Preparation

• Ground rules must be set to ensure open and respectful discussions as well as participation from all students. You can involve students in developing these rules. Some examples of ground rules are to listen respectfully, speak from personal experience rather than generalizing, focus on ideas -- not on individuals, share your own story rather than putting someone's story down, be aware of body language and nonverbal communication so they are not disrespectful. Participation by everyone is important. The goal is understanding, not necessarily agreement.
  
  

Ice Breakers

• Games or short activities help break up tension and make everyone feel comfortable. One activity that can be used in a multicultural setting is to have each student write a short story about her name. It might include who gave the student his name and why, what is the ethnic origin of the name, does the student have any nicknames and what does she prefer to be called. Having your students share their stories helps them get to know each other and to start talking.
  
  

Introspection

• Defining what multicultural means starts with defining culture. Culture is often referred to as race or ethnicity, which it isn't. Showing the limits of this sort of conceptualization can be a major eye opener,for your students. What your students feel is important to their culture may be totally different than what you expect. Discuss one or more definitions of the term culture.
  
  After the definition activity, sort the definitions into three categories. The first of these categories can be referred to as the visible level of culture such as clothes, music and food. The second category reflects cultural values such as language, gender roles, family structure and political affiliation. The last category is more abstract, but is usually the most important in how individuals define themselves. It includes customs, religion, worldview and beliefs.
  
  

Resources

• There are many resources available for teachers. A poem called "Speaking Up for Each Other" by Martin Neimoller is an excellent resource to get students thinking about others. Developing quilt pieces that tell the world about themselves helps students to understand each other better. There are a number of books, such as "The Only Boy in Ballet Class" by Denise Gruska, "Oliver is a Sissy" by Tomie de Paola and "Under the Same Sky" by Cynthia Delilice, that are helpful resources for lower grades. The website TeachingTolerance.org has many lesson plans and kits to help teachers educate their students, along with professional development plans to educate themselves.