6-B's current discovery unit celebrates Black History Month.  Today we read the story, "The Skin You Live In" written by Michael Tyler and illustrated by David Lee Csicsko.  I love the vibrant, engaging illustrations in the story paired with the positive, cheerful look it takes on diversity.  Below see a small excerpt from the story:

This story allowed us to revisit age appropriate topics regarding diversity.  We discussed human skin and enjoyed a fun kinesthetic experience.  We felt our skin and described it to one another.  Did you know that our skin feels different in different areas? Ask your child to describe how their forearm feels compared to their elbow.  We also felt our skin with our eyes closed.  I asked the class if you could tell the color of someones skin by the way that it feels.  The answer is no! Our skin is actually quite similar in many ways.  Drawing on our prior knowledge from celebrating MLK day we had a wonderful discussion about how everyone should be treated equally. Afterwards I introduced our new poem to the class. It is prominently featured on our white wall written in marker. After practicing, a few 6-B students asked me to place it on the blog so that they can share the poem with you at home. Please feel free to read this poem with your child:

Unity Poem
I have a dream, said Martin Luther King 
We're gonna make that dream come true.
Let freedom ring, said Martin Luther King, 
It's up to me and you.
It's not the color of your hair,
It's not the color of your skin, 
It doesn't matter what you wear, 
It's the character within.

The Months of the Year Macarena!

Watch above as we learn the months of the year by singing and dancing to the tune of the Macarena!  The mathematicians have done a fabulous job learning this skill!

In 1947, Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play Major League baseball.  To prepare for our discussion on Jackie Robinson, we read the story "The Bat Boy & His Violin" by Gavin Curtis.  This allowed us to explore the idea of segregation in an age appropriate manner.

We then moved onto discuss Jackie Robinson playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Not only was Jackie the first African American to play Major League baseball but he was also named Rookie of the Year! Two years later he was honored by being named the National League's Most Valuable Player.  Robinson went on to be the first African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Jackie Robinson was not only a great baseball player, but also an important person in American history.

6-B enjoyed learning about the first African American woman in space today. The video above taught us many interesting facts about Dr. Mae Jemison.  We were inspired to learn that Dr. Jemison followed her dreams and was not only a doctor, but also a dancer, an astronaut and a chemical engineer.
We completed a portfolio page, and loved learning about such an inspiring woman.

Valentines Day Celebrations in 6-B

We had a class card exchange!

A class party!

Even a special Valentine's activity with our fifth grade buddies!