Respect for human differences is a central value that is stressed throughout the school year. The recognition, appreciation, and valuing of diversity in our class, school, and world is encouraged in as many diverse settings as possible.
Newton Public School first grade students will be studying a series of "people who make a difference." Our goals for this unit are three:
* To introduce students to specific people who have led exemplary lives in terms of their achievements.
* To help students understand the human qualities, present in all of us, that help people achieve their dreams and goals.
* To provide children with the opportunity to think about how they, themselves, make a difference and give students an opportunity to actually do something for others.
This year-long program begins when students think about people around them who make a difference and about what they, themselves, do to make a difference in the lives of others. The actual biographies included in this unit are Benjamin Banneker, Selma Burke, Rachel Carson, Thomas Edison, Mae Jemison, and Yo-Yo Ma.
(from Newton Public School History & Social Studies Curriculum)