America's greatest asset: Diversity

 

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Task

Process

Resources

Evaluation

Standards

You have been chosen to nominate indiviuals for consideration for the new book Who's Who of American Minorities.

Make sure you do a great job with this assignment. Future generations will be learning about the individuals you nominate.

Task

You will be using the internet to research outstanding individuals of different minority backgrounds. America's past and even present history is filled with individuals that have achieved great things or have had a lasting impact on society.

Your job is to identify what qualities determine greatness in your mind, and then identify two men and two women of minority backgrounds that exhibit those qualities. Each of the individuals must be of different minority backgrounds.

Process

1. Compile a list of any 5 individuals that you admire most. Write down the qualities about those individuals that you admire. List qualities that are common to all of the individuals as well as a separate list of those that are distinct (if any). This should give you a good place to start when you begin to define greatness. For more information about what constitutes greatness visit www.kyrene.k12.AZ.US/schools/brisas/sunda/great/great.htm
2. Write one-half page on what you feel makes a person great. Describe the qualities that are most pertinent.
3. Use the internet to locate information regarding great minority individuals. We have compiled a resource page that you may find useful in your search for information.
4. Identify one great Asian-American, one great African-American, one Native-American, and one Hispanic-American that you wish to nominate for the Who’s Who of American minorities. You are to nominate two women and two men.
5. Once have you chosen the individuals you wish to nominate use the web to find as much information about those individuals as possible.
6. Using the information you find write a one page biography of each person using the last paragraph to defend your nomination
7. The final part of the project is to visit birminghampledge.org/English.asp
8. Read the pledge and then write a one page response regarding the way you felt reading the pledge.

Resources

For ideas on defining greatness, visit this website:

Images of Greatness
http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/great/great.htm

Check out the following websites to find information on famous African Americans:

African-American Contributions to Science and Industry
http://www.inventions.org/culture/science/african.html

Famous Black Americans
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/1465/blackhist1.html

The Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences.
http://www.princeton.edu/~mcbrown/display/faces.html

These websites have information on famous Native Americans:

Famous Native Americans: Photos and data sheets
http://gowest.coalliance.org/exhib/faves/famsNAintro.htm

20th Century Warriors: Native American Participation in the United States Military
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq61-1.htm

Try these websites to learn about famous Asian Americans:

Some Noteworthy Americans of Asian or Pacific Island Heritage
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/asiabio.htm

Black and white photos and very brief descriptions
http://www.a-better.com/lk18-01.htm

This website leads to information on famous Hispanic Americans:

Famous Hispanics in the World and History
http://coloquio.com/famosos/alpha.html

Check out this website to find information on various minority contributions:

Contributions of Minorities
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/presrvce/pe3lk31.htm

This website takes you to the Birmingham Pledge:

http://birminghampledge.org/English.asp

Note: These websites are intended to be used as starting points on your quest for information. Please feel free to explore further on your own.

1. Your definition of greatness must be at least one half page.You may write up to one full page if you choose.
2. You will be writing about four different individuals on why you think they should be nominated for this assignment. Therefore, you will need to write atleast one page for each individual - four pages (or more) total.
3. You are expected to use the “hamburger” sequence when you write about: “What the Birmingham Pledge Means To You”.
   This sequence consists of:

• A title
• A topic sentence or paragraph. This is an introduction to what you will be writing about.
• Two to three “meatier” paragraphs. These are to be specific and detailed in explaining what the pledge means to you and should do what your first paragraph says you are going to do.
• A concluding sentence or paragraph. This is usually restating what is in your topic sentence or paragraph.