Grades 2-3 - Orange Cluster

 
This year Orange Cluster’s theme is Discovering Diversity. Our yearlong curriculum is developed around the unifying concepts of cultural diversity and human similarities. These themes will tie together and thread through most of our units of study.

 

In cooperative groups, children will become cultural anthropologists and museum curators researching diverse ethnic backgrounds. Small teams of students will focus on a specific ethnic group that makes up the United States. These groups will study the experiences of either: Chinese Americans, African Americans, Irish Americans, Korean Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans, or Jewish Americans. The class will read, research and learn about several aspects of that culture. They will create projects to share what they have discovered about their cultural group. The students will also create projects based on several class discussions throughout the year about the society we live in -- the United States of America -- and how it is formed by all of the cultural groups they are studying.

The year culminates in a Grand Opening of the Orange Cluster Museum. The students become docents and discuss their projects and knowledge with visitors from the school, the students' families and the community at large. Through educating one another about the various cultures, they will help to build an atmosphere free of misunderstanding and discrimination. They will also create an appreciation for the differences and similarities between the various cultures and a respect for the multicultural community we live in.