there are more families that emigrate to the great cities or other countries in search of a better future every day, and he must instil in his children the acceptance of the children of those families, their cultures and traditions, and to integrate them to his group of children. It is necessary to respect cultures and traditions from different ethnic groups, but it is necessary to make the school integrate them. This means that we have from a very early age to educate the children with respect for diversity. |
ACTIVITY
No 1 |
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Summary of the activity: The educator will explain to the children about the customs and ways of life of the children from other cultures, he will present pictures, photos or films of children with their typical costumes. In the second part of the activity there will be a workshop called "For the children of the world", letters will be written, stories will be told, drawings, cards, poetries etc. In the third part of the activity there will be a festival with costumes and typical dances of other countries and finally (4th part) there will be a conversation about the activity. Objectives:
Procedures:
Material Resources: Paper, pencils or pens, fine cardboard, glue, watercolours, typical costumes.
Development of the activity: We can show our children some pictures, photos or videotapes, emphasizing the ethnic, racial and cultural differences. We will speak to them about the Asian children with their oblique eyes, their yellow skin, their way to walk with short steps, their language, their traditional suits, their houses. The African children, with their black skin, curly hair, their way of speaking, of dressing, etc. The natives, their coppery skin, their clothes, places where they live, their dialects, their customs and some of their traditions etc. The Arab children, the colour of their skin, their way of speaking and of dressing, etc. The Esquimo children, their oblique eyes, the colour of their skin, their way to dress and to feed themselves, their houses, etc. This part is summarized explaining to the children that all the children of the world are our friends, that it is not possible to think that because they are different from us, they are not good or intelligent. He will explain that the people are measured by their personal values (because they are good or bad, friends or enemies, generous or selfish etc), and not by the clothes, and/or the colour of their skin, or because they are rich or poor.
2nd Part In this part the educator will emphasize again the fact of the existence of a cultural and racial diversity, (children of different customs and ways of life, of different cultural traditions and children with a different colour skin), the importance of not discriminating anybody because of the colour of their skin or because they have other customs and ways of life.
3rd Part
4th Part The children will express themselves and later the educator will summarize emphasizing the necessity to respect all the people, all the children of the world have the same rights, according to what was decided in world-wide summits (The educator will explain that they are important meetings where representative of the children from different countries discuss the problems of the childhood in the world). In one of these summits, the chart of human rights was written and one of them is not to be discriminated for cultural and racial differences. |
CRITERIAL
ASSESSMENT |
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Observed
conduct |
YES |
NO |
Comments |
They
acquired notions on cultural diversity. |
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They
acquired notions on racial diversity. |
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They
understood the necessity to respect diversity. |
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They
needed help to understand the need to respect diversity. |
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They showed satisfaction when doing the workshop activities. |
ACTIVITY
No 2 |
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Summary of the activity: This activity is to explain and make the children of the group understand the human right that talks about respect for diversity. Objectives: That the children know respect towards diversity as an acquired right. Procedures:
Material Resources: The document of the conventions on child’s rights and human rights, to read only to the children about respect for diversity.
Development of the activity: "What is a right? One says that we have a right or rights when we can do things that nobody can forbid us. We have them by the mere fact of being people, by having been born, and they are guaranteed by the laws. For that reason we say that "it is not fair" when something is unjust, when someone has done something to us that we do not deserve". "All the human beings, also the elderly people, have rights. The most important are the human rights, also called fundamental rights. One of them is the right to be respected and not to be rejected because of sex, race, age, religion or birthplace. They are called human rights because they are for all the people, boys or girls, women or men, independently from where they have been born or from where they live. Although, unfortunately, there are countries where they are not respected as much as in other countries".
2nd Part The educator will explain to them that in the previous activity they had already spoken about respect for diversity (difference of races and cultures between the men and children of the world), the right for all the children of the world to not be discriminated. Later
he tells an anecdote to them: This meeting is known as the Convention of the United Nations on Child’s Rights, there they spoke on the basic rights of the child as far as the right to life, to have schools where to learn and the protection against bad people who in some countries exploit them because they put them to carry out hard works and they mistreat them." Next there will be a group meeting so that the children can express what they understand about what has been said in the two activities. |
CRITERIAL
ASSESSMENT |
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Observed
conduct |
YES |
NO |
Comments |
They
showed interest to know their rights. |
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They
understood the meaning of the right to diversity. |
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They
needed help to understand the meaning of this right. |
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They
gave examples of what they understand by rights in their daily life. |
ACTIVITY
No 3 |
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Summary of the activity: The activity consists of explaining and showing to the children the customs and traditions of the people who live in other countries. Objectives:
Procedures: Development
of the activity: "If you spend your holidays in the same place you will notice that the same celebrations, music, dances and colourful typical suits are repeated. They are traditions because they are kept through time, and the elderly people are in charge of transmitting them. Do you like those customs and rites? They are important because they are exclusive of a town; they are its signs of identity and a sample of human diversity. Frequently, many corners and streets of Latin America and Spain are filled with people who meet to share their emotions and customs: sometimes the reasons are religious, other times the reason is pagan, that is to say, nonreligious".
2nd Part Later, we will use the images, to tell the children about multicultural experiences, some examples can be: "Did you know that in many places the arrival of the spring is celebrated? In the Andes the indigenous ceremony Tumarina takes place when the fields begin to bloom: the women gather flowers, they submerge them in the river and with the mixture that they obtain they wet the people’s heads. In this way they attract good harvests. In Seville, a Spanish city, there is the April Fair: the bullfights and the rejoneo (the art to fight bulls on horseback) are highlighted, the singing and dances in the small houses, where the women wear their faralaes suits (with colourful flounces) and they drink fine wine or manzanilla (dry sherry). And the arrival of the spring is also celebrated with the Fallas of Valencia (the festival of Saint Joseph in Valencia): the streets of this Spanish city are filled with enormous sculptures of papier-mâché that are burned on 19th March and they are called ninots (they are caricature figures of politicians, artists, or present time people). In the Charra Party in Mexico, the riders dress in a very particular way: they wear jarano (a hat with a wide wing and high crown) and a short waistcoat. They sing Mexican folk songs, like the one of "Adelita". Did you know that the boys and the girls love to participate in the scrimmage (a rider contest)? The Sanfermines of Pamplona, which start on 7th July, are one of the more universal Spanish festivals. But, do you know the party of the Moors and Christians? Do you know the indigenous ceremonies that worship the Pachamama (the Earth)? Did you know that some natives construct their houses when the Moon is full so that the wood lasts longer? 3rd
Part "When the Latin American countries were colonized, they assumed many of the catholic festivities that were celebrated in Spain. Which is the patron saint of your locality? Did you know that Saint Anthony is the patron of the animals and that every 17th January the mascots are blessed in his name in the churches? The 25th December is Christmas. Do you sing carols and go to the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve? In Mexico, the festivities begin nine nights before the birth of Jesus, and one says that it is time ‘of Posadas' (Inns). Do you look for an inn? Do not give up if they take long in opening the door, as it happened to the Virgin and Saint Joseph... Later, celebration and piñatas (container hung up and hit with a stick to release sweets inside)! The Three Wise Men arrive on 6th January, after the procession of the previous day, and the eating the ‘Roscón de Reyes' (large ring-shaped cake baked for Epiphany) is celebrated. How many pairs of shoes have they filled up with gifts and sweets? In the days of Carnival, groups of people disguise themselves and cheer the atmosphere up with dances and masquerades, and they parade in great multicolour floats, next to carnival figures with large heads and giants. Do you know a better way to prepare yourself for the religious fast of the Lent? The religious brotherhoods are associations of people who organize the Easter celebrations. In the processions they take out images to stage the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. In Latin America, the grounds of the streets are decorated with flower offerings, and in Andalusia, they improvise saetas (flamenco songs of Arab influence). The festivity of Saint John the Baptist (24th June), date in which the summer begins, is celebrated in different ways: in Latin America, with ritual baths and buckets full of water turning upside down in the air. In Spain, fire is chosen to be jumped over it or to throw objects to the flames".
4th Part "Do you want to know the Latin American rhythms? There are many more, but it is necessary to find out about a few... Accompanied by an instrument! The quena (flute), the harp, marimba (xylophone), the maraca... In Mexico they have the rancheras (Mexican folk song) of the mariachi musicians. The rumba, the salsa and cha-cha-cha are played in the Caribbean beaches. The merengue is Dominican. In Panama and Colombia they follow the rhythm of the cumbia (music and dance typical of the Caribbean coast of Colombia). A lively samba is listened to in the Andes. In Argentina, they dance the tango... When we are in Brazil, we have to dance some samba, bossa nova or lambada. Those customs that we have learned today, when you go to visit other countries or when at school, or in the street, or the neighbourhood you see a person from those places, you have to respect them, because you would not like that other people made fun of your customs." At the end of the activities there will be a great meeting for the children to express their criteria on what they have seen or heard, and they suggest different activities for the following days regarding the subject of diversity. The educator will write down such suggestions so that later he reaches an agreement with the children about what they are going to do those days. |
CRITERIAL
ASSESSMENT |
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Observed
conduct |
YES |
NO |
Comments |
They
showed interest in the customs and traditions of other countries. |
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They
related their own known experiences of those activities. |
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They
expressed desires to participate in such activities. |
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They
suggested types of activities to do in the following days. |
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They made drawings and stories on diversity by their own initiative.
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ACTIVITY
No 4 |
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Summary of the activity: The children will recite poems and listen to songs or music from other countries of the world. Objectives: To develop in the children feelings of respect and friendship for children from other countries. Procedures:
Material Resources: Cassette recorder. Poems. Songs.
Development of the activity:
2nd Part
3rd Part
4th Part The
educator will ask: The same thing will be done with the songs. The
educator will summarize: |
CRITERIAL
ASSESSMENT |
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Observed
conduct |
YES |
NO |
Comments |
They
understood the message of the poems. |
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They
needed help to understand the message of the poems. |
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They
knew how to explain the message of the songs. |
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They
needed help to understand the message of the songs. |
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They
showed in their expressions feelings of respect and friendship towards
the children from other countries.
|
ACTIVITY
No 5 |
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Summary of the activity: The children will make a choir with the title: "Give me your hand". Later the educator will explain the meaning of the words. Objectives: To develop in the children notions about diversity and unity. Procedures:
Material Resources: To decorate the classroom where the activity is going to be, it can be with flowers and drawings made by the children.
Development of the activity: All the children or half of the group, as the teacher likes, will make a circle, when the child says the first verse; everybody holds hands and begins to turn around.
2nd Part
3rd Part The educator will explain to the guests that the intention of this activity is to demonstrate friendship among all the children of the world, how in spite of their diversity they can obtain unity so that no child is discriminated. |
CRITERIAL
ASSESSMENT |
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Observed
conduct |
YES |
NO |
Comments |
They
understood the meaning of the choir. |
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They
needed help to understand the meaning of the choir. |
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They
expressed spontaneous criteria on experiences of multicultural acceptance. |
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They
proposed to do other activities with this content. |
ACTIVITY
No 6 |
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Summary of the activity: Several critical situations will be presented to know what attitude the children would assume, finally there will be a conversation on these attitudes. Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge and feelings that the children have developed regarding respect for diversity. Procedures:
Material Resources: Texts of stories, the classroom book of anecdotes, photos and videos.
Development of the activity: There can be as many critical situations as the educator likes, as long as there is always the need for the child to express a criteria, opinion or experience regarding the multicultural experience that is presented to him. The educator has to try that all the children express their criteria, and he can work in an individual way, in small groups, or in a meeting, according to what he considers convenient.
2nd Part
3rd Part |
CRITERIAL
ASSESSMENT |
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Observed
conduct |
YES |
NO |
Comments |
They
showed positive attitudes towards respect to the diversity in their
answers. |
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They
gave their opinions in an independent way. |
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They
needed help to give their opinions. |
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They
demonstrated to be inclined towards acceptance of diversity. |
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They reflected desires to accept the children of other cultures and
ethnic groups. |
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They made spontaneous criticism of those who do not accept diversity. |