Downloadable Activities: Cues & Representations

Activity 1: Cues of Belonging Checklist

Even small signals of inclusion can make a big difference for students who may be uncertain about their belonging in your classroom or at your school. In this activity, simply mark off the cues of belonging you already do in your classroom and use the checklist to track the new cues you try. Some of the suggested cues are a one-time event (e.g. sending home a letter on the first day of school), while others can and should be used throughout the year (e.g. making eye-contact with your students).

This activity is broken up into two sections:

• Section 1: Checklist of cues of belonging to try in your classroom.
• Section 2: Reminder that we won’t always get this right! If you notice yourself giving an ambiguous or threatening cue, stop and follow up with the student later.

Activity 2: Representing Students in your Classroom

When students see themselves or people like them represented in the classroom, it can send the message that this is a place where they are valued and recognized. This activity includes strategies for ways to represent all students in your classroom.

This activity is broken up into two sections:

• Section 1: Reflect on your students and if your students are all represented in your classroom.
• Section 2: Checklist of strategies to include all students in your classroom.

Download activities for Topic 3: Cues of Belonging