PERSPECTIVES For A DIVERSE AMERICA

PERSPECTIVESfor a DIVERSEAMERICAA K-12 LITERACY-BASEDANTI-BIAS CURRICULUMUSER GUIDE@TOLERANCE ORGTEACHINGTOLERANCEperspectives.tolerance.org

Teaching Tolerance’s Perspectives for a Diverse Americais a literacy-based curriculum that marries anti-biascontent with the rigor of the Common Core.Students learn about themselves and othersThe text anthology reflects diverse identities and experiences.Teachers differentiateThe modular design allows for maximum flexibility.Principals improve school climateOur PD supports implementation of the Anti-bias Frameworkand other critical practices for anti-bias eductation.perspectives.tolerance.org

TEACHING TOLERANCE HAS ALWAYS provided quality anti-bias social justice lessons and teaching tools, and for years our com-munity asked for a full curriculum. The widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards offered an opportunity forTT to meet this need. Why not go beyond the Common Core and offer an option that also aligns to learning targets that reduceprejudice, promote equity and support intergroup relations?That option is Perspectives for a Diverse America. It’s housed online and it’s FREE.“I see concrete, practicalways to make everydayteaching culturally relevant.”What is Perspectives?Perspectives is a literacy-based, antibias, social justice curriculum that isaligned to the Common Core Standardsfor Language Arts and Literacy—andto the Teaching Tolerance Anti-biasFramework (ABF), a groundbreakingset of anti-bias standards. (To see theABF, turn to the back of this pamphlet.)Its Web-based modular design allows formaximum flexibility, customization anddifferentiation. Use it to plan one lessonor integrate it throughout your scopeand sequence.Begin by selecting an essentialquestion (EQ) that aligns to yourinstructional goals. Questionslike “What makes us who weare?” (Identity) and “How docommunities become diverse?”(Diversity) drive inquiry andstudent connection with content.“I love the ability to tiethe CCSS and Anti-biasFramework together.Great UBD design.”Why Perspectives?Perspectives is ideal for educators whoembrace both social justice values andbackward planning. The curricular elements are aligned to the four domainsof the ABF: Identity, Diversity, Justiceand Action. Using the anchor standardsand grade-level outcomes of the ABF forbackward planning allows you to engagea spectrum of social justice topics and cultural and social emotional competencies—critical in today’s diverse classrooms.How does Perspectives work?Perspectives is made up of four distinctcomponents. Users make selections fromeach component, and together their selections become an Integrated LearningPlan (ILP), which can be saved, printedand shared. The selection process is organized to reflect backwards design.For educators teaching in states thathave adopted the Common Core, the website offers choice, flexibility and the opportunity to infuse CCSS implementationwith social justice values. For teachers innon-Common Core states, Perspectivesstill offers a wealth of resources and aninnovative approach to that is pedagogically sophisticated but simple to use.Practice UBD by selecting performancetasks next. Write to the Sourcetasks (3-12) require students touse the central text as a source forargumentative, explanatory andnarrative writing. Do Something tasks(K-12) build civic engagement andassess progress toward anti-bias goals.ESSENTIAL QUESTION CENTRAL TEXT TASKS STRATEGIES ILPRigorous, relevant texts areat the heart of Perspectives.Select from the anthologyof short texts that meet thecomplexity demands of theCommon Core and align toABF anchor standards.Based on the EQ, the text, your selectedperformance tasks and your students’needs, select instructional strategiesfrom each phase of the learning plan.Learning plan phases align to thereading, writing, speaking and listeninggoals of the Common Core.So how will YOU use Perspectives? kPERSPECTIVES FOR A DIVERSE AMERICA // PERSPECTIVES.TOLERANCE.ORG

“The essential questions helpkeep my planning purposeful.”START PLANNING!—PILOT TEACHERI D ENTIT YWhat doyouwant yourstudentsknow an tod beable todo?DIVER S IT YDetermine yourEssential Question(EQ) based onthe Anti-biasFramework (ABF)J U STIC EH!You can eiAC TIO NOURE Y PLANVAS NING ntr priARLE mail o arehE ostRevlea iew yourrnin gplanCAEModify this ILP tomeet your diverseclassroom needs.T“This is going to make myteaching more engaging andbeneficial to my students.”—PILOT TEACHERAlRead-sie reg ou alstra y gost on ald iontlo taud keLaneST SER A LETE CTGIESPin ba ickst sru ec-2)oud Lane (KtTexthering”Explohis?t’s t“Whaand ingdCloseRea d,Criticaln ”rsta“I unde agree?but do IChoose strategiesthat challenge andengage all learners.extthe Tg todinndsonemi !”spis ratRe“Th e of thmityun ymm uir!”Co Inq talks’et“Lm,2K-AadeRIfWord“IWth know orkatme whatans!”“The tasks and strategiesare very creative andwell-explained. It’s soeasy and time-friendlyto plug them into thelearning plan.”—PILOT TEACHER

LiteratureInformationalFiltgrad er byABF e, len, thsem ,esingrow xtsbterSta ntral TCeWRITE NOWYOURither.Eivets gtsxeten thech udhi y st s into sW m w nce?do riein xpe thersw e fooWhichtengage extwsin the tude illEQ nt?Which textsmirror mystudents’identities?sSE ONCHOOVisualWhim is cysetypxtte forh est nts?b udetSelect texts that arerigorous and relevantto your school community.MultimediaeS e votica er 2abwo n d 3rdsSee annotatedABF alignmentChoose tasks thatallow all learners toshow what they know.SETA LEmD ov If SK CTo e K SSo a -2m hea ,et dhi tong.“I really like the diversityof the texts, includingvisual and multimedia.”—PILOT TEACHERBeginas a thse bo inkss ut inmgentsWriteW topr ha thb om t w e SEQest pts rit ouan wit wo ing rced h m rkte yxt?URYO EXTTTEC ALTRCE SELNDoSomeHowstu wi thinthe dent ll m gs yiintor lea puact rnin tion g?kaclk b e 1! naniTh pac ctio uto s stru yo ?t in do ssWha rgets assetat towanPERSPECTIVES FOR A DIVERSE AMERICA // PERSPECTIVES.TOLERANCE.ORG

ANTI-BIAS FRAMEWORKPerspectives follows a “backwards design” approach that begins with the Teaching Tolerance Anti-bias Framework. TheFramework (anchor standards, corresponding grade-level outcomes and school-based scenarios) is organized into four domains:Identity, Diversity, Justice and Action. Together, these domains represent a spectrum of engagement in anti-bias, multicultural and social justice education.I D ENTIT YI.1 Students will develop positive social identities based ontheir membership in multiple groups in society.I.2 Students will develop language and historical and culturalknowledge that affirms and accurately describes their membership in multiple identity groups.I.3 Students will recognize that peoples’ multiple identitiesinteract and create unique and complex individuals.DIVER S IT YD.6 Students will express comfort with people who are bothsimilar to and different from them and engage respectfully withall people.D.7 Students will develop language and knowledge to accurately describe how people (including themselves) are bothsimilar to and different from each other and others in theiridentity groups.I.4 Students will express pride, confidence and healthy selfesteem without denying the value and dignity of other people.D.8 Students will respectfully express curiosity about the history and lived experiences of others and will exchange ideasand beliefs in an open-minded way.I.5 Students will recognize traits of the dominant culture,their home culture and other cultures and understand howthey negotiate their own identity in multiple spaces.D.9 Students will respond to diversity by building empathy,respect, understanding and connection.J U STIC EJ.11 Students will be recognize stereotypes and relate to peopleas individuals rather than representatives of groups.J.12 Students will recognize unfairness on the individual level(e.g., biased speech) and injustice at the institutional or systemic level (e.g., discrimination).D.10 Students will examine diversity in social, cultural, political and historical contexts rather than in ways that are superficial or oversimplified.AC TIO NA.16 Students will express empathy when people are excludedor mistreated because of their identities and concern whenthey themselves experience bias.A.17 Students will recognize their own responsibility to standup to exclusion, prejudice and injustice.J.13 Students will analyze the harmful impact of bias andinjustice on the world, historically and today.A.18 Students will speak up with courage and respect whenthey or someone else has been hurt or wronged by bias.J.14 Students will recognize that power and privilege influence relationships on interpersonal, intergroup and institutional levels and consider how they have been affected bythose dynamics.A.19 Students will make principled decisions about when andhow to take a stand against bias and injustice in their everydaylives and will do so despite negative peer or group pressure.J.15 Students will identify figures, groups, events and a varietyof strategies and philosophies relevant to the history of socialjustice around the world.A.20 Students will plan and carry out collective action againstbias and injustice in the world and will evaluate what strategies are most effective.PERSPECTIVES FOR A DIVERSE AMERICA // PERSPECTIVES.TOLERANCE.ORG

WHAT CAN TEACHING TOLERANCE DO FOR ME?Teaching Tolerance materials support all K-12 educators striving to createbias-free learning environments.TEACHERS Our classroom activities are aligned tonational standards, making them easy to integrate intoexisting curriculum.ADMINISTRATORS Our professional developmentresources give educators the confidence to bring socialjustice into their classrooms.COUNSELORS Our school programs, best-practices guidesand award-winning film kits provide the tools to build aninclusive school climate.LIBRARIANS The book reviews in Teaching Tolerancemagazine are a great jumping off point for discussions aboutequity, diversity and social emotional compentencies.

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That option is Perspectives for a Diverse America. It’s housed online and it’s FREE. “I see concrete, practical ways to make everyday teaching culturally relevant.” What is Perspectives? Perspectives is a literacy-based, anti-bias, social justice curriculum that is aligned to the Common Core Standards for Language Arts and Literacy—and