Multicultural Lesson Plan
Education plays an important role in bringing different people to understand and appreciate each other. According to Dora and Jasen (1999), the easiest way to enhance appreciation of our cultural diversity is through creation of awareness in children on the need for them to embrace the cultural diversity that exist in the American society. It is therefore important that teachers in formulation of the lesson plan select materials that will enable them incorporate the aspect of culture in whatever they teach the learners. This paper critically analyses two different lesson plans to establish how effective the issue of culture is handled.
SIOP lesson plan (Nocturnal VS Diurnal Animals)
The objectives of this lesson are quite in line with the education standards. In the objectives of the lesson are clear and are aimed at ensuring that at the end of the lesson, students will not only appreciate the science part of the lesson, but will also be farmiliar with new words and at the same time they will be able to construct correct sentences using the vocabularies learnt. This way, both the content and performance education standards will have been achieved.
In this lesson plan, the objectives of the lesson tally with what the learner should know and be able to do at the end of the lesson. The mastery of the lesson’s objectives is depicted from the learners’ ability to distinguish between nocturnal and diurnal animals when they are presented in form of pictures. The students’ ability to jot down facts about these animals and later read them to the class is another confirmation of mastery of the skills and knowledge.This way, the learning experiences are also shown to relate to the objectives of the lesson.
Although the lesson plan does not give a differentiated approach to teaching the ELLs, it still meets their needs. The lesson is given a practical approach which is very important when teaching this group. Understanding during the lesson can often be checked through the simple facts recorded in graphic organizers, ability to distinguish the animals and vocabulary usage.
EEI lesson plan (Cindrella Variant Project)
The objectives of this lesson are in line with education standards. The lesson aims at enabbling the students to develop analytical skills. At this level, the national education standards requires that the students be able to critically analyse texts that they come across in their studies. This lesson’s objectives therefore effectively address this expectation.
The lesson plan clearly stipulates what the students should have learnt and be able to apply at the end of the lesson (Dora & Jasen, 1999). Through own composed responses to the questions and venn diagram presentation of what the students will have learnt, it will be easy to assess their mastery of the lesson. By dividing students into smaller groups, the need for ELLs are well taken care of by this lesson plan. The aspect of culture is depicted in this lesson plan, the students read a text whose content is drawn from a foreign culture. This way, the students will be able to appreciate cultural diversity.
Advantages of SIOP lesson plan
Advantages of EEI lesson plan
1. Invoves use of teaching aids that are simplified 1.Makes use materials drawn from
for the benefit of the learners. different cultures hence enable
2.Students learn to answer simple question.
cultural appreciation.
2. Students with disabilities and
ELLs are served better.
References
Dora, P.T., & Jasen, G.M. (1999). Teaching diversity: A place to begin. Early Childhood
Today. Retrieved from http://www2.scholastic.com/ect.
