Build a sense of community in your classroom with culturally responsive teaching units. This teaching approach helps to connect students’ cultures and life experiences with what they are learning in school. Some studies have shown that students’ ability to learn improves when their experiences are linked to information they already know. (Neuroscience Research) Our cultural traditions influence how our brains process information and assimilate new information.
Culturally responsive teaching is a great tool to help all students build a sense of belonging in their classroom as they process the curriculum and academic content. Inviting students to share their unique perspectives and cultural traditions makes their learning more meaningful and engaging and helps teachers learn about each student’s world view. The free activities below strengthen students’ ethnic identities and promote a sense of belonging with open-response questions. The lessons focus on learning about oneself through the lens of culture, family traditions, and peoples’ similarities and differences.
Get free activities and printables for grades 1–6 to try in your classroom. Click here for your Culturally Responsive Lessons and Activities sampler.
Scroll through to see sample activities from Culturally Responsive Lessons and Activities grade 3.
Culturally Responsive Lessons and Activities for grades 1–6 includes eight inspirational nonfiction, informational fiction, and realistic fiction teaching units. The units included are about people from diverse backgrounds with different abilities, ethnicities, and origins. Theme-based activities inspire children with realistic stories of how individuals have persevered despite facing challenges and encourage students to think about how these examples can inspire them in their own lives.
With individual, whole class, and partner activities, these robust units are designed to engage students’ interest and create open-ended response opportunities. Every unit includes Choose Your Own Project activities so that students can choose which project they would like to complete.
Create a welcoming and safe space in your classroom with activities that invite students to share their unique experiences and learn about others.