What about Ethnicity and Race?

Social contracts can be beneficial to incorporate into the classroom at the beginning of the school year. They establish a foundation of what is acceptable within the course of the year. The two main questions to focus on when constructing the contract are: How will we treat each other (in respect to race and ethnicity during our class)? and How will we resolve conflict that may arise regarding cultural taboos and prejudice?

A fantastic website was introduced called UnderstandingRace.org. This website was produced as a project of the American Anthropological Association. It is a wealth of information about race, including the history of race since the 1600's, the genetics behind race, and personal accounts of race. I explored it a little further after class and found a section of the site created specifically for kids. There are games, quizzes, and movies. It would be very interesting to incorporate these activities into a computer center in the classroom.

In the following video, the California Science Center in Los Angeles interviews visitors to the exhibit they held on race. I thought that the assumptions and beliefs on races by the individuals was very interesting.