Lesson Plan 7 – Our Diverse Classroom
Questioning and discussion - Students build relationships through the exploration of the diverse backgrounds and experiences of their classmates.
Aims
- To encourage students to explore the diverse backgrounds and experiences of their classmates.
- For students to engage with classmates with whom they would not usually engage.
Preparation
- Copy an activity sheet for each child in the group.
- Plan to conduct the activity in an area conducive to the children moving about freely and talking to each other (it should be fairly noisy!).
What to do
- Introduce the activity as one which will help the class learn more about each other.
- Distribute the activity sheets and go through the items to make sure everyone understands them.
- Encourage children to ask supplementary questions of their classmates to gain additional information (this is a conversational activity; not a race!).
- Give the children a timeframe for the activity, but be flexible if they continue to be engaged with each other.
- Stress that they are to aim to get a different respondent for each item, if possible.
- Monitor the children as they move around the space talking to each other.
- Share the responses in the whole group.
Extension activities
- Ask the students if any of the responses surprised them.
- Follow up in greater depth on any of the topics of particular interest to the children.
- Have the children devise their own list of questions/items.
- Visit another class to conduct the activity.
Our Diverse Classroom Activity Sheet
| Find someone who… | Name |
|---|---|
| Has travelled to New Zealand | |
| Can count to 5 in Japanese | |
| Comes from an island in the Pacific | |
| Can name 4 different styles of pasta | |
| Has a parent who was born in Asia | |
| Can say ‘hello’ in 5 different languages | |
| Knows the name of the local Indigenous people | |
| Plays a sport that originated in England | |
| Knows the main religion of Indonesia | |
| Can name the head covering worn by some Muslim women | |
| Has a grandparent born in Australia | |
| Can name 5 different herbs and spices | |
| Likes nachos, burritos and other Mexican food | |
| Knows the country in which St Patrick’s Day originated | |
| Has eaten at an Indian restaurant | |
| Can name 1 country that borders China | |
| Speaks another language at home | |
| Can name 3 different French foods | |
| Has a parent who was born in Europe | |
| Takes off their shoes before entering their home |
Adapted from a Living in Harmony Funded Project, ‘All Together Now’, Churches’ Commission on Education, WA, 1999.