Welcome in the New School Year by Celebrating Diversity! 

Here is a great lesson plan for young children to promote diversity and foster empathy. What a fabulous way to start the fall season!

Objectives: 
• Understand there are differences and similarities among people 
• Appreciate diversity and uniqueness among individuals and cultures
• Recognize traits, needs, and emotions all people have in common.

Read: We Are All Alike, We Are All Different

“We Are All Alike… We Are All Different,” a book written by children for children, reinforces multicultural and anti-bias learning and appreciation. With original drawings and their own lyrical words, the children in Rosalind Goldberg’s kindergarten class at Cheltenham Elementary School in Pennsylvania share the ways they look and feel, the games they play, the foods they like, the homes they live in, and the families they live with, concluding that “We are all alike. We are all different. We are a family.” This class-made book is the result of a Scholastic awards program sponsored by Cabbage Patch Kids.

Art: Have each child make handprints using multicultural paint!
Music: Sing along to the song “We Are All ALike ”
Words and Music: Hap Palmer*

Activity: 
During the chorus, repeat each phrase like an echo. During the verses, point to your eyes, your skin, your whole body, and your heart as each is named.

Lyrics:

Chorus 1:
Like each flake of snow floating through the sky
We are all unique, we are all alike
Take a look around, you will see it’s true
You’re a lot like me, I’m a lot like you

Verse 1:
Everyone has eyes, they come in different shapes
Some are brown, some are blue, some are gray or green
Everyone has skin, it comes in many shades
It may be dark, it may be light, or somewhere in between

Chorus 2:
Everybody lives, everybody breathes
Everybody needs, everybody dreams
Everyone is born and changes through the years
We can laugh and cry and share our hopes and fears

Verse 2:
We all have a body, any size will do
It may be thick, it may be thin, it could be short or tall
We all have a heart, let it beat with pride
A common bond goes on and on, we’re people one and all!

Follow Up: 
Think of ways you are like your classmates or family members. Think of ways you are different. Make a list of other living things. Note the ways they are alike and different.
*From happalmer.com