[Recently/ This summer/Last month/This weekend/Over the break…], I , we participated in a profession professional learning experience with [Name the sponsoring organization or program: e.g. LUTE-STEM/Noyce-STEM/Scratch in Practice/Facing History/The Danielson Group/The New York City Writing Project/Stem4All…] at [Name the institution the organization or program is associated with: e.g. Lehman College/MIT…]. I learned a lot about [Make a list of the educational theories and practices that you were introduced to in these workshops.]The Danielson Framework Group over zoom, thanks to the LUTE-STEM program at Lehman College. We spoke about the framework and its 22 components; however, we only focused on about 8 of the components because they believe those are the most important ones that make teaching impactful.

There was a lot to think about and to consider how to apply in the classroom, and in this letter I’d like to focus on [choose one topic, theory, approach, or idea that you think is important] because [Write a few sentences to explain why you have chosen this. What makes it urgent to try out? What was your own experience in learning this? What do you want students to learn? What is it about your students that makes this particularly apt? Why do you think this will be effective?] I would like to propose these instructors get to know their students on a personal level. They can incorporate activities and readings that students can make connections to. Inviting the parents to share their experiences with children is beneficial to all of them. Reading stories like “Platanos Go with Everything” can help students learn and embrace their culture as well. Allowing children to learn through project-based learning to help it be more student friendly instead of just teacher centered will also encourage students to explore and want to learn more about their identities.

I would like to propose that we [Describe the learning activity that you want to do with the students. Write this brief overview of the task in one or two sentences. This should be an activity conducted in a school setting with one or more students. It should take between 15 and 60 minutes to complete.] To do this, we will encourage parents to take their children on field trips around their neighborhoods or if they can travel, to do so and speak of these moments. This way children learn through experiences which teachers can use included in their curriculum, so the lesson are meaningful experiences for children. A child will learn why it’s important to learn and appreciate differences instead of passively absorbing information that are being passed down from teacher to student.

To do this we will need [Make a list of the materials you will need. Your activity can be unplugged or computer/tablet based activity/task. If computer/tablet-based, indicate types of tech tools/platforms students will use. For example: Presentation Software, Voice Recording App or Web Site, Image Library, Video Recording App or Web Site.] Students who are too young to write/read can draw pictures or take pictures using their devices (if they have one) to share the meaningful moments that they have been able to experience. Such examples could be a family picture, the food they ate, the dancing that they saw, and more.

The students will be making [Be specific about the modes and media you will have available for student to use. What choices will they be able to make? What media do you expect students to use in this activity?] Here’s how we can introduce these concepts to students. We can start a conversation to assess what students know about the word “culture”. Through these means we can converse about what makes us similar or different. We can encourage our differences because that’s what makes us special and shape our identity (yes, we will also discuss identity). We can proceed by reading books that show cultural differences. The children will be tasked to bring one item from home that represents them or their culture (thank you Prof. Espinosa for this idea). During a break, we will ask parents to take their children somewhere so that they may come back with stories and share them with their peers. Based on these stories, we can create plays and include food to bring in for the children.

Here’s how I think we might introduce this activity. We could give these directions to the students:

[Write the step-by-step directions you will be giving the students. Be sure to write this section to the students: e.g. First, you should… After that, you will see that… Tell the students when they will be expected to work alone and when they will need to work with other students.] Students will be expected to think about things they believe is related to culture before sharing. Overall, this will be a group activity; that way students learn about other cultures while embracing theirs and others.

I would also propose that the students give each other feedback on their work. They could use this checklist to self-assess and to give each other feedback:

Students will be asked to elaborate about their experience, they may use these prompts:

What did you enjoy about your experience?

What would you change or do differently on your next trip?

Is there anyone who’s from the same culture, how are things different for each of you?

How are they similar?

Why are your cultures different?

This activity should take at least [add the number of minutes will take time to finish, it will take here] to complete, which should allow time for productive struggle. To encourage persistence, I think we might [Describe how you might encourage students and give them opportunities to revise and resubmit their work.]at least one week to work on collecting information. Students will also be asked to reflect on their experiences:

Why is this important to me?

Can my culture be different than my parents’?

How does this help me become a knowledgeable person?

How can I share this information with my peers?

Thank you for taking the time to consider this proposal. I hope you see how valuable this activity could be for our students. Please let me know if you have any revisions that I might consider for this activity. I look forward to working with you on this.

Kind regards,

Oscar