Education week 3 assignment

ECD 336 Week 3 Assessing Classroom Materials for Diversity

Directions: Use the checklist below to evaluate a classroom environment. Pick three sections to assess in your observation. You do NOT need to address all sections.

Things to look for in your classroom observation Observed Not Observed

Observation Notes

Section 1: Dramatic play materials that support …

The home lives of children, families, and staff in the program

Diversity of gender roles

Diversity of cultures in your community, city, and state (supplementing the diversity of children, staff, and families in the program)

Economic class diversity

Accessibility and diverse abilities

A variety of ways to care for a family, cook and eat, keep house, play, and so on

Section 2: Manipulatives that reflect …

Diversity in racial identity, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, and occupation (for all manipulatives, including puzzles, memory games, reading and number literacy games, and other small toys)

Diversity of skin tones, body shapes and sizes, physical abilities, clothing, and ages for play figures of people

Accurate depictions of people in terms of current life in the United States, avoiding stereotypes of all kinds

Section 3: Language: Every day the staff support …

The languages that children, families, and staff speak through songs, labels and signs, stories, and interactions among children and with adults

The ongoing development of children’s home languages and the development of English language skills

Regular opportunities to engage with American Sign Language and braille

Children’s different communication styles, giving everyone equal opportunity to voice their ideas and feelings

Section 4: Art materials are regularly available, including …

A range of skin tone paper, paint, crayons, markers, and playdough

Mirrors for children to reflect on their own physical features

Collage materials with images of diverse people and cultures

Items meant for individual and for group art activities

Section 5: Dolls (purchased and homemade) that represent …

A fair balance of the physical characteristics of children, staff, and families in the program and in the community

Diversity in the United States beyond what is represented in the classroom

A fair balance of males and females, and also some anatomically correct dolls

People with different kinds of disabilities (along with a range of doll-size equipment that supports people with disabilities)

A variety of types of clothing (e.g., not gender stereotyped; not just dominant culture styles)

Section 6: Children’s books that contain accurate, non-stereotypical depictions of …

Physical characteristics and lives of the children, families, and staff in the program

Different languages, especially those spoken by children, families, and staff in the program and in the community

Diversity of gender roles, racial and cultural backgrounds, and abilities

A range of occupations and income levels (that support and supplement the diversity present in the program)

Many different family structures, so there are no token books of any particular type of family

Section 7: Books that …

Present accurate images and information, with no overt or covert stereotypes

Challenge unfairness and prejudice

Encourage children to take action when faced with unfairness toward themselves or others

Section 8: Posters, signs, photographs, puzzles, and games that authentically reflect …

All aspects of identity of the children, families, and staff in the program (e.g., economic class; aspects of physical appearance such as skin color, hair texture, eye color, and body size; physical abilities; language)

Children and families from the racial and ethnic groups in your community, city, and state

Diversity in families: single parents, extended families, LGBTQ families, interracial and multiethnic families, adoptive families, etc.

Elderly people of various backgrounds doing different types of activities

A balanced ratio of images depicting women and men doing jobs in the home and outside the home, and all different kinds of work (e.g., doctor, teacher, factory worker, truck driver, chef, firefighter, artist)

People of various backgrounds with different abilities and disabilities with their families and working. People with disabilities as active and independent

Creativity of artists of diverse backgrounds and cultures (e.g., paintings, drawings, sculptures, weavings)

Images of influential people, both past and present, including people who participate(d) in important struggles for social justice

Balance and variety, so that there are no token images of any particular group