Love the Skin You're In

Title of Project: Love the Skin You're In

Schools and Teachers

Old Mill Road School and Sanford H. Calhoun High School Teacher: Christina Moser and Heather Glick

ENL Proficiency Level | ENL Program | Standards | Technology

Appropriate for all English Proficiency Levels | Stand-Alone, Integrated ENL/ELA | RI.K.1, RI.1.1, RI.2.1, RI.3.1, RI.4.1 | Seesaw, Google Slides, Jamboard, Canva

Assessments

Students completed self portraits, contributed to collaborative Jamboards and completed Google Slides. Their completion of the follow-up activities reflected their participation and understanding of the lesson objectives.

Description

Old Mill Road Elementary School and Calhoun High School collaborated on a new project this year titled, Love the Skin You're In. In response to New York State’s Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education Initiative, students read and discussed various literature together. Students participated in virtual “book talks” which promoted a central message: we all have qualities that make us unique and we should celebrate who we are and what makes us different. The books chosen promote character growth, social acceptance, friendship, self esteem and diversity. The students had an opportunity to participate in meaningful conversations. Students also had an opportunity to learn how to use various technology platforms to share what they learned about embracing the uniqueness and importance of honoring the integrity of every individual.

Content

I can develop and answer questions about the text.

Language

I can ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Technology

I can use Seesaw, Google Slides, Jamboard and Canva to share information about a text.

Procedure

Students in all grades met with high school students during a zoom meeting. The students introduced themselves to one another and the objective of the meeting was clearly outlined: To listen to a read aloud and discuss the central message of each book. All students listened to a youtube read aloud of three books on three separate occasions. The students engaged in a question and answer session discussing each book.As a follow-up activity, the students completed various activities using Seesaw, Google Slides, Jamboard and Canva. In K-1, the books chosen were It’s Okay to be Different by Todd Parr, Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and Lovely by Jess Hong.In grades 2-3, the books were The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler, Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o and Say Something by Peter Reynolds.In grade 4, the books chosen were Michelle by Deborah Hopkinson and Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzei.

Reflection

Student engagement and participation in the “Love the Skin You’re In” project was evident. The students listened attentively to the read alouds. They responded appropriately to the questions that were asked. The follow-up activities were aligned to state standards and the students completed them with care and creativity.