Beyond Differences released its first-ever Featured Curriculum written by our National Teen Board as part of the 2022 Know Your Classmates® program. The Teen Board members who worked on this curriculum either identify as having a disability or are caregivers to a family member with a disability.
Our Teen Board produced two lesson plans and two additional resources to promote disability visibility in schools across the country. It is an amazing testament to the compassion and activism that our National Teen Board exudes.
The art lesson (Lesson 9 of Know Your Classmates®) consists of designing a Shadow Box. Alondra, a National Teen Board Member from San Rafael, Calif., thought of the idea and used a pie box as the centerpiece. Through drawing and the use of several personal artifacts, she depicted and displayed facets of her identity that are more visible to others outside the box, while also making social commentary on the very same facets of her identity inside the box that are not always apparent to others.
When explaining her rationale behind the project, she said, “I hope my Shadow Project opens the door for students to fully express their authentic selves and have conversations where they can freely and openly talk about their Blackness, Asianness, Latinx identity, their queerness, their disability, and whatever makes them unique.”
The lesson was modified to be less resource heavy and can be accessed for free by educators after registering for Know Your Classmates®.
For a preview of Alondra’s lesson, click here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHAwby2k9eA
Guest Author: Alyssa Ching
Director of National Programs
Follow Us on Social Media:
The misson of Beyond Differences® is to inspire students nationwide to end social isolation and create cultures of belonging for everyone. We envision a world where all youth are accepted, valued, and included no matter their differences. Beyond Differences® offers FREE SEL curriculum, lesson plans, and supplies’ to middle school educators all across the nation. Bring our programs to your school today!