“Teachers need to be aware that sitting in front of them are diverse learners,” Rosenberg said. “In one example in the article, we give the kids quotes they have to work with, and they have to do presentations on the quotes. That way they work with a partner who they might not have otherwise. It’s best to do this at the beginning of the year before you’re in the thick of curriculum, so you can figure out the different kids’ strengths and weaknesses.”

Dorfman said that she and Rosenberg were inspired to submit an article to Social Studies and the Young Learner because they both read the journal frequently and participated in developing a diversity curriculum for the Merrick School District.

“It was actually a great experience because we were able to share the process with our students and show them the rough drafts,” Dorfman said. “We try to teach the kids to persevere with revising their writing.”

The Merrick Board of Education awarded Dorfman and Rosenberg a certificate of recognition for their published article at the board’s March 5 meeting.