Developed for EDU 557 - International and Cross-Cultural
Education, OnlineCSU, Spring 1999
Dr. David Stoloff, Instructor

Abstract
        Students from different cultural backgrounds must have opportunities
to interact during elementary-age years in an appropriate educational setting
so that similarities and differences can be appreciated and celebrated rather
than ignored and misunderstood.  Communities need to support programs that
emphasize multiculturalism so that biases and prejudices can be reduced
through education.  This research proposal outlines specific steps that urban,
suburban and rural communities can take to incorporate voluntary plans of
integration into school classrooms. Features of this plan include a "Pen Pal
Program," joint field trips, and school visits developed around a common
curriculum theme.  Extensions of these activities are also offered which will
be useful in bridging gaps for students who are separated by cultural and
geographical divides worldwide. Current educational technology, specifically
computers with Internet access and E-mail capabilities, will be an integral part to linking students in this Pen Pal  Program on an international basis.

Research Citations

1.      "Varieties of Multicultural Education: An Introduction," by Gary  Burnett.
        http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/gistest/dig98.html
This article discusses the three main typologies of multicultural education:
content-oriented programs, the most common form of multicultural education;
student-oriented programs dealing with how to best assist culturally
different students to be successful in the educational mainstream; and
socially-oriented programs, which seek to increase cultural and racial
tolerance and reduce prejudices.  Discusses Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.'s
negative and controversial beliefs that multicultural education divides
students along cultural and racial lines rather than
uniting them.

2.      "Restructuring Schools for Multicultural Education," by Christine E.
Sleeter, Journal of Teacher Education,
        March/April 1992.
        http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/abstracts/ej484276.html
This article describes a staff development project involving schools from two
neighboring districts.  The author recommends that multicultural education is
best achieved by reorganizing the whole-school structure rather than simply
attempting to change individual teacher's mindsets.

3.      An Introduction to Multicultural Education by James A. Banks; Allyn
and Bacon Inc., Mass.
        http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/abstracts/ed372129.html
This book covers basic concepts in multicultural education including goals,
approaches and changes in curriculum. Most interesting is the section on
"knowledge components" that teachers must acquire in order to teach
effectively
in a multicultural classroom.

4.      Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural
Education by Sonia Neito, Longman Press, N.Y.
        http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/abstracts/ed361440.html
This book contains case studies on multicultural education for teaching,
beginning with a definition of multicultural education's use as a way of
"equalizing education experiences."  Includes suggestions on ways to remove
barriers from learning and what to do when conflicting expectations between
school and home exist.

5.      "A Community Guide to Multicultural Education Programs," by Wendy
Schwartz.
        http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/guides/pg6.html
The purpose of this important guide is to explain the concepts and importance
of multicultural education to parents and to garner support from the
community.

6.      "The School of Multiracial Students" by Wendy Schwartz
        http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/digests/dig138.html
This article defines the multiracial population and discusses stages of
identity development.  Covers school activities and curriculum relevant to
multiracial students.  Eye-opening article for all teachers, even those with
mostly monoracial classrooms.

7.      "LINKUS- Linking Urban Schools with Information and Support on
Special Education and Technology"
        www.edc.org/LINKUS/&pub=F:
This website covers five years of collaborative work done in the urban areas
of Boston and New York with the goal of providing the most up-to-date
information to city schools in the areas of technology and special education.

8.      "Family First"
        http://www.familyfirstusa.com
This newly-developed site is based on the premise that parents are their
children's first teachers and that education must begin in the home.  It
contains a "Family Constitution" that families can agree on and sign
together; family-safe websites; discussion groups; and lost of resources for parents and
children.

9.      "Pen Pals Classroom Exchange"
        http://www.epals.com/
This site is billed as "the world's largest classroom keypal network"
providing a source of penpals for students worldwide and is available in
English, Spanish, and French.  This site connects classrooms from 100
countries
speaking more than 100 languages, representing more than 900,000 students in
13,054 classrooms internationally.

10.     "Kids' Pen Pals"
        http://kidspenpals.miningco./com/
This site provides another source for connecting with penpals worldwide.

Outline of Research Plan

1.  Identify two school systems (one urban, one suburban or rural) that are
willing to voluntarily participate in this diversity plan.  (A specific
integrated lesson plan follows, which is developmentally appropriate for
second grade students.  This plancan be based on one to four groupings of two second-grade classes each; that is one, two, three, or four second grade classes would participate from each
school.  The lessons can be easily modified to accommodate different grade levels, but
the intent is to start such a program at the second grade, which fits into
that grade level's common curriculum theme of "communities.")

2.  Plan and carry out informational meetings for parents, teachers,
administrators and community members regarding the benefit of a voluntary
diversity plan between urban and suburban schools.

3.  Apply for federal grants to support the costs of running the program,
which include: transportation for field trips; admission fees for field trip
destinations, including museums and science centers; curriculum materials;
and art materials.
(The salaries of participating teachers are paid by the school districts
participating in the program within the general salary budget.)

4.  Community support is essential for success in this program.  Educational
programs in sensitivity training for parents and families as well as teachers
and staff may be necessary.  Parents would be welcomed as participants and as
chaperones on field trips.  Backing from the administration and Board of
Education is necessary before filing for federal grants to support the
program.

5.  A series of six joint meetings between children from both schools would
be planned and carefully orchestrated throughout the year.  The students
would first meet each other through writing and responding to "Pen Pal
Letters" and later in person.  Please see specific lesson plan that follows for actual content
of lesson which integrates language arts, social studies, art, technology,
math, science, and math skills.  An integral component for this project is
use of computers with Internet access and E-mail capabilities so that students will eventually send
Pen Pal Letters via E-mail.  Field trips to each other's schools where
academic and artistic activities take place as well as visits to sites of
local interest, including museums, will be part of the project.  Hands-on activities at all group
meetings will be emphasized, with plenty of time for socialization.

Extension of this Program Internationally
        A logical extension of a Pen Pal Program that starts locally is to
expand it globally.  When a program between neighboring communities has met
with acceptance and success among the urban and suburban communities, it is
time to further develop the program.  Soon, the students will find that they can
communicate and learn with Pen Pals from the across the country and in
different countries through E-mail just as easily as they could with Pen Pals
from neighboring communities.  Specific sites to locate appropriate Pen Pals for students at
any grade level are contained in the list of reference citations at the
beginning of this report.

Timeline
        An appropriate time period in which to prepare for this project is
essential to the success of this plan.  One year in advance of starting the
program would be necessary in order to solicit community support, provide
proper training for teachers and parents, write grant proposals, and secure necessary funding.

        A one-year pilot program is suggested between districts, followed by
an evaluation.  A decision to continue, upgrade or discontinue the program
would be made at the end of the pilot year, based on the evaluation results.

Evaluation of the Program/Next Steps
        Evaluation of the "Celebrating Diversity" plan range from the
specific and easy-to-quantify to the general and difficult-to-quantify
results.  First, a measurable way to evaluate the content of this program is
to check if the educational objectives written in the lesson plan were met by the participating students, as these are quantifiable objectives.  These objectives are definitely able
to be tested, measured and evaluated.
        Looser forms of evaluation would come from surveying students,
teachers and parents involved in the program for their comments and
statements of worth.  I would expect social values to be reinforced as well as possibly being re-formed
during the duration of the process.  I would present evaluation forms to
students, parents, teachers and administrators for feedback on the value of
the program after the pilot program had been in place for one year.
Curriculum objectives can be immediately evaluated with student outcome but "feelings" or social
acceptance of the program are harder to quantify.  If the outcome were
positive, I would apply for another year's grant from the Federal government
or seek financial support (partial if necessary) from the local school budgets involved.  I would
prepare a report on the outcome for dissemination to the communities and
provide a report to the Board of Educations involved as well as to the local
government bodies of the town/city involved.
        I would also look to share the information on the program with other
school systems through educational journals and press releases.

Sample Lesson Plans for Implementing this Plan:
 
 

                                                        Ruth W. Rose
                                                        LESSON PLAN:
                                                        "CELEBRATING
DIVERSITY"
                                                        May 7, 1999
 
 
 
 

"Celebrating Diversity
through a Penpal Program"
(A Multicultural, Interdisciplinary Approach to Language Arts/Social
Studies)

Designed for: Second Graders
(Can be modified for other grade levels)

Goals:  At the conclusion of this lesson, the student will:

1.  Have an understanding that the world is made up of many
different types of communities.

2.  Have an appreciation for the different types of people
who contribute to different communities.

3.  Be exposed to diverse literature, art, and music
representing a  multicultural world.

4.  Have the opportunity to make connections (written and
in-person) with children from another community.

5.  Have the opportunity to use current computer technology
to E-mail a letter to his/her penpal.

Objectives:     After the completion of this lesson, the student will:

1.  Have demonstrated compare/contrast skills while
identifying similarities and differences between two different communities,
both verbally and in writing.

2.  Have met, interviewed, and drawn a picture of his/her
penpal from a school in another community.

3.  Have demonstrated writing skills in writing a letter to
his/her penpal.

4.  Have participated in a group reading/discussion of How To
Be A Friend by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown.

 5.  Have worked cooperatively with his/her penpal to create a
hand-printed  T-shirt to keep as a remembrance their meeting.

6.  Have plotted his/her own community and his/her penpal's
community on a local map.

7.  Have used current computer technology to E-Mail a letter
to his/her penpal.

Materials:
Chart paper on which to write a class letter to penpals.
Paper and crayons for use in drawing portraits of penpals.
Class-composed list of questions for penpal interview (sample attached).
The book, How To Be A Friend by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown.
Any of the following books to be used as an extension of the lesson in the
Social Studies
program:
        "Arrow to the Sun (A Pueblo Indian Tale)" by Gerald McDermott;
        "Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions" by Margaret Musgrove;
        "Grandma's Latkes" by Malka Drucker;
        "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears" by Berna Aardema;
        "Crow Boy" by Taro Yashima;
        "Children of the North Lights" by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire;
        "Five Brave Explorers: Great Black Heroes" by Wade Hudson.
One white T-shirt for each student and assorted colors of fabric paints.
Access to computers with Internet connection.
Supportive teachers, administrators and parents committed to making a Penpal
Program, which includes field trips to another school district, possible.

Motivation:
        TEACHER:  "As you know, during the past two weeks, we've been learning
about the different types of communities that make up our world.  We also
wrote a letter to our new penpals in another community and we're preparing to
visit them at their school at the end of this month.  Well, today, we
received a letter from our penpals!  Let's read it together and find out
about them!"

Initiation:
        The teacher posts the large, class-written letter that she has
received from the
penpals on the board or on an easel for all to see.  S/he invites the class
to "chant read" the letter together, while she points out the words.  The
teacher then asks the children to think about what they have just read and to
look for things that are the same and things that are different about their
penpals and themselves (based on the contents of the letter.)

Content of Language Arts/Social Studies Lesson:
        The teacher then posts a copy of her/his own class's letter that the
children had
previously written to their penpals.  As a class, they read the letter
together.  The teacher then leads the class in a compare/contrast activity as
they look for similarities and differences between the children and their
schools from two different communities.
        On chart paper, the teacher writes headings for two columns SAME and
DIFFERENT.
        In searching for items that are the same and different about the two
letters, the
teacher uses questions such as the following to draw out responses from the
children:
        What is the same about our two classes?
        What is same about our two schools?
        What is different about our schools?
        What are the favorite colors of the two classes?
        What do your penpals like to do at recess?  What do you like to do?
        What is your penpals' favorite subject in school?  What is yours?
        What are the favorite books of the two classes?

        (Obviously, the two teachers participating in the Penpal Program
would have
planned in advance regarding the content of the letters so that the children
would be able to find similarities and differences about common subjects like
favorite colors, subjects, books and things to do at recess.)

        The teacher would then direct the class's attention to a map of their
state on the
wall.  S/he would point out some of the larger cities and some of the smaller
towns, calling them by name, including the two communities involved in the
penpal program.  S/he would then ask the students to locate their community
as well as their penpals' community on the map.  The teacher would ask a
child to place a "star" on each community to mark where the class lives and
where their penpals live.  Ideally, this penpal exchange would be best suited
for making connections between an urban city and a suburban or rural town, so
that all participants would have the opportunity to learn about and
experience another community.

(The second part of this Social Studies/Language Arts Lesson would take place
when the two classes of penpals meet on a joint field trip at either the
urban or the
suburban school.)

This portion of the lesson is written in the present tense, as it would be
taught:
        After greetings are exchanged, penpals are matched up in twos.  The
penpals draw a portrait of each other, which gives them a chance to be
social, talk with, and look at each other during the process.  Then, each
child interviews his/her penpal with the list of questions that his/her own
class had previously prepared (copy attached.)

        Both classes then come together as a group, and led by the two
teachers, discuss the similarities and differences among the responses to the
interview questions.

        After sharing lunch together, the teachers share in reading the
book"How To Be A Friend" to the children.  The teachers take turns in asking
the children for their ideas on what qualities make a good friend and how
they can be a good friend to their penpal.  The teachers make wall charts of
the student's responses to take back to their prospective classrooms.

Art Activity:
        With the assistance of parent helpers (it's important to get the
whole community involved!), the teachers lead the children in a culminating activity of
decorating T-shirts with the children's handprints.  Each child receives a
shirt on which they place their own and their penpal's handprints (using
fabric paint).  Adult helpers assist in writing the children's names in
fabric paint under their handprints.  Each child now has a memento of the day
to take home with him/her to share with his/her family.  These specially
decorated T-shirts can be worn on future joint field trips of the two
classes, which makes the penpal pairings easily identifiable.

Extensions:
        There are many possible extensions of this penpal program.
Individual letters can be written by each child to his/her penpal and
E-mailed on computer, if both schools are properly equipped.

        Teachers would also plan future activities that bring the two classes
together around a common curriculum theme.  These get-togethers would include writing,
reading and hands-on art and science activities.  A joint field day with gym,
music, dance and art activities and a year-end picnic could be planned which
included families of both communities.

Evaluation:
        There are lots of opportunities to evaluate this penpal program.  One
of the most obvious is observation.  Teachers will want to observe the behavior and
conduct of the children as they interact socially and work on collaborative
group projects.
        Assessments of written work samples are also performed on the basis
of the letters that the children produce; the interviews that they conduct;
and the group letters and lists that they contribute to.
        Teachers will also evaluate their students' map skills, ability to
compare/contrast,and reading comprehension by mediating during group times.