DIVERSITY IN

AMERICA

Think About This: What are your favorite foods?

What are some foods you enjoy regularly?

Do you love spaghetti?

What about bratwurst…

…or Lo Mein?

Do you enjoy eating candied yams at Thanksgiving?

Do you enjoy eating tortillas?

Are you a fan of sushi?

Do you know what Diversity Means? Diversity means being different America is diverse because it is made

up of people from many different backgrounds

Our differences are what make America special

What did all of those foods have in common? They all come from different countries

We can enjoy them all in America

Diverse Foods Food is one way that our country is

diverse

Spaghetti comes from Italy

Bratwurst comes from Germany

Lo Mein comes from China

Yams are a traditional African food

Tortillas come from Mexico

Sushi is a japanese food

YumMy! Can you see how diversity makes our

country better? What type of food would we be eating if

we didn’t have diversity in our country?

Food is a Benefit of Diversity What does “benefit” mean? To “benefit” from something means to

gain something good When we include diversity in our

country, we benefit (gain something good) because…we get to eat tasty foods. What is another way we benefit?

Clothing Clothing is another benefit of diversity Can you think of ways that clothing can

be diverse?

Japanese: This model is wearing a “kimono” dress, based on the traditional Japanese Kimonos on the left. Do you see the similarities?

Mexican These blankets are traditional Mexican

quilts. Have you seen something like this in America?

Muslim We also have diversity in religion. This Muslim American girl is wearing a

customary head scarf.

African The traditional African clothes on the

left are similar to the modern baby dress on the right

Music The music in America is very diverse We have all different musical genres:

rock, country, pop and jazz are just a few!

We also have music & musical instruments from many cultures

Italy Raise your hand if you

take (or have taken) piano lessons

Did you know that “piano” is short for “pianoforte” and that the piano is an Italian instrument?

Africa Drums are a common feature in African

music Modern genres of music like “jazz” and

“blues” are based on African music

Europe and Asia The xylophone is

an instrument that has roots in Europe and Asia

The guitar is an instrument that comes from Spain

Benefits of Diversity Can you see the benefits of having a

diverse country, full of people with different backgrounds?

What is an example of a benefit of diversity that we have not talked about?

Can you imagine what America would be like if it was not diverse?