Sevens / Eights / Nines - Starting With Stories

SEVENS, EIGHTS, AND NINES

Developmental Markers

Establishing group identities and membership—often form groups to act within their own cultural rules and to reinforce a sense of group identity. Able to consciously code-switch between home, community, and school cultures.
Children of color are aware of racism against their own racial/cultural group. May show the negative impact of internalized racism. Third grade is when many children “psychologically” drop out of school.
See a rise in name-calling based on racial, gender, class, disability, and sexual orientation identities. Show influence of dominant cultural myths about class (being poor is the individual’s choice/fault; having money is a sign of superior abilities). However, they now have a greater capacity for empathy about the hurt name-calling causes.
Can identify and critically think about interpersonal dynamics of racism, sexism, and classism, and understand the nature and harm of stereotyping.
Can understand how individuals get their skin color.
Like to learn about the history of their own people and communities.
Role models of people active in anti-racism/social justice struggles are very important. Can engage in group activities to challenge individual and cultural forms of racism in their community.

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.
Use books and media to introduce children to people from around the country and around the world.

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 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
Note that biased behaviors such as teasing, rejection, and exclusion based on some aspect of a child’s identity are a form of aggressive behavior that is just as serious as physical aggression. Children who engage in such hurtful behaviors are learning to be bullies.
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 ideas regarding the specific situation. Provide information about the situation as appropriate. Nonfiction books can provide a factual backdrop. Fiction can help a child feel 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.]

SEVENS, EIGHTS, AND NINES

Developmental Markers

Goal #1: Identity

Goal #2: Diversity

Goal #3: Justice

Goal #4: Activism

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