Anti-Bias Activity

I'm Special Book

    The activity that I chose to is an I'm Special Book.  I found this activity in the textbook Roots & Wings, by Stacey York.  This activity is a great way for teachers to implement at the beginning of the year because the books can be in the classroom all year long.  Staff members, families and students can have the opportunity to look at them and really get a chance to get to know one another.  If or when a new student enters the preschool, the teachers can have them do a book too, so that they do not feel left out.  I feel that this activity is a great way for children to share things about themselves and would make them feel good.  It will also help children to see differences and similarities between each other and realize that each of them is unique and special.
    The I'm Special Book is age appropriate for young children that are between the ages of 3 and 8.  Young children between these ages are very into themselves.  "During these early years children are forming ideas about themselves and their world" (York, p. 28).  This is a perfect teaching opportunity for teachers to let the children examine themselves and others.  Young children should be aware of each other's differences and start learning to accept them and learn tolerance too.

     The I'm Special Book connects to several of the multicultural concepts that children can understand.  For instance, young children will see that everyone is worthy, lovable, equal, and important.  Since all children can participate in the activity, every child will get a chance to see themselves and others in the books.  The children will gain respect for one another and see that everyone deserves respect no matter what they look like.
    Children will be able to see the differences and similarities in each other and learn to accept one another as individuals.  The children will realize that there is diversity in their community and that there are many types of families and that people live differently too.  For example, one child may live in a farm with extended family, and another child may be an only child and live with only their parents.  The book will help children learn from one another.
    This activity meets anti-bias goals by teaching the children to recognize, appreciate, and respect the uniqueness of everyone.  It fosters positive self-esteem and positive self-concepts in each child.  It provides children with a positive experience to explore differences and similarities.
    The I'm Special Book, may be used in different themes throughout the year, such as "I'm Me and I'm Special, Friends, Books, Alike and Different" (York, p. 204).  The activity can be introduced with a book called, All The Colors We Are.  This is a great book that talks about the differences in people.


I also found a second book that is relevant to the activity too.  This book is called, The Roots of My Family Tree, by Niki Alling.  This book will help the children see that they all come from a variety of families that are very diverse.  The children will become more interested in where they come from and who is in their family tree.
 

Explain to the children that they will be filling in their own books with pictures that they draw or can bring some from home.  They can include their family members, toys, pets, languages they speak, nicknames, birth day, and age.  Of course the teachers will be writing in the books for them as they fill them in with pictures.  They will want to include hair and eye color, skin color, and other physical characteristics, such as weight and height too.  When the books are all finished, place them in a special place in the classroom so that the children can look at them whenever they want.  This place could be a classroom library or a corner where the books will be safe and accessible to the children.      In order to do the activity, the teacher(s) will have to put the books together beforehand.  They will need construction paper (12X18 inches), yarn, hole punch, camera, marker, and glue.  Fold the paper in half (3 sheets per child).  Punch a hole or two into the paper, about 1/2 an inch from fold and then thread yarn through the hole(s).  Make sure to tie the yarn to secure it.  Use the camera to get a picture of each child (this may be done beforehand too), and have child glue it to the front of his/her own book.      An extension of this activity would be to allow children to share their book with their classmates.  They can stand in front of them and show everyone their own book and talk about it.  The staff members could also make their own books to share with the class.  A variation of the activity would be to make one book for the entire class.  Each child would have 1-2 pages of the book to fill in.  This too, could be put somewhere in the classroom for everyone to look at.      In teaching young children, it is a teacher's role, with the help of their family members, to help them grow into well-rounded individuals.  We (teachers) want children to be able to accept themselves and have a positive self concept, all while learning about others and accepting them for who they are.  By creating a classroom that reflects all children and cultures, and by implementing a culturally diverse curriculum, teachers will help children have a positive, and accepting upbringing.  After all, "what children do not see in the classroom teaches children as much as what they do see" (Derman-Sparks, p. 47).

   

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