Teaching-Learning Strategies:
 listening, students should consider the stereotypes that they may unknowingly have. |
Task One: Stereotypes: How do We Judge Others?
Students will brainstorm and record their initial reactions to various words that are posted around the room. This activity, known as Carousel Brainstorming, allows students to get up and move around the classroom while working with their classmates. Depending on your class, you could also brainstorm on the board as a class or have the students brainstorm individually in their books.
 A Carousel brainstorm allows students to collectively brainstorm in a small group, while moving around the class and feeding off of other students' ideas.
Generate a list of words (ex: nurse, teacher, drug dealer, drug addict, police officer, gang member, criminal, etc.) and write each of the words on the top of a sheet of plain white paper (17 1/2 x 14) and post each sheet in a different part of the classroom prior to the students coming into the classroom.
You may want to put the sheet facing the wall so that the students cannot read the word prior to the beginning of the lesson.
As you get closer to the last group for each sheet, you may want to give them an even shorter amount of time because many of the answers will already have been written down.
The following website sets up the activity using a step by step process. There are some helpful hints that follow, which may help you to set up the activity more efficiently. http://www.newton.mec.edu/Franklin/Challenge/carousel_brainstorming.html,
Following the above activity, you may want to use the following questions to bring the class back together and discuss their initial reaction.
POSSIBLE GUIDED DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
a.) Why did the students write a particular word?
b.) Are these answers necessarily always the case?
c.) Do we stereotype particular occupations or situations?
d.) What have you experienced to lead you to this particular word?
e.) Can anyone think of a situation where this particular word would not be the case?
For example, many students would have their idea of who a drug dealer would be, but many of them would never picture a white-collared business man as a drug dealer. This activity allows students to see that there are many cases where we will judge an individual based on how he or she looks rather than finding out the person's story.
 listening, have students fill out the characterization chart and begin thinking about the effects that stereotypes can have on others. |
Task Two: The Judgment of Others: What Do We Do?
Choose one or two of the following pieces of text and look at how individuals judge others and how they choose to act upon those initial judgments.
The use of both marked selections works well in order to help students compare the types of judgment that may occur and how different individuals may react to a situation.
Possible Selections:
 "Our Corner" (J. Shui, China - Tapestries)
"Man With A Camera" (E. Alfon, Philippines - Tapestries)
"A Room of One's Own" (V. Woolf, England - Literature and Language Arts: England and World)
Once the students are finished listening, have them answer the questions provided on the student version of this page or use this after listening/reading/viewing guide to help students understand and analyze what they have heard.
You may lead a discussion with the students based on their answers. It is important to note with the students that non-fiction is only one person's version of an event. As the students are discussing their reactions to what they have heard, challenge them to consider whether the author has the ability to colour our opinion through writing. For example, ask students how the description might have been different if it had been told by another person who was involved.
Task Three: Acting It Out!
Have the students follow these steps to complete the role play activity: 1. Have students brainstorm, individually, an example of a time that they have either experienced or witnessed an incident where stereotyping was involved.
2. Separate students into groups of three or four and have them write a script of one incident that they would like to act out in class. Have each student assume a role.
3. Groups will act out their scenarios in front of the class.
You may want to have the students write a quick summary of each role play scenario to see if they are able to identify the stereotype that is shown or simply discuss the scenario as a class after each group has performed.
4. Following the group's performance, students will explain how the scenario could have been changed so that a positive situation would have been displayed rather than a stereotypical situation.
Students may choose one of the people in the role play and describe how that particular person made a bad decision and acted upon their initial thought. In terms of making it a positive situation, the group would supply an alternative situation where that particular person would have made a better decision.
5. Students may be evaluated using the role play evaluation sheet.
This is a great way for students to experiment with the concepts that they have just learned and act out situations they are familiar with because they have experienced them or witnessed them personally. It helps students to see the choices that they may be faced with in a particular situation and how they don't always have to do what others may expect.
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