Stereotypes

- Unit 7 ?: Overcoming Stereotypes/dealing with diversity

o Stereotype activities

o Unit 8:

- Add in definition of stereotype, generalization (for our teachers, in the curriculum)

- Add idea that everyone has stereotypes, help you make a decision faster, but successful people are the ones who realize which ones they have, and don’t let it apply to every situation

- Discuss racism

- Topic of being followed/suspected (i.e., in a store) because you’re black (also because you’re a teenager) à use either one (whichever is relevant to your class: black/teenager)

o The point: this does not apply to you, right? (Or at least to some people in this class). Therefore, not all stereotypes are true.

o The second point: if this is true some of the time, maybe that’s because people who are labeled begin to start acting like that label

o Conformity to the stereotype/other people acting like it plays a role

n add in more relevant people for listing stereotypes (gender, race, handicapped?)

GOALS

- Defining stereotype (look in dictionary)

- Becoming more aware of the assumptions we make about other people without realizing it, so we can catch ourselves on it more

- Stereotyping is hurtful

- Sometimes people who are labeled start to act like that label

- Discussing prejudice as “pre-judge,” and relation between stereotypes and prejudice/racism à how stereotypes can be implemented in a bad way.

- Sometimes generalizions can be good

- Add idea that everyone has stereotypes, help you make a decision faster, but successful people are the ones who realize which ones they have, and don’t let it apply to every situation

- Ethnic pride (closing activity with telling something about your culture that’s interesting).

- Learning how to overcome the stereotypes: communication, getting to know the person, talking about what makes you different (Suuls & Ichthalonians) (point about spiders)

- Relationship to conflict: to communicate well, need to overcome pre-assumptions of the other person

I. Opener: doctor joke (can’t operate on my son)

a. The point: we tend to make generalizations about people that aren’t true

b. Question: can generalizations help? Why do we do them? Etc

II. Stand up (explores/celebrates difference)

a. In 2 parts: 1^st one celebrates individual difference, 2^nd stereotypes (but don’t say they’re stereotypes)

b. Mini-discussion of difference in between, & bigger discussion at end

c. Stereotype quiz goals get done here

d. We change the criteria for standing to be the stereotypes we would have predicted from the quiz AND use some others that make individuals cool

e. Goal: give everyone a chance to be stereotyped and realize that’s not fair]

f. conclusion: when you ask people about themselves, you find out so much more about them than you knew by appearances (see Spider point)

g. Goal: define stereotype

III. Stereotypin’ Game

a. Change “jock” to “football player.” Keep cheerleader, nerd/teacher’s pet, (make sure kids know what these words mean!), popular kid

b. Goals: people don’t understand why they’re being treated as nerd. Start to act like the person they’re being stereotyped as.

c. Do as a party where guests walk in one by one, no math class!

d. Kids stay at their seats while each kid walks up in front of the class.

e. Set up ground rules: stay in seats, no insults, no physical contact.

IV. Discussion: racism

a. Prejudice = pre-judge

b. Hurricane example? (à point is someone rescued him and he got out – it’s everyone’s problem)

c. Stereotype of black person/teenager stealing – is this fair?

i. It does not apply to all black people/teenagers

ii. Maybe being labeled like this causes people to do it

d. note/disclaimor

e. check this game with Jack Gillette

f. ***confirm with classroom teacher that it’s ok to have this discussion – do week before

g. ***avoid discussion of racial slurs!!!****

h. Have special meeting about this lesson beforehand?

i. Bring spider thing into it.

V. Closer

a. Have kids summarize what they’ve learned