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We are all different.

Odds are that if you are teaching English as a second language, you have pretty obvious evidence sitting right in front of you every day. And everyone in your class has probably heard that diversity is good and we need to appreciate the differences between us. It’s surprising that as many times as we hear that how prejudice and injustice can be a part of how we think - without us even realizing it. That is why it is worth taking the time to talk about social justice and diversity issues with students. The following activities are simple ways you can help your students learn to appreciate the differences they have from each other and recognize some prejudices that they might not even know they have. This is valuable for any class but particularly valuable if you teach a mainstream class with one or more EAL (English as an additional language) students or if you teach young learners. Kids notice the differences in people, and without appropriate instruction they can develop biases that they observe in others. It’s important for the EAL students in your class because they will feel different from the other members of the class, and it’s better to help your young learners understand those differences rather than make judgements based on them. In the following activities, the language is simple but the issues are real, so incorporate them whenever you can to help your class learn to not just love diversity but to live it.