Learning about Our Skin
Learning about Our Skin
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My project is inspired by the book Our Skin: A First Conversation about Race by Jessica Ralli and Megan Madison.
The book invites young children into important conversations about racial justice and equity. It promotes positive racial identity development and counters racial myths such as skin color equating to skills and intelligence and promotes being an upstander against racism.
In addition to the book, my project is inspired by my students, who frequently ask questions about their skin and the skin of classmates. These questions are about skin color and differences in skin color. They are also about the everyday experience of having skin and what it does: cuts, scraps, scabs, feelings of heat and cold, softness, bumpiness, smoothness, roughness, etc.
My project seeks to promote knowledge and love of our skin as well as critical thinking skills and classroom community building. I hope other educators will apply my ideas and adapt my lesson plan to do the same in their classes!
More about my project: I am developing a set of lessons inspired by the book Our Skin: A First Conversation about Race by Jessica Ralli and Megan Madison.
Our Skin discusses skin color and defines race and racism in developmentally appropriate terms for young children. The book discusses harmful and negative meanings associated with skin color and the importance of countering these harmful meanings and messages with positive and affirming messages.
To build off of this wonderful book, my project engages students in a series of lessons that follow the progression of the text from learning about our skin, to learning about race and racism, and lastly the ongoing importance of movements for racial justice.
Identify student skin tones and practice naming what we love about our skin and depicting our beautiful skin in self portraits.
Understand what our skin does and practice identifying different ways our skin reacts to the world around us, for ex.: skin can be injured and healed, skin feels heat, cold, textures, etc. How does our skin help us move through the world?
Standing up for racial justice. Collect student messages about our beautiful skin and standing up against racism. Create a class art project using student words. Invite students to create their own protest sign and have a classroom march with their signs.
Reading Our Skin and Self Portraits with Skin Tone Crayons
Reading Our Skin and Self Portraits with Skin Tone Crayons
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