addresses such topics as discrimination,
hate crimes, genocide, and the holocaust—with the 8th grade content standards in U.S. history. We ask the
students to identify recurring themes
from history through the lens of Daniel’s
Story and themes from current times
through the lens of The Misfits. This
integration of literature, history, and
real-life issues makes the curriculum
more relevant to students.
Speakers from Diverse Cultures
Our state content standards require that
6th grade students study ancient civilizations and their religions, such as
Buddhism. Lessons on ancient civilizations, however, frequently don’t connect
with students because they are just
concept of pi, we had a pi party. We
took students outside to participate in
various stations—pi charts, pi survey,
estimating pi from the area of a circle,
measuring items in circular shapes using
yarn and rulers, and creating a colorful
pi chain. Because classes at CCMS are
cotaught, teachers were able to actively
engage students using a variety of
coteaching approaches (Murawski,
2009). For example, one teacher gave
oral directions for how students should
rotate through the stations, and the
other teacher wrote the guidelines on
the board, providing visual support for
those who needed it. At the end,
students and teachers came back
together for the culminating activity, the
pi party (with real pies, of course).
Lunch clubs help students engage in positive
and activities that teach problem
solving, emotion management, impulse
control, and empathy. The program
does not talk down to students or tell
them what they should do; instead, it
teaches students to make smart
choices and react positively to negative
situations.
Teachers receive training to implement the program proactively. They
discuss the Second Step program at
weekly faculty meetings, deciding
together what chapters are important to
tackle and sharing innovative ways to
introduce certain topics to students.
When issues like alcohol use arise on
campus, teachers can immediately jump
to that aspect of the curriculum and also
increase the lessons to more than once a
week. The focus of the program is on
prevention, enabling us to address
possible problems before they occur.
friendships in a structured environment.
that—ancient. After discussing how to
engage students while infusing a focus
on diversity, teachers contacted a local
Buddhist temple and invited the monks
to visit the school. Students were
equally fascinated by the monks’
informative presentation on Buddhism
and their bright orange robes and
shaven heads. These guest speakers
made history come alive; they not only
motivated students to learn about an
ancient civilization, but also taught
them more about respecting those who
are different from themselves.
Video Discussion
In their home teams, all students viewed
and discussed the film Let’s Get Real, a
documentary in which “actual middle
school youth—not adults or actors—
speak candidly and from the heart about
their varied and often painful experiences with name-calling and bullying”
( www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/book
link/record/ 2274.html). Because the
film includes strong language and difficult situations, a group of parents
previewed a copy before it was shown
and provided feedback.
Outdoor Activities
Although structure is key in any
secondary classroom, at some point
routine may become boring. Once
again, teachers collaborated to find a
way to make content (in this case,
math) more interesting. This time, field
activities were the solution. For
instance, to teach and reinforce the
Violence Prevention Curriculum
We have implemented Second Step, a
schoolwide, research-based violence
prevention program developed by the
nonprofit Committee for Children
( www.cfchildren.org). This ongoing
program, conducted for 20 minutes
once a week in students’ home teams
throughout the year, provides lessons
Interpersonal Strategies
Involving Faculty and Staff
To achieve a positive school culture,
staff members must be on board and
able to accept diversity and model tolerance themselves. Teachers and paraprofessionals at CCMS participate in
ongoing professional development
through SafeSchools (http://safeschools
.com), an online safety training and
tracking system designed specifically for
school employees. Courses cover such
topics as bullying, sexual harassment,
child abuse, and playground supervision.
Another valuable resource is the
professional development section of the
Teaching Tolerance Web site
( www.tolerance.org). In addition,
professors from our affiliated university
have provided us with information and
strategies related to motivation, collaboration, and positive behavior support.
Involving Families and Students
The support of parents is key in any
school, but especially in a school dedicated to creating a positive culture. We
