Teaching Diversity AND Inclusion – The Egg Activity


There’s a terrific image floating around Pinterest for teaching diversity:

Teaching Diversity with Eggs; Removing the Stumbling Block

Speaks for itself, right?

Well, it got me thinking. (You’re not surprised, are you?) I found myself wondering how I might use this image to create an activity that not only teaches diversity in skin color, race or ethnicity, but also includes conversation about disability.

The Egg Activity to Teach Diversity & Inclusion

Materials:
1 small white egg
1 extra large white egg
1 brown egg
1-2 eggs (any color) with marks or “imperfections”
1-2 eggs (any color) with slight cracks (not enough to break the egg open)

Activity:
1.      Display all of the eggs.
2.    Ask students to describe the various eggs, noting similarities and differences. Be sure to highlight the following differences:
·        Size of eggs
·        Color of eggs
·        Markings
·        Cracks
3.    Direct students to guess what the eggs will look like inside.
4.    Crack each egg open in a separate bowl.
5.     Compare how, despite the exterior differences, all of the eggs are the same on the inside. Depending on students’ age; emphasize the ways we tend to underestimate people and their abilities when we judge them only by the way they look. Discuss how this might positively change the way we treat people in the future.

Variations for older students:
     1.      If your classroom has been established as a safe space, some older  
           children and/or teens may feel comfortable sharing their own challenges 
           and/or disabilities as a part of this conversation. This could be the 
           perfect opportunity to discuss such “invisible disabilities” as dyslexia, 
           processing disorders, anxiety, etc. 

Possible extension:
     1. Make a list of things that are important about you that others would 
         easily know just by looking. Make a second list of things that are 
         important about you that others would not be able to know just by 
         looking. Which list is longer? Which list feels more important? What can 
         this teach us about ourselves and other people?



Sign up here to be sure you never miss a post from Removing the Stumbling Block:

No comments:

Post a Comment

You Might Also Like:

Do not publish, curate, sell, post, or distribute all or any part of this blog's content without express permission of the author. You are invited, however, to share links to posts on your webpage, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and other social networking sites. If you are interested in republishing any Removing the Stumbling Block content on your own blog, in a newsletter, or if you wish to use any content in another educational way, please contact me. I am also available to write unique content for your specific network.