Open Minds Overcoming Bias and Stereotype his lesson is designed to increase students' awareness of racial and sexual biases and stereotyping with their negative consequences. Once students are aware of how they label other people, they will learn that they can take steps to avoid stereotyping. ln addition, students will see that only an employee's interests and abilities should limit job opportunity, not appearance, race, sex, religion, or nationality. The lesson focuses on demonstrations of bias and encourages students to accept every person with an open mind' Lesson Objectives At the end of this lesson, students will be able to ) recognize bias and stereotyping, > identify behaviors that lead to bias and stereotyping, ) discuss the imporlance of keeping an open mind, and ) recognize the importance and availability of work and jobs for all people regardless of appearance, race, sex, religion, or nationality. a a a a a a a a a a a a f a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a GOAL To create awareness of stereotypin9 consequences Lesson 6: Overcoming Bias and Stereotype 8I
Transcript
Open Minds
Overcoming Bias and Stereotype
his lesson is designed to increase students' awareness ofracial and sexual biases and stereotyping with their negative
consequences. Once students are aware of how they label
other people, they will learn that they can take steps to avoid
stereotyping. ln addition, students will see that only an employee'sinterests and abilities should limit job opportunity, not appearance,
race, sex, religion, or nationality.
The lesson focuses on demonstrations of bias and encouragesstudents to accept every person with an open mind'
Lesson ObjectivesAt the end of this lesson, students will be able to
) recognize bias and stereotyping,
> identify behaviors that lead to bias and stereotyping,
) discuss the imporlance of keeping an open mind, and
) recognize the importance and availability of work and jobs
for all people regardless of appearance, race, sex, religion,
or nationality.
aaaaaaaaaaaafaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaa
GOALTo create awareness of stereotypin9
consequences
Lesson 6: Overcoming Bias and Stereotype 8I
! SummaFy of Teachen Aetivities
f Oor. i a"*ing to Know You Fase 8s)Aetivity I p"irs of students interview each other and draw pictures about abilities,
j interests, and talents that they were surprised to learn about.
fop{:1fl ! f Was Sunprised UUhen... (pase Ba)s ' Acclvlty ! Each student writes a story about a fictional character who did something
! positive and changed other people's impressions of that character.a
fta"==or, :Summany :
aaaaaaaaa
:a. GROSS-CURRICULUM GONNEGTIONS (PAgE 91)! To supplement this lesson, you may want to use one or more of the related! activities in Cross-cuniculum Connections.aa
:! SummaFy of Volunteer Aetivitieso'
! Each of the following volunteer activity choices allows the class to directly' experience stereotyping and its negative consequences.
---2 .Y AcrivirY : The Sneetches (page 86)
GHOiGES The volunteer reads a book about prejudice by Dr. Seuss, and the classdiscusses how people label each other and treat each other differently.
Surprise Box (page 87)ln an art project, students decorate a box and put an object in it that noone would expect to find.
g lHaveaDream (page 88)The volunteer reads the story of Martin Luther King, Jr. to the class, andthey discuss King's work toward fair treatment for all people.
Meeting the Lesson Objectives (page 85)On a flipchart or other large sheet that can be displayed, the teachersummarizes how the students have met the lesson objectives.
B|BL|OGRAP}IY (page 9O)You may want to include a book choice from the Bibliography to introducethis lesson or to use in another place in the lesson.
3 Gore i Getting to Know You ffi se-oo minutesActivitv
I **r*f* ;*il*:.[Hi"i aiiji,"ffi:i*"Hffffilr"o or skill that is surprising.
! steps1. Open your mind.
Begin a discussion about what it means to have an open mind. Yourgoal is to have students understand that people sometimes judge othersby appearance only and not by what the person is really like. Ask thefollowing questions and any others you may think of:
) Do boys ever say, "l don't like her because she's a girl"?
> Do girls ever say, "l don't like him because hers a boy'?
) Do boys ever say, "Girls can't do this"?
) Do girls ever say, "All boys are rough'?
Tell students that statements like this are called labeling, which can leadto stereotyping. People also label each other by race. lf you have
studied Mar'tin Luther King, Jr. in your class, you can relate his storyto your discussion.
Remind students that when we make judgments about people basedonly on what we see, we hurt those people and ourselves. People aremuch rnore than their appearance. lf we don't see them as individualswith special abilities and talents, our minds become closed to learningand understanding.
2. lnteruiew a partner.Divide the class into pairs of students. This activity will work best if you
try to pair students who don't know each other very well.
Distribute the "Getting to Know You" worksheet. Explain that eachstudent asks his or her partner, "What things do you like to do?" to findout one very surpnsing thing that the partner is able to do. For example,students might find out that the person collects toy dinosaurs, likes tohelp with cooking, or plays soccer. As needed, help the students toquestion each other and finish the sentence at the top of the worksheet.
As they do the interview, be sure to leave enough time for both studentsin each pair to complete the process.
3. Draw a picture.Each student draws a picture on the worksheet of his or her partner
doing the surprising thing. Students can share and display theircompleted worksheets.
Each student writes a story about a fictional character who did somethingpositive that amazed others.
Steps1. Review what partners like to do.
ln the interview for the "Getting to Know You" activity, studentslearned more about each other. Ask students what unexpected skillsand abilities they found out about their partners. Talk about how people
often surprise others and even themselves by doing something nobodyexpects them to do.
2. Read a story.Read Amos and Bois by William Steig to the class. Ask these questionsand others that you may think of:
) How does the whale help the mouse?
) How does the mouse help the whale?
> ls it surprising for a mouse to save a whale? Why?
> Why do you think the mouse saves the whale?
3. Write a new story.Allow time for students to brainstorm, write, and illustrate stories about acharacter who does something great that no one else expects him or herto do. As a simpler alternative, students can draw and label a picture toillustrate the story of Amos and Boris.
4. Read the story to classmates.lf your students wrote new stories, call on volunteers to read theirstories to the class. lf possible, arrange for students to read their storiesto another ciass. Display the stories or the illustrations of Amos andBoris in the classroom.
84 KAPOW Level 1
*r"ssonSummary
Meeting theW ts-zo minut,,sLesson Objectives
1. On a flipchart or other large display that you can keep and use againlater, write the lesson objectives in the form of the following questions.Leave space after each question to write students' answers.
> ls it fair to judge a person by the way he or she looks? Why not?
> Why is it impoftant to keep your mind open to new and surprisingthings about people?
> Why is it important that all people be able to use their talents andabilities for work?
z- TiPs\ for
With the whole class, review the answers and write a summary of thembelow each question. Keep this information to use in Lesson 8.
Teachers
ooaaaaaaaaaaaaoaaaaaaaaaaaa
Before the volunteer begins an activity...
> lf the volunteer chooses the "SurPrise Box" activi!, make sure that thevolunteer decorates a sample box witfi sometfiing inside it and bringsa selection of objects for students' boxes.
> lf the volunteer chooses "The Sneetches" activity, decide whetherto make the green stars ahead of time or wittt ttte childrcn duringthe activity.
After the activity is completed...
Have the students put all ttteir work from this lesson in their KAPOW
folders or briefcases, if they made them in Lesson 2. Encourage studentsto share tteir work at home.
Lesson 6: Overcoming Bias and Stereo$rpe 85
Vol-uNTEERAGTiViTiES
GTiViTY Il rne Sneetches ffi og-ao minutee
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
lntroductionTo introduce this lesson (or at another time during the lesson), you maywant to read aloud one of the books from the Bibliography on page g0.
Most children in this age group will have difficulty grasping the concept ofstereotyping. However, they do understand unfairness, and they may cometo the conclusion that unfairness and prejudice are the same thing.
children in this age group will be able to understand the idea that alt of ushave the capacity to do great things and that we should not be limited byappearance, sex, race, religion, or nationality.
Whichever activity you choose, be sure to begin the lesson with theWarm-up and end with the Wrap-up.
Wanm-up W sqo minuteelnvite the students to tell you about their experiences at the worksite visitand allow them to ask any questions they may have.
Now begin the activity that you have chosen.
The sneetches are fantastical Dr. seuss characters. some of them havegreen stars on their bellies. others have no stars. The sneetches withstars have special privileges because they have stars. The story dealswith the origins and consequences of stereotyping on a fundamentallevel that works well for young children.
Steps1. Read and talk about the book.
Gather the chiidren around you in a circle. Read rhe sneefches byDr. seuss aloud to the class. Be sure to hold the book toward the classso everyone can see the pictures.
Ask these questions to begin a discussion of the message of the book:> Which sneetches have stars?> Which sneetches don't have stars?) Do some sneetches get treated in a special way? Why? (Emphasize
that the way sneetches look determines how they are treated.)> Do the sneetches work together to solve their problem? How? How
can people work together to be sure everyone is treated fairly?
aaaaaaaoaoaaoaaaoaooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
LTiPs
Whatever activityyou choose, yourrole is to help stu-dents realize thatpeople's abilities,skills, and talentsare importarrt inttre work they do,not appearance,race, sex, religion,or nationality.
CHOiGES :
... ... .T3!?:i3!:> The Sneetches by
Dr. Seuss (big bookversion, if available)
r big green stars cutfrom constructionpaper (one foreach child)
> double-stick tape
> cookies (one foreach child)
> juice boxes (one foreach child)
86 KAPow Lever 1
aaaaaaaaaoaaoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
2. Give out half the stars.lf you are going to make the green stars with the children, do so now.Then count off all the children, alternating 1,2,1, 2. Allthe number 2children get a green star. Help them tape the stars to their shirts. Tell theclass that you plan to give each child with a star a cookie and juice boxand the other children nothing. They should protest, saying this is unfair.Agree with them.
3. Give out the remaining stars.Tell the children you think they are all stars and let everyone wear a star.All the children then get cookies and juice.
4. Relate fair treatment to the workplace.Ask students if they think the workplace should also be a place wherethe things people do are more important than their appearance. Usethese questions for more ideas:
) What are some skills that help people do a job well? (reading,writing, using computers, Vping, doing math, cooking, driving,drawing, talking, listening)
> What are some things that don't have ant'rhing to do with howwell a person does a job? (appearance, race, sex, reiigion, beinga vegetarian, watching science fiction movies)
Steps
. . . . . . :T?tfl'3!=.> small, plain
cardboard boxes,one per student-notnecessarity all thesame size (fromlocal merchantsor recycling)
> selection of unusualobjects to put intfie boxes (smallplastic toys,screws, erasers)
> decorated samplebox with surpriseobjea inside
: E Sunpnise Box W og-oo minutee
! Students fashion a box that looks very different from the object they will
I prt inside it. This leads to a discussion about being open minded ando realizing that people are not always what they seem to be on the outside.aaa
! t. Set up the boxes.! Explain that students are going to decorate a box and then choose a. surprise object to go in the box. Give these examples:
' > A plain, burlap-covered box could have a very fancy necklace. inside it.o > A box decorated with pictures of animals could contain a baseball.a. Encourage students to create as big a surprise as possible. The outside3 of the box should not give any hint about what is inside. Show your! sample box, including the object inside it.a. 2. Decorate the boxes.i fiot, each student chooses an object to put in the box from the! selection you brought. Try to set up this part of the activity so no one
i else sees each child's choice.
I Oi"tribute one box to each student and allow time to decorate the! Oo*es. Compliment the students on their creative ideas.
! *" sure the children put the objects in the boxes.
Lesson 6: Overcoming Bias and Stereotype 87
: 3. Guess the obiect.
: In small groups or pairs, each student shows the outside of his or herr box. The other students guess what might be inside, based on what the! outside looks like.!. Neld, students show the objects in their boxes. Encourage students to. comment on the differences between what's on the outside and what'sI on the inside.a
! 4. Talk about surprises.
: At the end of this discussion, students should understand that, nor Ffldtter what people appear to be on the outside, they should have the
! "Op"rtunity to do any job that they have the skill and ability to do.
i Ask students if they think people contain surprises, too. Use these
I questions to guide the discussion:
' > Can you tell what people's talents and abilities are by the way
: they look?
' > Have you have ever been surprised to find out that someone was
: good at something, for example, playing a musical instrument or
! "Oeaking two languages?
: t Do you think the way people look tells how good they will ber ?t their jobs? Why not?
:
t what did you learn from this activity?
iOtHaveaDream
crayons
ffi go-ao minutes
. . . . . .T."I$lt"f= ! tn tni" read*aloud activity, students learn the story of Martin Luther
> A picture Book of ' ' ! King, Jr. You will then discuss with students how people can workMartin Luther King, ! together to make a change.Jr. by David A. Adler :
> copies of "l Have a ! StepsDream" worksheet ! 1. Read the story.(page 93) I C"tner the children around you in a circle. Read aloud A Picture Book
> pencils, markers, Z of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler. Be sure to hold the book! toward the class so everyone can see the pictures.a
: 2. Talk about the story.ao Ask these questions to begin a discussion of the story:a. > When he was a child, how was Martin treated by white people? Why?a
: > How did he try to change the way black people were treated?. What haooened?a"
: > How did he die?
: > How do we remember him today?aaaoaaaaa
88 KAPow Lever 1
i 3. lllustrate the story.. Distribute the "l Have a Dream" worksheets. Children draw a picture of. one of Martin l-uther King, Jr.'s dreams, showing how people of differenta. races are equal. Here are some suggestions:
: > children going to school together. > people at a job working togethera'
: > people sitting on the bus together
i t people eating at a lunch table together
! Help the children as necessary to think of ideas for a drawing. At the
: O"O"m of the worksheet, children label their drawing.
ffi s-ro minutes
frttn[i-Lmr;:::: ffi ,;,"" q ues"ns:
: > Did you like being treated unfairly? What did it feel like?
: > Pretend that you are looking for a job. How would you want
i someone to judge you for that job? (by talents and abilities)aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoaaaaaaaaaaa
Tacl<ythe Penguin by Helen Lester. lllustrated by ',
Lynn Munsinger. Houghton Mifflin, 1988. Tacky is ,
an odd bird-different from the other penguins. But .,,.rwhen danger threatens, Tacky's unusual and different -,:it..,.,.
qualities save the day. illit.Two Strikes, Four Eyes by Ned Delaney. Houghton ..,;:.Mifflin, 1976. Tony is the only player on his baseballteam who wears glasses. Afraid of being teased, he ,i :::,:",
waits until the final, crucial moments of a game to : '.
put the glasses on and win the game. :, :
William's Doll by Charlotte Zolotow. Pictures by ;ti",.William Pene Du Bois. Harper& Row, 1972. William
,
wants a doll, but his father buys him an electric trainset and a basketball and hoop. Though William is .pleased with these gifts, his grandmother finally l
buys him the doll he wants- ,
BiELfOCRAPHY
This selection of books related to the lesson can help you introduce thelesson topic, supplement the lesson activities, or add reading choices tothe lesson.aaaaaaaaaoaaaaaaaoaaaaaaalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoaaoaaaa
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman. Pictures byCaroline Binch. Dial, '1 991. Though a ciassmate hintsto Grace that she cannot play the part of Peter Panbecause she is a black girl, Grace overcomes racialand gender bias to prove her classmate wrong. ln theprocess, she proves to herself that if she puts hermind to it, she can be anything she dreams to be.
i::,r, The Big Onnge Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater.
".i,,, Hastings House, 'l 977. When Mr. Plumbeam paints
.i.,, his house garishly to reflect his thoughts and dreams,
",,a:: his neighbors react with anger and dismay. However,
,tlr Plumbean slowly convinces his neighbors that they,
.irr,, too, can dare to be different.
A Busy Day for a Good Grandmother by MargaretMahy. lllustrated by Margaret Chamberlain. MargaretK. McElderry, '1 993. Role reversals abound in thishilarious story of a trail-bike-riding, skateboardinggrandmother who braves rugged terrain, alligator-filledswamps, and many other dangers to bring just theright remedy to her son who is trying to stop histeething baby from crying.
Dulcie Dando, Soccer Star by Sue Stops. lllustratedby DebiGliori. Henry Holt, 1992. When Dulcie, atalented soccer player, is given the chance to playon the school team during a big game, she provesthat girls are just as capable as boys.
Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airpoft by MarjorieWeinman Sharmat. Pictures by Byron Barton.Macmillan, 1980. A New York Gity boy is apprehensiveabout moving West because of his preconceivedideas. When he arrives at the airport, he meets aboy going East who has many preconceivedand erroneous notions about what it will be like inthe East.
Leo the l-ate Bloomer by Robert Kraus. Pictures byJose Aruego. Simon & Schuster, 1971 . Leo is a tigerwhose parents are worried that he seems deveiopmen-tally delayed compared to all the other animals. Thenone day Leo blooms and can do everything the otheranimals can. This book may reassure young childrenwho feel that they are slower than or different fromtheir classmates.
:r'::ii::!"
The Man Who Kept House by Kathleen and Michael ,-,';i...
his work in the fields is harder than his wife's work at ,* :
home, a farmer trades places with her for the day, with ., ,
disastrous and humorous results. .aif
Max by Rachel lsadora. Macmillan, 1976. On the way .'.i;1.i-,,
to his baseball game, Max reluctantly joins his sister's '',,,"i
ballet class. He discovers that the ballet warm-up . ,
improves his baseball game, and he decides to attend ,-
the ballet class regulady. ..i..::;
::::!:
Norma Jean, Jumping Bean by Joanna Cole. i;::,;:i
lllustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Random House, 1987.When Norma Jean's friends make fun of her andbecome angry with her ior jumping so much, Normatries to stop jumping. She learns that jumping is a pariof her identity, but some places are more appropriatefor jumping than others.
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch.lllustrations by Michael Martchenko. Annick Press,1980. Princess Elizabeth talks a dragon intosubmission and refuses to mar4r Prince Ronald,who seems more concerned about her appearancethan about her victory.
90 KAPOW Level 't
t::ll:;
j :- :: ai:j:
. CRoss-GuRRicuLUM, GoNNeerfoNsThese fun activity ideas will help you extend and reinforce the lessonwith connections to the major curriculum areas, such as science, social
:ti3:':'fft:'.*:10.'31s.u."??it":. o.. . o. . . o o . . . . . . . . . . . . .
,:::::ai::::ii:!i:,:i::r::i!:t.
. ::r:ii i:ii: ,i::
r, r:ja::-i:: :ri ::.r:nr:.
:;.:.j !:: r:t: :! lj::ii::r:::
t"llr:'"r=*'ti
r stl.'".
FingenpnintsScreruce (Obseruation, Com pariso n)
How similar yet different we really are. Successfulworkers are able to get along with many peopleand appreciate different talents, abilities, andbackgrounds. ln this activity, students use astamp pad to make their thumb prints on paper.Paftners magnify and analyze the prints tocompare and discuss the similarities anddifferences. lf you have the use of an overheadtransparency and projector, the whole class canmake a similar analysis.
Guess the Baby PhotoSocnl Sruores (Shari n g, O bservati o n)
Many jobs, such as nurse, pediatrician, child-careprovider, and teacher, involve working with babiesand children. For this activity, students bring inbaby photos of themselves. Display the photoson a board without names. Classmates try toguess who is who.
What Are Youn Traditions?Socrnl SruorEs (Cu ltu re Study, Listening)
Traditions are important. lnvite students' familymembers to the class to talk or read a book aboutthe traditions in their family or culture. Allow timefor questions and answers. There are jobs in thecommunity for people who like traditions andwant to help other people keep them. Priests,ministers, and rabbis are important members ofthe community. They help people observe religiousholidays and traditions- Bakers, cooks. and othersprovide special foods for traditional holidays.
A Favonite GelebnationSoclel Sruores, Anr (Brainstorming,
Culture Study)
Ask students to think about holidays, celebrations,or traditions in their families. Students illustratetheir favorite holiday and put their illustrationstogether in a class book.
Some people love adventure and travel becausethey meet different kinds of people. Many jobsinvolve travel, such as travel agent, airline pilot,sales person, truck driver, and archeologist.Rooster travels in ,9ooster Goes Off To See TheWorld by Eric Carle. Read the book to the classand ask students to figure out how many anirnalsgo to see the world with Rooster.
You Name ltLarucuaee ARrs, Anr (Design, Writing)
On a large piece of plain paper, students printtheir names and decorate the paper with picturesof things that represent them (things they like).
Gount to I OMATH, Larueuace Anrs (Phonics,
Foreign Languages)
Understanding many languages is a great skillto have in this world. Today, people from manydifferent countries do business together. Writea list of several languages, such as Spanish,German, and ltalian, on the board. Then write thenumber words from one to ten in each language.Children can sound them out phonetically andlearn to say them.
Lesson 6: Overcoming Bias and Stereo{pe 9I
Yorrr rearre
What does your partner like to do? Write it here.
My paftner likes to
Date
Draw a picture of your partner doing this.
KAPOW Level 1 Lesson 6 (worksheet for "Getting to Know You" activity, p. 83)
Your nrlnil.e
Draw a picture of one of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dreams.
Date
Write a sentence ttrat describes your drawing.
KAPOW Level 1 (worksheet for "l Have a Dream" activity, p. 88) Lesson 5 93
