Multicultural Mobile

Multicultural Mobile lesson plan

Many cities are home to ethnically diverse people. Toronto, London, New York, Hong Kong—which city will you show in your Multicultural Mobile?

  • 1.

    Some cities and nations have a long tradition of being home to people from many different countries. The United Nations named Toronto, Canada, as the most ethnically diverse city in the world. Two thirds of its 4 million residents were born elsewhere. Think about the benefits this global diversity brings to a city!

  • 2.

    Find out about the ethnic diversity in your neighborhood, state, province—or any area in the world. Choose a symbol for the area. Here’s one way to represent ethnic diversity in a mobile.

  • 3.

    To show Toronto’s population mix, the red maple leaf of Canada’s flag works well as the center of the mobile. Choose a symbol for your selected city. With Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils, draw the symbol’s outline on thin cardboard. Cut it out with Crayola Scissors. Trace the shape on more cardboard and cut it out to make two identical shapes. Make a cut down the middle of one shape from the bottom to the middle. Cut the other from the top to the middle.

  • 4.

    Cover your art area with newspaper. Paint one side of your mobile’s central symbol with Crayola Washable Tempera and Paint Brushes. Air-dry the symbols flat. Paint the other side. Air-dry them flat.

  • 5.

    Cross the two shapes and slide them together at the cuts to create a 3-D symbol.

  • 6.

    Research the different ethnic groups living in the area you are studying. Find pictures that show the design and colors of each nation’s flag. Some countries represented in Toronto’s neighborhoods include Jamaica, Ukraine, India, China, and the Philippine

  • 7.

    Punch holes at balanced places on the center symbol. Use string to tie on your flags. <STRONG>Ask an adult </STRONG>to poke a paper clip through the top of the center symbol to make a hook. What a wonderful way to demonstrate respect for diversity.

Benefits

  • Students postulate about the advantages of living and working in diverse population centers.
  • Students explore their own neighborhood’s diversity or research that of any area being studied.
  • Students record their finding in concise format by constructing a 3-D exhibit.

Adaptations

  • A summer festival in Toronto celebrates the city’s diversity. It’s called Caravan. Ethnic groups set up pavilions featuring their customs, entertainment, food, and clothing. People purchase "passports" to visit each pavilion. Organize your own Caravan-ins
  • Throughout the year, focus on local ethnic groups for in-depth study and understanding. Invite community members to share their skills, knowledge, folktales, and life stories.
  • Survey your school for the various ethnicities represented. Make a mobile that reflects your classroom’s heritages.
  • Older students examine immigration motivators that brought people to their community.
  • The analogy of a "melting pot" was once used to describe immigrant assimilation. Arrive at and defend a more apt analogy, perhaps a cultural "stew," "tossed salad," or "supreme pizza."