Middle School Diversity

Students will:

identify similarities and differences among each other with regard to

physical/social differences, attitudes, abilities, likes, dislikes, etc.
identify reasons people dislike others based on a personal injury or a
prejudice.
examine prejudicial situations in literature, tv, music, fairy tales, movies,
historical and present times, and identify positive strategies which employ
character traits such as kindness, courage, respect, and tolerance.
become aware of how body language can communicate hostility and rejection
or a more positive message. They also will understand how their choice of
attitude expressed through body language and words affects the responses of
others.
create and perform everyday scenes which portray peer rejection. They will
determine alternative positive outcomes based on respect, tolerance, and
kindness.

Materials/resources:

personal survey
chart paper
activity cards

Optional:

pencil and paper

Intolerance, a film by D. W. Griffiths
Diary of Anne Frank
8th grade literature text
additional attachments found in the Supplemental section

Pre-activities Personal survey:

The teacher will introduce the lesson by explaining that in the next few sessions,
differences and diversity will be explored. To understand their current perspectives
on differences, students will complete a personal survey to be repeated at the end
of the unit. These pre- and post surveys will reflect attitudinal changes.

Activities:

Activity 1: Up and down

1) Tell the class that we will be discussing ways we are similar and different. To
identify these ways, we will play a game, Up and Down. Students will stand up if a
statement is true for them.

2) Discuss with the class such questions as:

Was anyone surprised by the results?

Did you learn anything about your class?

3) Discussion will conclude with the concepts that we are alike and different from
each other. Differences can lead to disagreements. Everyone has choices how to
handle differences and disagreements.

Activity 2: Whats your bias?

1) Divide the class into small groups. Give each group chart paper and one marker.
Select a timekeeper and a recorder to write down results. The group will brainstorm
a list of why they might not like someone. Establish the rule beforehand to use no
names; simply state the reasons. These might include name-calling, new student,
nothing in common, irritating habits, etc.

2) Teacher puts two sheets of chart paper on board. As each group shares their bias
list, the teacher selects legitimate reasons for disliking someone,(i.e. a personal
injury or insult) and writes those on one sheet. On the other sheet, reasons based
on prejudice (e.g. group labeling, irrationality, etc.) are written. After modeling this
technique, the class will understand how to place their items on the appropriate
sheet as the teacher asks for them.

3) Teacher will introduce the concept of prejudice and ask students to give their own
definitions, which are then listed on the board. This might include labeling a group,
stereotypes, jokes, slurs, negative body language, ignoring someone, etc. Teacher
then shares a dictionary definition of prejudice.

4)The teacher, wearing a large brimmed hat as a prop, if possible, leads the class
discussion to recognize that prejudice is like putting on a huge hat. The hat blocks
the vision of the wearer who only sees the big hat. The hat represents prejudice
blocking ones vision to see others as they really are. Prejudice has always been
present in the world and challenges us to practice ways to show acceptance of
differences.

5) Other questions to discuss might include:

Why do people sometimes show prejudice toward a group of people? (learned

at home, follow the crowd, etc.)
Why is it important to discuss prejudice?

Activity 3: Activity cards

1) Review the concept of prejudice from Activity 2. Divide the class into small
groups. Prepare each card with a different topic using characters from the following:
movies (Shrek [physical appearance], The Hunchback of Notre Dame [disabilities],
Aladdin [social class], Mulan [gender] or student choice), fairy tales (Cinderella,
Tortoise and the Hare, etc.), music, TV (cartoons, sitcoms, etc.), historical times (the
Holocaust, Native Americans, etc.), the present (school violence at Columbine, new
students, new minority populations in a community, etc.).

2) Give each group a card. Each group will identify a character from their topic and
brainstorm all the ways that the character was put down or discriminated against.
They should identify personal injury or prejudice for each situation and how it was
handled by the character.

3)Whole class discussion might include categorizing the prejudices noted on the
cards such as position in the family (Cinderella), handicap (tortoise), racial
(integration), socioeconomic (poor/rich), etc. Questions for the students could
include:
How do the people feel when they experience prejudice?

How did they handle it? Why?

How can you apply the characters successful strategies (on cards) to present
day situations?
Does this remind you of anything in your own life? How?

Activity 4: Freeze Frame

1) This is a nonverbal activity. Students work in pairs to create a freeze frame or
statue that conveys two people in a situation of opposite intention/feeling using only
body language. One student wants something and postures in a positive, requesting
way. The other student postures in a negative/hostile rejecting way.

2) Student discussion of each presentation follows (briefly or at length), giving

feedback to what they see, interpreting how each person in the frame might feel.
Actors then tell the class what the specific situation was which they demonstrated.
Teacher can ask how reactions based on respect, kindness, and tolerance rather
than rejection would make a difference.

Activity 5: Rejection dialogue scenes

1) This is a role-playing activity. To get started, teacher should ask students for
suggestions of rejection situations that may occur in school, reminding them of
the earlier activity, Whats your Bias? Teacher divides class into groups of 3 or 4.
Using the 5 Ws as a planning guide, have each group design a scene to act out
about a person who is rejected by a peer (For examples, Could I join you for
lunch? Can we shoot some baskets? Want to go to the mall?) when the answer
is no, verbally, physically, or both).

2) The scene should be 2-5 minutes long and should clearly communicate what
each person wants and how each feels. Students should plan a beginning, middle,
and end and make the scene believable, interesting, and relevant to their
experience.

3) The teacher should review the rubric after the activity is explained but before the
planning begins.

4) Follow-up: Teacher invites feedback on each scene, e.g. How did you (each
character) feel and why? If you could rewind and replay your role, what could have
been done differently to provide a more positive outcome? Where could traits such
as tolerance, respect, and kindness be demonstrated?

5) Writing follow-up (optional): Students are asked to write (rapidly and

descriptively) their responses to the scene they just acted. The teacher gives
students these writing prompts: This writing activity could be expanded in a
descriptive, expressive, or argumentative manner according to the teachers
wishes.

The first prompt is I just came from the ___________. (location of scene
student played in). Describe the place, how it looked, felt, sounded, smelled,
etc. Draw a picture of that place with words.
The next prompt is Describe what happened. Include both points of view,
what occurred between the two people, who wanted/did not want what, and
why.
The last prompt is How did you feel about your role and what happened to
you and why? How did you feel about the other person and the outcome of
the situation? Why did you think you were right?

Culminating evaluation activity:

Each student will chose, plan, and present one of the following activities to express
what has been learned about differentiating legitimate dislike from prejudice and
how choices determine ones behavior and others responses to them.Write a letter
to your child explaining why you want him/her to make choices based on positive
character traits rather than negativity and prejudice.
Create a video, poster, rap, or rock song (words required, music optional), short
story, series of cartoon strips, creative movement story or a three-scene
performance (scripted or improvised and based on 5 Ws), which demonstrates
learning from this unit. Assessment

Re-administer the initial personal survey. Attitudinal changes will be

evidenced between the pre/post survey. Through class discussion and group
work students will be able to identify examples of prejudice and tolerance.
Students in Freeze Frame activity will know how effective and clear their
presentation was by the verbal response of the class and teacher.
Use the rubric for the Rejection Dialogue Scenes.