Curriculum Guide from the Children's Defense Fund

Curriculum Guide from the Children's Defense Fund

The Children's Defense Fund and the Black Community Crusade for Children, which is coordinated nationally by the Children's Defense Fund, spent five years carefully selecting and testing literary materials to develop an After-School Curriculum Guide especially appropriate for black children. The curriculum centers on books and activities aimed at helping children develop positive images of themselves and their peers, and empowering them to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.

The curriculum guide provides lesson plans for each month of the school year for three levels of children:

• Level I: Kindergarten through third grade
• Level II: grades four and five
• Level III: grades six through eight 
  

The lesson plans for each month are centered around the theme, "I Can Make a Difference In. . . ."  The sub-themes range from September's "I Can Make a Difference in My . . . SELF" to May's "I Can Make a Difference in My . . . WORLD." For every month, and for each level, there is a listing of books, a focus (for example, building self-confidence), objectives for the students to achieve, a listing of materials needed, journal writing topics, activities for the month and conflict resolution activities. 

An appendix includes other helpful information, from poetry-writing forms to tools designed to aid students' understanding, such as charts, Venn diagrams and graphic presentations of information. Additional suggested activities are also included.

A similar guide geared toward Latino children is available.

To order this curriculum, click here:

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