Developmentally Speaking

Two-and three-year-olds By age three, many children are able to differentiate between colors and shapes and may notice skin, eye, and hair color. Some children may show discomfort around someone whose skin color is different from their own or someone who is physically challenged. With repeated experiences and with adult encouragement and support, young children can learn to feel more comfortable with people who are different from them.

Four-year-olds At this age, children are increasingly interested in how they are similar to and different from other children. They begin to see themselves as part of their family and ethnic group and start to classify people by physical characteristics, asking questions about the differences and similarities they notice. This sorting is normal, and it is not an indication of bias.

Five-year-olds This is a time when many children become very aware of gender, racial, ethnic, and other differences and similarities among people. They are curious about such characteristics as socioeconomic class and age, how other families live, and differences in family routines and composition.

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  The Teacher Store

  Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan Like many girls her age in India, 13-year-old Koly is wed to a stranger whom her parents have chosen. In the wake of her marriage, however, Koly's life takes an unexpected turn, and she finds herself alone in a strange city of white-sari-clad widows. Her only choice seems to be to shed her name and her future and join the hopeless hordes who chant for food. "An insightful, beautifully written, culturally illuminating tale"-Booklist. $4.95 Paperback Book | Grades 6-9

  
  Homeless Bird
  Grades 6-9 $4.95
  
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  Scholastic First Biographies: Let's Read About... Ruby Bridges by Ruby Bridges and Cornelius Van Wright Young readers will find themselves engrossed in history, as they see and read about the important figures of our time in this series of beginning biographies. Full-color depictions of place and events, and straight-forward text, will bring children to an understanding of the past people and events that have shaped our present. Brave Ruby Bridges was the first African American student at this all-white elementary school, and challenged racism with her presence there. $3.99 Paperback Book | Grades K-2

  
  Scholastic First Biographies: Let's Read About... Ruby Bridges
  Grades K-2 $3.99
  

Teaching "Diversity": A Place to Begin
Early childhood experts Dora Pulido-Tobiassen and Janet Gonzalez-Mena share tips on teaching diversity in the classroom.

Staff Workshop Teacher Handout: Helping Children Develop a Sense of Identity
ECT Staff Workshop teacher handout focusing on diversity and racial identity in the lives of children.

Staff Workshop Topic: Exploring Identity
Instructions for workshop leaders on the topic of identity, and the importance of fostering a positive one, by Carol Seefeldt Ph.D. For more information and to view the workshop Teache Handout, click the link "Helping Children Develop a Sense of Identity".