TEACH-NOW M5U5A1: Incorporating Multicultural Perspectives in a Lesson Plan

Incorporating multiculturalism in an English Language Arts classroom is not a one-time lesson about immigration, or simply the incorporation of a reading of Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street. Multiculturalism has a place in everyday lessons in every middle school.

Lessons in a English Language Arts curriculum can reflect the diversity of our community, region, country, and world throughout the school year in several ways:

1. Going beyond the language. When a grammar textbook details the proper way to form a sentence and conjugate a verb, some students may find that the language spoken by their parents or others in their community doesn't map with what the textbook says. This is an important moment for a conversation about dialects. The version of English taught in the textbook is considered by linguists to be the "Language of Opportunity" in our country (and many other countries), but that may not be the version of English spoken at the students' dinner table. Acknowledging this with students helps bridge a potential cultural divide.

2. Including texts beyond the ordinary. Every year, a new crop of young adult novels come out, many by people of color, describing their experiences. It's important not to always fall back on the same set of books in the storeroom, and keep options open. If there is a new book by a writer of color, one that is capturing the imagination of middle school students, it may be time to set "Bridge to Terabithia" aside for the time being, and pivot the lesson plan to include this new book.

3. Invite other languages into the classroom. English Language Arts doesn't always need to be about English. The literature and languages of other cultures can be a part of lessons in many valuable ways. For example, when a character in a book decides to speak Spanish instead of English when she's interacting with a new friend, what does that say about the role language has in her life, and our lives? 

4. Invite other countries into the classroom. There is no restriction that says that poetry, articles, and books that are part of an English Language Classroom must have originated in the English language. So many good books exist in translation, and can be an important way to bring voices from other countries and cultures into the discussion with students. Students can draw comparisons and contrasts with the stories written in other languages, as that literature may provide a better lens through which to view another culture.

Why is this important?
It is important to introduce students to this kind of multicultural content and multiple perspectives in the curriculum for two reasons. 

First, some of the students themselves may be from another culture. Acknowledging that difference by including writers from their culture may go a long way toward engaging those learners. Furthermore, even if a piece of literature in the curriculum does not represent the culture of English Language Learners in the classroom, it may be helpful for them to see that not all writing originates from a Eurocentric, white perspective. Including a writer from Africa, for example, discussing her problems in attending a mostly-white college may resonate with an Asian student who feels similarly isolated in her school.

Second, even if a classroom is relatively homogeneous, representing students of one color, teaching them to go deep and empathize with characters from other cultures -- to determine their differences and similarities, and see the kind of situations they encounter can go a long way toward fostering empathy, an important 21st century skill.

How to assess whether it is working
On the surface, it may be somewhat difficult to determine whether a student is developing cultural competence in the classroom. It may be possible, though, through various forms of formative assessment, to see a change in a student's perspective. To that end, it may make sense to give a cultural competence "pre-test" at the beginning of the year. Ask students to discuss what literature they know from other cultures, and, more importantly, what they think they may learn from studying literature from cultures that may be quite different from their own.

This conversation can continue throughout the year, with additional formative assessments -- even something as simple as asking students to write three words on a whiteboard and hold it up as they answer the question: "Why is it important to read books by writers outside the United States?"

Finally, at the end of the year, the teacher can perform a type of "post-mortem" with a final assessment, asking students to give feedback on the multicultural lessons they learned throughout the year. If students demonstrate they have developed cultural competence in addition to what they demonstrated at the beginning of the year, then the teacher is on the right track. If the needle hasn't moved, it may be time to double down on multicultural curriculum, and touch base with other teachers who have mastered the art of including it in the English Language Arts classroom.

References

Garcia, E.K, "Multicultural Education in Your Classroom" Teachhub.com. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/multicultural-education-your-classroom 

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