Submitting a lesson plan
Thank you for contributing to our library. At this point, we ask that lesson plan documents are not in PDF format. We will accept other documents and will convert the lesson to PDF prior to sharing. If your lesson plan includes an online resource, we require that it is freely accessible, and we ask that online lesson plans include a low-technology or offline option. All lesson plan submissions will be reviewed using the rubric outlined below and by a team to ensure respectful representation of all communities within the library.
CUlturally responsive rubric
One of the priorities of the Diversified Curriculum Library is to provide educators with culturally responsive curricular materials. Culturally responsive curriculum is one that incorporates student’s communities, values, their history, and contexts to validate their experiences. To ensure the lesson plans in our library are considered culturally responsive, they are reviewed using a culturally responsive rubric adapted from the Culturally Responsive Curriculum Scorecard by The Education Justice Research and Organizing Collaborative (EJ-ROC). Considerations are given to the grade-level when scoring and assessing cultural responsiveness, as such, the scores are curved. There are three sections:
The representation portion of the rubric deals with visibility of members of non-dominant communities within the lesson plans and library overall. Members of these non-dominant communities should be portrayed as main characters, in the absence of stereotypes, and within their own cultures.
Social justice orientation involves the way in which history and stories are told. To be culturally responsive, there should be a focus providing multiple perspectives and discuss power dynamics. Curricular materials share sources of knowledge and experiences from non-dominant group in a way that values and affirms them. This portion of the rubric also evaluates how a lesson allows for connections to be made to the local community and/or incorporates the students’ own knowledge and family experiences.
The teacher’s materials portion of the rubric looks at how much guidance is given to teachers to be culturally responsive with the given lesson. Items in this section include how much guidance is given for a teacher to learn about their personal biases as it pertains to the subject matter. It also looks at how much guidance is given to improve the student experience. There are ways to individualize or modify the lesson for different learners. Students are encouraged to share their own experiences, contribute prior knowledge, and collaborate with family or community members.
Please note that we are accepting lesson plan submissions for all grades, but we will only be reviewing and sharing K-5 curriculum at this time. Lesson plans submitted for those grade levels not currently being reviewed will be shared at a later time.
Respectful representation of underrepresented communities
Online components are freely accessible
Correlates to Core Curriculum or MA standards
