My lessons for the past couple of weeks have focused on differences between people. Here are a few of the books I've used to stimulate our discussions: Hooway for Wodney Wat by H. Lester , The Other Side by Woodson, The Big Orange Splot by Pinkwater, Let's Talk About Race by J. Lester, and The Adventure Begins: First Day at Detinu International School by Munnerlyn. We brainstorm all the differences between people: skin color, eye color, size, abilities, nationality, preferences, and many more. The depth of the discussion varies greatly according to their developmental level, but all grades discuss that it is not OK to judge someone based on their appearance. In the older grades, we get into the topic on a deeper level and begin to define race and racism. We also discuss the fact that as international school students, they are a unique group of kids, called "cross-cultural kids." (Refer to earlier blog post about David Pollack's book, Third Culture Kids.)
