
Module 2 - Session 2
CULTIVATING WELCOMING AND AFFIRMING COMMUNITIES ACROSS LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CRSE) Across Learning Environments

GETTING STARTED
OVERVIEW
Welcome to TALE Academy Module 2: CRSE Across Learning Environments!
Goal – The goal of this module is to help teachers expand their capacity for effectively utilizing CRSE across learning environments.
Module Content – This module consists of 8 sessions that support culturally responsive-sustaining education across learning environments. Each session contains a variety of content and learning activities.
Session Content – You are beginning Module 2 – Session 2: Cultivating Welcoming and Affirming Communities Across Learning Environments.
MODULE WORKBOOK
If you have not yet downloaded your personal copy of the TALE Academy Workbook for this module, do so now. See directions below. There is only one workbook for each module which contains activities for all sessions within that module.
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Step 1: Create your personal copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook.
Throughout this session, you will complete the session activities and take notes in the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook. You will have many opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills you learn using your digital workbook. When you click on the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook link, you will be prompted to make a copy of the workbook. Once you do so, your notes and your work within your workbook will be visible only to you. Please note that the workbook is fillable using Google Slides. We do not recommend printing a copy due to the length of the workbook.
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Step 2: Get familiar with the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook.
Now that you have your personal copy of the workbook, review pages 1-7 to learn about the workbook’s contents and tips for using the workbook. Don’t forget to add your name to page 1 to personalize your workbook!
Step 3: Review “Key Terms” for Session 2 in the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook.
Your last step is to review the key terms for Session 2. For every TALE Academy session, the key terms are listed at the start of each new session in the workbook. You can return to the key terms page(s) of your workbook throughout this session to add your notes.
GUIDING QUESTIONS & LEARNING OBJECTIVES
GUIDING QUESTIONS
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How does a student’s sense of belonging contribute to their ability to learn and excel academically, as well as grow socially and emotionally?
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What do I need to consider, prioritize, and/or modify as I seek to create welcoming and affirming classrooms across learning environments?
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How can I invite and empower students to play a more substantive role in creating a welcoming and affirming classroom community across learning environments?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this session, you will be able to do the following:
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Describe the four elements of welcoming and affirming environments.
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Identify specific strategies for developing a classroom environment that fosters belonging across all learning environments.
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Identify adjustments to your classroom environment that would foster greater belonging and community among students across learning environments.
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Identify learning environment practices that you will integrate into a unit to make it more welcoming and affirming for students.
ENGAGE: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
LEARN FROM OTHERS:
VOICES FROM THE FIELD
The following video highlights the reflections of New York State educators on creating welcoming and affirming communities across learning environments.
WORKBOOK
ACTIVITY
To activate your prior knowledge on the topic, please complete the following steps:
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In your copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook, complete Activity 2.2.1 – What Makes a Welcome Feel Warm?.
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If you have not already created your personal copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook, you can make a copy of the workbook.
EXPLORE: TOPIC OVERVIEW
READ, WATCH, LISTEN
Select from the learning modalities below to explore an overview of the topic for this session. You may read a magazine-style article, watch a video, or listen to a conversational podcast.
You need to select only one option: read, watch, or listen.
As you read, watch, or listen, consider pausing and reviewing the key terms for this session in your workbook. You can add your own notes, ideas for application, or definitions of the terms in your own words.

READ
Dive into our Module 2 – Session 2 READ, a magazine-style overview of the session topic with infographics and links to resources.

WATCH
Tune into our Module 2 – Session 2 WATCH, a narrated, animated video that provides an overview of the session topic.

LISTEN
Settle in for our Module 2 – Session 2 LISTEN, a conversational, podcast-style discussion among educators about the session topic.
EXPLORE: CHOICE BOARD
Select one option from the choices offered below to learn more.
You need to select only one of the choices, but you are welcome to explore all the resources!

15 Ways to Virtually Welcome Kids Back to School
Synopsis: This blog post features 15 quick and easy ways to welcome students in a virtual learning environment – however, many of these activities would work just as well in person. Most of the activities come with visuals and/or hyperlinks so that teachers can see/experiment on their own before implementing these in their classrooms.
Format: Blog
Time: 6 minutes

How to Create Belonging and Community in a Virtual World (19:30 to 27:00)
Synopsis: Representatives of Canvas LMS and NameCoach discuss how to overcome the challenges of remote learning and the isolation that often accompanies a virtual world and provide 10 strategies to improve belonging and build a community virtually. The presenters focus on three strategies: welcoming a diverse campus culture, creating cultural empathy and respect for identity, and personalizing and individualizing recognition.
Format: Video
Time: 7.5 minutes (selection), 45 minutes (entire video)

Creating a Sense of Belonging – A Critical Need for Student Engagement and Success (3:30 to 13:30)
Synopsis: This podcast features Juliana Urtubey, the 2021 National Teacher of the Year, on the significance of belonging in schools, how it relates to identity, and strategies for cultivating a sense of belonging for students and their families. She provides real-life examples of how to build social connections that drive success for students with diverse needs.
Format: Podcast
Time: 10 minutes (selection), 59 minutes (entire podcast)
ESTABLISH: REFLECTION FOR ACTION
WORKBOOK ACTIVITY
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Return to your copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook and complete Activity 2.2.2 – Affirming Community, Two Ways.
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If you have not already made your personal copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook, you can make a copy of the workbook.
EXTEND: DEEPER LEARNING
Extend your learning by engaging in a longer workbook activity and/or accessing additional resources.
This section is designed to help you begin a journey into deeper learning on the topic area.
WORKBOOK ACTIVITY
Return to your copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook and complete Activity 2.2.3 – My Plan For a Welcoming and Affirming Community. If you have not already made your personal copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook, you can make a copy of the workbook.
Time: 20 minutes
ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES
The First 5 Days of the School Year: The Key to Success
Topic: Strategies to create a warm and welcoming classroom environment with strong peer relationships and planning strategies for integrating students’ cultures into instruction
Format: Article
Time: 7 minutes
SEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook
Topic: Playbook for intentionally integrating social emotional learning (SEL) into learning through routines, practices, and procedures
Format: Gray Literature
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
15 Ways to Virtually Welcome Kids Back to School
Topic: 15 ways to welcome students in a virtual learning environment
Format: Article
Time: 7 minutes
5 Tips for Culturally Responsive Teaching in the Math Classroom
Topic: Ways in which mathematics teachers can bring real-world experience into their instructional practices as part of culturally relevant pedagogy
Format: Article
Time: 5 minutes
Topic: Strategies to support reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills for K-12
Format: Resource
Time: Varies
Online Teaching Can Be Culturally Responsive
Topic: A 5th-grade teacher’s pandemic experience meeting the needs of marginalized students in a virtual learning environment
Format: Article
Time: 6 minutes
5 Ways to Audit Your Classroom Library for Inclusion
Topic: How to inventory the books and media that students use to determine if and how a variety of cultures and identities are represented
Format: Article
Time: 7 minutes