Fives / Sixes - Starting With Stories

FIVES AND SIXES

Developmental Markers

Aware of and exploring the meaning of the several aspects of self-identity and group identities (racial, cultural, gender) and the societal messages about them. Developing an understanding of gender and racial constancy throughout life.
Interested in how people get skin color and can understand simple scientific explanations about skin color differences, such as melanin.
Showing evidence of societal messages affecting how they feel about their self-identity and/or group identity, i.e., evidence of beginnings of internalized superiority (IS) or internalized oppression (IO).
May choose to play only with children close to his/her gender and racial/cultural identities, but may also reject members of their own racial/cultural group.
May use prejudicial insults and name-calling to show anger or aggression, knowing that these terms hurt.
Enjoys exploring the similarities and differences in the home cultures of their peers.
Can identify stereotypes.
Developing critical thinking skills, and can engage in “social justice” activities on issues that directly touch them, in their classroom, school, or neighborhood.

Goal #1: Identity

Each child will demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities.

This is the starting place for all children in all settings.

Guidelines for Goal #1:

It is important to nurture each child’s individual personal identity, while also equally important to nurture social group identities (i.e., racial, cultural, gender, economic class).
It is essential to support children fully in the social identity aspects of Goal #1 before you move on to any of the other goals. As Bill Martin says in his poem “I Am Freedom’s Child”:

As I learn to like the differences in me,
I learn to like the differences in you.

Goal #2: Diversity

Each child will express comfort and joy with human diversity, accurate language for human differences, and deeply caring human connections.

Children notice and are curious about all kinds of differences among people. They also develop their own (often surprising) explanations for the differences they observe and experience.

Guidelines for Goal #2:

Strike a balance between exploring people’s similarities and differences.
Developmentally, it is best to teach children by beginning with what they already know and have experienced. Therefore, it is important to explore the many kinds of diversity present among children they know, even when they come from similar racial, cultural, economic class, and family backgrounds.
Further broaden children’s knowledge of diversity by acquainting children with groups of people who live and work in their larger community.

Goal #3: Justice

Each child will increasingly recognize unfairness, have language to describe unfairness, and understand that unfairness hurts.

Guidelines for Goal #3:

Find out what your child is thinking and feeling about people who are different from themselves. Notice their comments or body language in day-to-day situations or play.
Draw out their ideas while reading books.
Contrast inaccurate, untrue images or ideas with accurate ones. Kids often fill in gaps in their understanding with some surprising conclusions!
Encourage your child’s budding capacity for empathy and fairness.
Support critical-thinking and problem-solving, paving the way for your child to take action to make unfair things fair.

Goal #4: Activism

Each child will demonstrate empowerment and the skills to act, with others or alone, against prejudice and/or discriminatory actions.

Guidelines for Goal #4:

Help your child practice a variety of ways to act when:
- another child behaves in a biased manner toward him or her
- a child behaves in a biased manner toward another child
- unfair situations occur in the classroom or playground
- unfair situations occur in his/her community, country, or the world
Be alert for unfair practices that directly affect children’s lives. You may be the first to identify the problem, or your child may bring a problem to your attention.
Engage your child/children in dialogue about their feelings and and ideas regarding the specific situation. Provide information about the situation as appropriate. Nonfiction books can provide a factual backdrop. Fiction is great for feeling what it is like to walk in someone else’s shoes.
Consider the interests of your child. Do they care about a particular problem? What kind of actions would help them appropriately address the issue?
Plan and carry out an action to address the problem. If one action works, great! If it does not, try again with a different plan.

[Adapted from Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves by Louise Derman-Sparks, National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, D.C., 2010.]

FIVES AND SIXES

Developmental Markers

Goal #1: Identity

Goal #2: Diversity

Goal #3: Justice

Goal #4: Activism

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