Kirkwood School District: Project Ideas

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Project Ideas

Diversity/Disability
Service-Learning Project Ideas

American Dream Quilt
Subjects: Language Arts/Communications, Social Studies/History, Math, Music/Arts, Family/Consumer Ed.
Grades: 9-12
Topics: Diversity/Multiculturalism, Community Building/Development, Arts
State: Massachusetts

To unite students with diverse learning styles and ethnic backgrounds in a multilevel 11th-grade English course, teachers launched the American Dream Quilt project. Their students spent two months reading, interviewing, journaling, and reflecting, before creating quilt squares that captured the essences of their heritages and served as "snapshots" of who they were at that moment in time. These squares were united to become part of a class quilt. Through the preparation, students learned how to interview family members, compose extensive journals, and assimilate and apply themes from the literature to the experiences of their own families. Different types of learners contributed to the team project. Students with strengths in specific areas — such as art, math, and public speaking — shared their skills and coached each other. The classes grew together as unified teams with the quilts as sources of group pride.

The class quilts were rotated around the town for public viewing, a testimony to the multicultural advantage of living in the community. A Quilt Breakfast, held for all juniors and their parents, became the largest celebration in the school year. The gymnasium was transformed into a museum of local heritage, its walls covered with colorful quilts. Student prepared favorite family dishes from a recipe recorded in their journals to share with peers and their family members.

Though the project was originally developed to address diversity issues within the multilevel English classes, it quickly grew in popularity, and all 11th-grade English teachers adopted it as part of their class work.

Adapted from "Community Lessons: Integrating Service-Learning Into K-12 Curriculum," 2001, Massachusetts Department of Education, Massachusetts Service Alliance, and Learn and Serve America. Used with permission of Massachusetts Department of Education, www.doe.mass.edu/csl, (781) 338-3000.

Understanding War
Subjects: Social Studies/History, Language Arts/Communications, Family/Consumer Ed.
Grades: 6-8, 9-12
Topics: Intergenerational, Human Rights, Diversity/Multiculturalism
State: Massachusetts

Many students have inaccurate perceptions of war and violence. An eighth-grade classroom discussion of why countries go to war elicited some disturbing responses: Some students wanted to know what it would be like to kill another human being; others thought going to war would be "cool." Students needed help understanding the harsh realities of war. Teachers designed an interdisciplinary unit on war that combined history lessons on the Holocaust with the study of relevant literature. The language arts teacher exposed students to a variety of perspectives on war and violence, including Myron Levoy's "Alan and Naomi," Elie Weisel's "Night," Todd Strasser's "The Wave," and "Diary of Anne Frank." Still, making a historical treatment of war meaningful to eighth graders remained problematic

Through brainstorming sessions, students decided that interviewing veterans would be the best and most accurate way to learn about war. They paired with volunteers from a local VWF post and interviewed World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans on two occasions. The veterans returned to the school for a third session to share war memorabilia, medals, and pictures. The students wrote histories and poems of appreciation, and worked with the veterans to design and create a quilt symbolizing the connection between war and peace.

The project brought young and old together to share the past and present. The veterans reported feeling appreciated, valued, and honored that eighth graders took an interest in their lives, and have continued to visit the classrooms, becoming an integral part of the curriculum.

Although this project was designed to help students form a more accurate picture of violence and war, the veterans learned as much from their interviewers as the students learned from them. After the project's completion, the veterans hosted a dinner to honor all participants and their families. The quilt was displayed, and students read their poems of appreciation and shared reflections. Each veteran received a program book featuring the students' works.

A Virtual Tour
Subjects: Language Arts/Communications, Technology/Industrial Arts, Foreign/Sign Language, Social Studies/History
Grades: 6-8, 9-12, Higher Education
Topics: Diversity/Multiculturalism, Community Building/Development
State: Minnesota

Youths created a school-orientation video that prospective students and their parents could view at home. To prepare for the project, they took classes covering data collection and organization, interviewing, filming, editing, narrating, and graphic design. They planned and produced a video that gives families a glimpse into the day-to-day school routine, including its curriculum and policies. The video is narrated in English, Hmong, Somali, and Spanish, ensuring that it serves the entire school community, including English Language Learners and their families.

Books for Children
Subjects: Language Arts/Communications, Foreign/Sign Language, Music/Arts
Grades: 3-5, 6-8
Topics: Arts, Diversity/Multiculturalism, Literacy
State: Minnesota

Students in a town with a Central American sister city wanted to learn more about their counterparts. A volunteer from the Sister City Project spoke to the class, showing slides of the Central American community. When the speaker told the students about "Libros para Ninos" (Books for Children), a program providing books for Central American children, the students decided to make and donate handcrafted books. The youths studied simple Spanish vocabulary to write the books, and wrote essays about themselves to accompany the donation.

Throughout the semester, students evaluated the project via class discussions. The teachers and the students graded the books based on language content and creativity. The youths shared the completed books with each other and with visitors from the state's Department of Education. At the project's close, the books were sent to preschoolers in the sister city.

Neighborhood Heroes
Subjects: Language Arts/Communications, Music/Arts, Social Studies/History
Grades: 3-5, 6-8
Topics: Diversity/Multiculturalism, Intergenerational, Community Building/Development
State: Minnesota

Students wanted to honor the local heroes who had a positive impact on the community. To prepare, the youths took a bus tour of their ethnically diverse neighborhood, heard folk stories retold by local residents, and wrote their own stories. The students then interviewed local heroes and compiled those interviews into a book. They honored the local heroes at an awards banquet and gave readings of the book at their school. The book was then donated to a local resource center.

To reflect on their work, each student wrote both an essay on why we need heroes and also an evaluation of the project. The class celebrated their success with a gathering that included community-building activities and food from their cultural heritages.

Family Bookworks
Subjects: Language Arts/Communications, Music/Arts, Social Studies/History
Grades: Special Education, Prekindergarten-2
Topics: Arts, Literacy, Diversity/Multiculturalism, Intergenerational
State: Minnesota

In partnership with a local book center, students created books recording family stories and traditions. Artists trained the teachers in bookmaking, allowing them to guide their students through the process. Each student wrote a personal narrative. The families then joined their children at the book center, where they constructed and decorated the books together. The books were displayed publicly at a local department store. The second graders also read their books to the kindergarten students, and hosted an event where the stories were read for all of the families. At the end of the school year, students were given the option of donating their books to the second grade library.

This project also had a number of related activities: Families were invited to the school to participate in a folklore event with a local storyteller. At the event, the families wrote and designed books of their favorite folktales from their cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and shared their work at the end of the day. A paper artist also worked with students to help them create and design their own symbol of peace using handmade paper. The symbols were then assembled into a beautiful hanging mosaic at a peace prize festival and the school's peace site dedication.

The Honduras Project
Subjects: Language Arts/Communications, Social Studies/History, Math, Foreign/Sign Language, Business
Grades: 3-5, 6-8
Topics: Literacy, Poverty/Hunger, Diversity/Multiculturalism
State: Wisconsin

After learning that schools in Honduras lacked books, elementary students launched The Honduras Project. They wrote letters in Spanish to their peers in Honduras, raised money, and charted the progress of their fundraising. The students raised $1,000, which they used to provide books for the Honduran students. Through the process, they enhanced their skills in math, reading, Spanish, art, geography, and design.

Cooking Club
Subjects: Language Arts/Communications, Math, Health/Physical Ed., Family/Consumer Ed.
Grades: Special Education, 3-5, 6-8
Topics: Mentoring/Tutoring, Diversity/Multiculturalism, Health and Safety
State: Minnesota

Special-needs students chose nondisabled peer buddies to assist them in mastering the skills necessary to shop for groceries and prepare a nutritious meal. The special-education students began by practicing their ability to read labels and recipes, along with the math skills to make change for food purchases. As a group, they chose an ethnic theme and searched for appropriate recipes. They planned the meal, made a grocery list, and purchased the ingredients. The students prepared the food and served it at a multicultural celebration, where visitors from a local senior center were guests of honor. In the process, students began to rely on each other, instead of adults, for assistance with making decisions. Through ethnic foods and customs, the students shared their knowledge of other cultures with the guests. The special education students increased their reading, math, and communication skills, and improved their ability to develop peer relationships with nondisabled students. The nondisabled students increased their awareness and acceptance of students with disabilities.

Diversity Mural - Students learn about diversity in their community, state, nation, etc. They then create a mural for a wall of the school reflecting the diversity of their school community.

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