Woke Kindergarten

I believe that a huge part of the social justice work we do in Kindergarten revolves around affirming our students. We must give them every opportunity we can to see themselves, to love themselves and to value themselves, especially in a world wrought with prejudice and racism. Self-love is the best love! . . . #representationmatters #selflove #kindergarten #earlychildhood #earlychildhoodeducation #earlylearning #socialjustice #affirming #wokekindergarten . . 📷 @uhkiea

To test the effects of segregation, discrimination and prejudice on Black children, psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark conducted, "The Doll Test", a test in which 2 identical dolls (one white, one black) were presented to children who were asked to choose which they preferred and to give reasons why. The results were troubling. The majority of children chose the white doll and attributed many more positive characteristics to this doll compared to the Black doll. That was in the 1940s. Let's fast forward to how these internalized biases manifest in the Kindergarten classroom. Kindergartners are often tasked with illustrating themselves and others. If you pay attention, you may notice that many Black and Brown children draw and color themselves shades lighter than how their skin tones actually present. These types of biases are easily overlooked, but shouldn't be. REPRESENTATION MATTERS. Students must be able to see themselves in your classroom (and at home too)! By purchasing and using skin tone colored pencils, you can ensure that every child is able to see themselves and others through an authentic lens. These pencils must be introduced thoughtfully, as a means of guided discovery. 1. Introduce them, name them and give them purpose by talking about why we use them and why it's important. Naming is vital because it fosters ownership, love, and celebration of every child's skin tones. You will start to hear your kids talking about themselves as "mahogany" or "ebony" and helping their friends discover that they are "cinnamon" or "fawn". 2. Model the experimentation. Show children how to compare the shades of the pencils to the shade of their own skin by looking at their hands or arms and the pencils side by side. 3. Give students the opportunity to make a classroom palette of colors by comparing the shades to a friend's skin tone, and scribbling that shade on a piece of card stock next to their friend's name or initial. To purchase: http://m.lakeshorelearning.com/h5/pdp?href=%2Fproduct%2FproductDetBySkuCode.jsp?product_code%3DLC386

Art has always been a means of pedagogical invitation, especially in progressive spaces and in the Kindergarten classroom, art takes on an entire world of its own. But renowned artistic masterpieces, like this work "Bang" from Kerry James Marshall, are also powerfully engaging tools to use for the woke Kindergarten learner and using this piece is a powerful, intentional and evocative way to incorporate social justice oriented and culturally relevant instruction into the classroom. There are a few ways to utilize this work and works like it: 1. As a mirror. Simply print it out and hang it up in your classroom, or show it on a doc cam if you have a SmartBoard (with intentionality). This piece in particular is a powerful lens through which students can see themselves and/or their peers. It is evocative, in that it gives children space to relate, while making connections to various aspects of the art. 2. As an entry-point to making inferences. (This is one of my favorite ways to use this piece, and others). In the new Kindergarten classroom, making inferences is a vital part of the Common Core. Students must be able to know what it means to infer and how to infer. Using artistic works intentionally, such as piece, give kids the opportunity to think critically about and make connections to all aspects of text. If you have not already introduced the concept of making inferences, you can do so by incorporating this piece into a mini lesson. I sometimes like to use works of art in place of books. It exposes and broadens children's perspectives on what it means to make meaning. 1. Ask students to share and discuss what they observe in the painting. Make sure they respond using language like, "I notice." 2. Ask students to consider what they already know about whatever it is that they noticed. For example, if a student says they notice that there's a grill, extend their noticing by asking what they already know about grills and grilling. This gives you a sense of the amount and types of (if any) background knowledge they possess. This is important to note, because it will help inform the content you decide to teach, as well as give you the opportunity to tie the skill of inferring together for the child once they share. Really encourage students to study all parts of the painting, including the words. If you plan to use this painting (or another) as a tool, be sure to give background on the artist, and who he/she/they are. In this case, it is important that children know his name and know that he is Black. Part of incorporating social justice into your classroom means naming, exposing and ensuring representation. This kind of thoughtfulness precedes the work itself, but it is a vital part of setting the tone. It is not necessary that kids understand the meaning of this piece, rather, it matters that they are exposed to it; that they know a Black artist painted it; that they consider what they noticed about it and why those things exist or were used. Any level of further understanding is dependent upon what experiences/knowledge of history and of the world at large that your students already bring to the classroom with them. Responses and discussion will vary from city to city, classroom to classroom. The idea here is that socially and politically conscious artistic works can be incorporated into your pedagogy in very intentional and resourceful ways. If you already use certain curricula that requires a book for a mini lesson, consider substituting with a provocative piece of art! I recommend using works like this later in the year, once their language and word-reading skills have improved. Work: "Bang" (1994) Artist: Kerry James Marshall