Details, Rivera, Detroit Industry murals. Click an image for more information.

Grade level: Sixth

Each lesson is designed for a 45-minute class period.

The lessons were presented to a sixth grade Social Studies class of 30 students, after we visited the Detroit Institute of Arts and discussed the Detroit Industry murals [see Preparation].

Lesson 1 Our Ethnic Community
Introduce students to the concept of America as a mosaic of peoples by using this quote from entertainer Gloria Estafan: "When immigrants come to America they bring their culture, and that culture becomes part of a new country, it makes everyone stronger."

Encourage students to discuss the meaning of the quote.

Discuss the issue of many immigrants wanting to keep the language and customs of their homeland alive. Ask students if they think this is a good idea. Encourage students to share what we as Americans gain by this practice.

Have students share customs and traditions that are practiced in their homes. Encourage students to share where these observances originated.

*Students can share their perspectives orally or in writing. Lesson 1 and Lesson 2 can be condensed into one class period if necessary.

Lesson 2 Multicultural Definitions
Have students break into groups and discuss and define words such as unity, diversity, prejudice, racism, intolerance, sexism, homophobia, ethnicity, classism, etc. Following the group discussion, have students share their definitions of the words.

Click the image to read this student's response.

1. Why are some people in the United States eager and helpful to befriend immigrants?
   
2. Why do you think some people in the United States are so afraid to have immigrants?
   

Have students share their writings with the class.

Click here to read another student's response.

Note: Have dictionaries on hand.

Lesson 3 Our Diverse Community
Use knowledge of vocabulary gained from Lesson 2 to identify forces in the United States that unify and diversify our nation. Brainstorm ideas and compile a class list on a large sheet of paper.

"Forces that Unify and Diversify Our Community" (click the image for a close-up).

Detroit Industry by Diego Rivera is a good discussion motivator for this lesson. How does the piece represent diversity and unity?

Next, discuss issues that unify and diversify your community. Compile a list of these forces. Discuss how diversity is good for the community. (It makes our community unique.)

Have students use magazines, news articles, and photos from the local newspaper to create a collage of forces that unify and diversify your community at large. Use a large sheet of paper and fold it in half. Print "Unify" at the top of one half and "Diversify" at the top of the other. They may work on individual mosaics or work in groups.

Unity / Diversity Collages (click the image for a larger version).

Have students present the mosaics to the class. They must be able to explain how each item represented unifies and diversifies the community.

Materials: large sheet of butcher paper, marker, large poster board or sheet of paper (one per student or one per group), magazines, local newspapers, scissors, glue sticks.

Lesson 4 Our Classroom, Unified Yet Diverse
Materials: paper (can pre-cut into pennant shape), markers, crayons, glitter, glue, stickers, clip art, misc. decorating items (students are allowed to bring in art supplies to decorate names), books about name origins, writing tools.

Using several baby name books or other sources, have students research and write about the origins of their names or nicknames, what they mean, why they were given them, who they were named after (if significant), etc. Have students write and decorate their names on a piece of paper, including their individual name stories.

Note: I chose to have students research first names rather than last names because I didn't want any child whose last name might be an issue for them for any reason to feel uncomfortable; also I knew that the banners may be posted on the DIA website and opted to go with first names for reasons of privacy.

Create a bulletin board of students' name stories. Label the bulletin board: Our Classroom, Unified Yet Unique.

Calli-Ev with Her Pennant	Jonathan with His Pennant
Calli-Ev's Pennant	Jonathan's Pennant

Optional Extension Activity
A class International Day is a great way to bring closure and celebrate diversity and uniqueness. Encourage students to bring in food samplings, articles of clothing, objects, photos, documents, family heirlooms, or arts and crafts from a country of their origin or ancestry. I have done this in previous years. The students researched cultures and set up booths. Parents and other schoolmates were invited to visit. Many students made stamps that represented their nation. Visitors were given passport sheets to get stamped as they visited each booth.

Have students conduct "Immigrant Interviews". They may interview family members, neighbors, or peers about their experiences in a new land.

Also, Dearborn has an organization called the Dearborn Community Alliance (DCA), which exists to promote diversity within the city. They organized a town hall meeting in May 1999 to discuss various community issues. I encouraged my students to attend and gave extra credit to those who did. A bonus was that their parents attended the meeting also. Students were able to share this experience with those who couldn't go.