How we begin the school year shapes our students’ sense of belonging and influences their success for the months ahead. By connecting with our students and taking the time to understand them through a culturally responsive and sustaining lens, we can foster a learning environment that deeply engages and motivates them from the start.
As you prepare to kick off the school year, here are some creative and culturally responsive ways to connect with your students that we believe you’ll find meaningful:
LAYERS OF IDENTITY: SELF-PORTRAITS: This is an in-depth self-portrait drawing unit that explores the theme of identity through an ABAR perspective. This lesson provides the vocabulary and tools necessary to instill a sense of power in students to identify, critically analyze, prevent, call out, and stop injustices from occurring.
CREATING MUSICAL PLAYLISTS FOR THE CLASSROOM: Invite students to contribute to a classroom playlist with songs that are meaningful to them. This can include music from their cultural backgrounds or songs that they feel represent their identities. Discuss the significance of these songs, which helps to build a more inclusive and supportive classroom environment.
Sign up for ongoing learning by yourself or with colleagues
The Culturally Responsive Arts Education (CRAE) Workout an eight-week curated asynchronous and synchronous experience that focuses on developing the capacity of educators and administrators to think about how culturally relevant and responsive approaches can shift curriculum, instructional content, and teaching practices to more effectively represent and validate all students’ cultures and lived experiences. This opportunity is FREE. The program runs 1/20/25– 3/14/25. Register to Participate in the CRAE Workout