Stereotypes https://www.morningsidecenter.org/ en Black History Month & the Danger of a Single Story https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/black-history-month-danger-single-story <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Black History Month &amp; the Danger of a Single Story</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>Preparation</h4> <p>To prepare for this lesson:&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Make copies for students of <a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/Black%20History%20Month.pdf">this handout about Black History Month</a></li> <li>Make copies for students of <a href="/sites/default/files/files/Black%20Voices.pdf">this handout with quotes</a></li> <li>Preview and prepare for students to view this 19-minute TED Talk</li> <li>Assign students the homework assignment below in advance of the lesson<br> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <hr> <h4>Homework Assignment</h4> <p>For homework, invite students to bring an item from home that represents who they are, an item that tells a key story about them and how they see themselves.&nbsp; If it is not possible to bring the item in, ask students to take a picture of the item or try to draw it.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>Gathering</h4> <p>Invite students to share the item, or image of the item, they brought from home and tell the story about how they see themselves related to the item.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Debrief the activity by asking some or all of the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>Share any connections, reflections or additions you have based on the stories you just heard.&nbsp; How do these stories represent our classroom community?</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Why might it be important for us to share our own stories in our own words?&nbsp; What might happen if we only allowed others to share our stories for us?</li> </ul> <ul> <li>How would you feel if only some students were allowed to share their stories, but not others? &nbsp;How would you feel if only some of us were allowed to represent our classroom community?&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>How would you feel if you were among those encouraged to share your stories?&nbsp; How would you feel if you were among those prevented from sharing your stories?</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Why is it important to have different voices and stories represented in our class?&nbsp; What does that do for our learning?</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Why is it important to have different voices and stories represented in our history, social studies, and other curricula?&nbsp; What does that do for our learning?&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <h4>Check Agenda and Objectives&nbsp;</h4> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><br> The History of Black History Month</h4> <p>Invite students to share what they know about Black History Month.&nbsp; Do they know why Black History Month was established, when, and by whom? &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Invite them next to read about Black History Month in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/Black%20History%20Month.pdf">this pdf handout</a>. (It also appears at the end of this lesson.)&nbsp;<br> <br> Debrief the reading by asking:<br> &nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about the handout you just read?<br> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4><br> The Importance of Story Telling</h4> <p><br> Invite students next to read the quotes in&nbsp;<a href="/sites/default/files/files/Black%20Voices.pdf">this pdf handout</a>. (They also appear at the end of this lesson.) Ask them to consider the quotes in the context of Black History Month.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> After they’ve read the quotes, invite each student to pick a quote that resonates with them, share their quote and say why it resonated with them in the context of Black History Month.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>TED talk by Chimamanda Adichie:</h4> <p>Show the following 19-minute <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story">TED Talk by Chimamanda Adichie</a>. Adichie is a Nigerian novelist, nonfiction and short story writer, and a MacArthur Genius Award recipient.<br> &nbsp;<br> Debrief the TED talk using some or all of the following questions:<br> <br> <strong>1. </strong>&nbsp;What does Adichie say the discovery of African writers did for her?<br> <br> <strong>2. </strong>&nbsp;What does Adichie say about the single story she had of her house boy Fide and his family? What does she say about the single story Americans have of Africans? What does she say about the single story she herself had of Mexicans?<br> <br> <b>3. &nbsp;</b>What does Adichie say about power in relation to the single story?&nbsp; (She mentions the Igbo word nkali, which she explains loosely means "to be greater than another." Nkali, she says, affects how stories are told, who tells them, when then are told, how many stories are told. Power affects not just the ability to tell the story of another person but to make it the definitive story of that person.)&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> <br> <strong>4. </strong>&nbsp;What does Adichie say about where to start a story?&nbsp; How does this relate to power?<br> <br> <strong>5. </strong>&nbsp;Adichie says that the single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete.&nbsp; They make one story become the only story."&nbsp; She adds: "It is impossible to engage properly with a place or person without engaging with all of the stories of that place and that person.&nbsp; The consequence of the single story is this: It robs people of their dignity.&nbsp; It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult.&nbsp; It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar." &nbsp;Invite students to share their thoughts about the idea of the "single story becoming the only story" and how this "robs people of their dignity."<br> <br> <strong>6.</strong> &nbsp;Adichie says: "Stories matter.&nbsp; Many stories matter.&nbsp; Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize.&nbsp; Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity." &nbsp;Invite students to share their thoughts about stories as a way to dispossess and to malign. Ask them to share their thoughts about stories as a way to empower and humanize.<br> <br> <strong>7. &nbsp;</strong>Adichie ends her talk with the following:&nbsp; "When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise." How does this relate back to the idea of Black History Month we discussed earlier today?<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><br> Closing</h4> <p>In closing, read the poem "I Too" by Langston Hughes out loud.&nbsp;<br> <br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>I, Too<br> &nbsp;<br> <em>By Langston Hughes</em></strong><br> &nbsp;<br> I, too, sing America.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> I am the darker brother.&nbsp;<br> They send me to eat in the kitchen&nbsp;<br> When company comes,&nbsp;<br> But I laugh,&nbsp;<br> And eat well,&nbsp;<br> And grow strong.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Tomorrow,&nbsp;<br> I’ll be at the table&nbsp;<br> When company comes.&nbsp;<br> Nobody’ll dare&nbsp;<br> Say to me,&nbsp;<br> "Eat in the kitchen,"&nbsp;<br> Then.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Besides,&nbsp;<br> They’ll see how beautiful I am&nbsp;<br> And be ashamed—&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> I, too, am America.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Black History Month</h4> <p><a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/Black%20History%20Month.pdf"><em>(PDF version)</em></a><br> &nbsp;</p> <div class="rteindent1"><em>Black History Month is acknowledged by some and ignored by others; and while it’s acknowledged by most people in this country, I believe it’s a travesty that anyone, especially members of the Black community, have chosen to limit their historical focus to the shortest month of the year. Black history should be celebrated and acknowledged in America, 365 days a year-7 days a week-24 hours a day; the very same way the founding fathers are heralded and celebrated daily.&nbsp; -Jeffrey L. Boney, Houston Forward Times</em></div> <p>&nbsp;<br> In an ideal world, a separate month for Black history would not be necessary. Unfortunately, though, the lives and stories of Black people continue to be minimized in narratives of American history, left out by those who have the privilege of telling our country’s story. &nbsp;Until that changes, there is a need for Black History Month.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Carter G. Woodson, an African American historian and scholar who dedicated his life to the study of Black history, recognized this back in 1926.&nbsp; It is why he pioneered the celebration of "Negro History Week."&nbsp; Woodson wanted to uncover and preserve the history of African Americans in the U.S., hoping to instill in African Americans a sense of self-esteem and confidence that would fuel the quest for justice.&nbsp;A history manipulated by white mainstream culture, he said, has resulted in "No systematic effort toward change... for, taught the same economics, history, philosophy, literature and religion ... the Negro's mind has been brought under the control of this oppressor.... When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions."<br> &nbsp;<br> A more inclusive history, Woodson hoped, would also foster understanding between whites and Blacks. "Race prejudice," Woodson said, "is merely the logical result of tradition, the inevitable outcome of thorough instruction to the effect that the Negro has never contributed anything to the progress of mankind."&nbsp;Learning about Black contributions to American history would engender greater respect among whites, Woodson believed.&nbsp;And though we’ve made progress toward teaching history in a way that fully represents the contributions of African Americans (as well as other excluded groups), we still have a long way to go.<br> &nbsp;<br> Ironically, the history of Black History Month itself is often neglected and misrepresented. Most Americans don’t know who Carter G. Woodson was or that he, a Black man, originated what became Black History Month.&nbsp; Another little known fact is that February was picked to be Black History Month (and the original "Negro History Week") to coincide with the birthday of African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass (as well as President Abraham Lincoln).&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Of course the elevation of Black voices and a focus on their stories during the month of February does not mitigate the lack of celebration of Black contributions to American society throughout the year.&nbsp; It does however give us pause and a time to be mindful of those voices and stories. It allows us to reflect on the reasons why these voices and stories have been omitted in the first place.&nbsp;<br> <br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4><br> Black Voices on Story Telling</h4> <p>(<a href="/sites/default/files/files/Black%20Voices.pdf">PDF version)</a><br> <br> "The classroom was a jail of other people’s interests. The library was open, unending, free."&nbsp; — Ta-Nehisi Coates, American writer, journalist, and educator</p> <hr> <p>"You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive."&nbsp; &nbsp;— James Baldwin, American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p><br> &nbsp;"I’ve always felt that it is impossible to engage properly with a place or a person without engaging with all of the stories of that place and that person.&nbsp; The consequence of the single story is this: It robs people of dignity.&nbsp; It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult.&nbsp; It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar."&nbsp; — Chimanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian novelist, nonfiction and short story writer</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><br> "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."&nbsp; — Maya Angelou, American poet, memoirist and civil rights activist</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><br> <br> &nbsp;"If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive."&nbsp;— Audre Lorde, American writer, feminist, and civil rights activist</p> <hr> <p><br> <br> "Popular films are so powerful and compelling that it’s often easier to accept their versions of history than the much more complicated true stories."&nbsp; &nbsp;— Melissa Harris-Perry, writer, professor and political commentator</p> <hr> <p><br> <br> &nbsp;"Black history isn't a separate history. This is all of our history, this is American history, and we need to understand that. It has such an impact on kids and their values and how they view black people."&nbsp; &nbsp;— Karyn Parsons, actress</p> <hr> <p><br> <br> "We should emphasize not Negro history, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice."&nbsp; — Carter Woodson, historian, journalist, founder of Association for the Study of African American Life and History</p> <hr> <p><br> <br> "I am America.&nbsp; I am the part you won’t recognize.&nbsp; But get used to me.&nbsp; Black confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours, my goals, my own; get used to me."&nbsp;&nbsp;— Muhammad Ali, boxer and activist</p> <hr> <p><br> <br> "For I am my mother's daughter, and the drums of Africa still beat in my heart."&nbsp; — Mary McLeod Bethune, educator, stateswoman, humanitarian and civil rights activist</p> <hr> <p><br> <br> &nbsp;"Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations."&nbsp; — Dr. Mae Jemison, first African-American female astronaut</p> <hr> <p><br> "Defining myself, as opposed to being defined by others, is one of the most difficult challenges I face." — Carol Moseley-Braun, politician and lawyer</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-02-13T11:03:51-05:00" title="Monday, February 13, 2017 - 11:03">February 13, 2017</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Mon, 13 Feb 2017 16:03:51 +0000 fionta 348 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Ahmed & the Clock https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/ahmed-clock <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Ahmed &amp; the Clock</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>Gathering</h4> <p>Ask students to turn to a partner and talk about something they're good at.&nbsp;&nbsp; How does it make them feel to do this thing well?</p> <p>Ask students to share their feelings about the things they are good at with the larger group.&nbsp; Create a word web by writing "What I'm good at" at the center of the board or chart paper, circling it, and writing the various feelings words radiating out from the center in one color.&nbsp; Draw lines from the feelings words to the center circle to create the web.&nbsp;</p> <h4><br> Check Agenda and Objectives</h4> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><br> Muslim Teen Arrested: &nbsp;Feelings Web</h4> <p>In small groups invite students to first read the tweets in <strong><u><span style="color:#000000;"><a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/files/%231%20%20TWEETS%20ABOUT%20AHMED%20MOHAMED.pdf">HANDOUT 1</a></span></u><span style="color:#000000;">,</span></strong> then discuss:</p> <ul> <li>What do they think these tweets are about?</li> <li>What story in the news are they referring to?</li> <li>How do the people in the tweets feel?</li> <li>How do you feel about what happened?</li> </ul> <p>Elicit and explain that on September 14, 2015, Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old Muslim boy from Irving, Texas, made a clock using a circuit board and a digital display that he put in a metal case. Ahmed has always loved building things and was part of the robotics club in middle school, where he won awards for his inventions.&nbsp;</p> <p>He brought the clock to school in the hope of finding like-minded people during his first few weeks of high school.&nbsp; Instead, his engineering teacher told him to put his invention away and advised him not to show it to anyone else. Then his English teacher confiscated the clock after it beeped in class. The teacher took the clock for a bomb and alerted the school's administration, who sprang into action and called the police.&nbsp;</p> <p>After being questioned at the school about the device, Ahmed was taken in handcuffs to a juvenile detention center, where he was fingerprinted and interrogated further by five police officers about what some officials called a hoax bomb.&nbsp; Throughout it all Ahmed insisted the device was a clock.&nbsp;</p> <p>After this incident, Ahmed's older sisters created a Twitter hashtag called #IStandWithAhmed. &nbsp;There has been an outpouring of support for Ahmed on Twitter ever since. &nbsp;Many of the quotes we read in the handout were from this hashtag.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Feelings Web continued</h4> <p>Having elicited what happened in Irving, Texas, ask students their thoughts and feelings about what happened. Ask:</p> <p>How do you think Ahmed Mohamed felt when he was building the clock and first brought it into school in the morning?&nbsp;</p> <p>Add these feelings words to the chart from before, using the same color.&nbsp;</p> <p>Then ask students how they think Ahmed felt when the teacher first told him to hide it and not show anyone.&nbsp;</p> <p>What about when the other teacher confiscated it?&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <p>And then when he was questioned at school ... put into handcuffs ... and taken to the juvenile detention center?&nbsp;</p> <p>Chart the feelings words in a different color around the words already charted on the board.&nbsp;</p> <p>Now ask students to look at the feelings web.&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>What do they notice about the web?&nbsp;&nbsp;</li> <li>Any similarities, differences, surprises?</li> <li>Has anyone in this class ever been made to feel bad about something they were good at or something they were proud of?&nbsp; What was that like?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><br> <strong>Wider issues</strong></h4> <p>Tell students that it's important to support people, young and old, who have been the target of discrimination and injustice. &nbsp;We also need to consider how these instances of discrimination relate to wider issues we need to address as a society. Ask students to read the tweets included in <u><strong><span style="color:#000000;"><a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/files/%232%20TWEETS%20ABOUT%20AHMED%20MOHAMED.pdf">HANDOUT 2</a></span></strong></u><span style="color:#000000;">.</span></p> <p>Then ask students to discuss the following:</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about these tweets?</li> <li>Can anyone relate to the tweets in any way?</li> <li>Has anyone ever heard the term Islamophobia?&nbsp; What does it mean?<br> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <hr> <h4><br> Defining Islamophobia</h4> <p>Take the word apart if needed: Islam + phobia.&nbsp;</p> <p>What is Islam? According to Merriam Webster, Islam is:</p> <p class="rteindent1">"the religion which teaches that there is only one God and that Muhammad is God's prophet: the religion of Muslims."&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>What is a phobia? &nbsp;According to Merriam Webster, a phobia is:</p> <p class="rteindent1">"an extremely strong dislike or fear of someone or something<strong>:</strong>&nbsp; an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation."</p> <p>Based on these definitions, ask students to try to come up with a definition of Islamophobia as you keep in mind some of the definitions below:</p> <p>According to CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) <u>Islamophobia</u> is closed-minded prejudice against or hatred of Islam and Muslims. An Islamophobe is an individual who holds a closed-minded view of Islam and promotes prejudice against or hatred of Muslims.</p> <p>According to Oxforddictionaries.com, Islamophobia is "dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force."</p> <p>Islamophobia, then, is an attitude or belief about Islam and Muslims. Attitudes and beliefs often determine our actions.&nbsp;</p> <p>Ask students to think about how some teachers, administrators, and police behaved in the case of Ahmed Mohamed.&nbsp; Ask:</p> <ul> <li>What do you think might have been the underlying beliefs and attitudes of the teachers, administrators and police in this incident?</li> <li>Do you think Islamophobia was displayed in this case? Why or why not?&nbsp;</li> <li>Can you identify discriminatory actions in this case? If so, what are they?</li> <li>Can you relate this to any other beliefs and attitudes that people have about other groups in our society?&nbsp; Who are the groups?&nbsp; What are the negative beliefs and attitudes called?&nbsp; (Examples could include people of color and racism, women and sexism, Jews and anti-Semitism, gays and homophobia, young people and ageism, etc.)</li> </ul> <p>Invite students to raise their hand if they've ever been at the receiving end of discriminatory actions. &nbsp;</p> <p>Ask students to turn to a partner to talk about the experience - or talk about a time in their lives when they've witnessed a discriminatory action.&nbsp;</p> <p>Ask some volunteers to share out their experience.&nbsp; What do students think were the assumptions and/or beliefs that the people who discriminated had in these situations?&nbsp; &nbsp;How do such assumptions and/or beliefs come into being?&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>I'm Muslim, But I'm Not ...</h4> <p>Invite students to watch this 2-minute video clip, which aims to challenge stereotypes and biases against Muslims:</p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BuzzFeedVideo/videos/1828085753998965/?fref=nf">https://www.facebook.com/BuzzFeedVideo/videos/1828085753998965/?fref=nf</a></p> <p>Then ask students to discuss some or all of the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about this clip?</li> <li>How does this relate to what happened to Ahmed Mohamed?</li> <li>What did you notice about the people in this clip?</li> <li>What stood out for you about this clip?</li> <li>Did anything in the clip surprise you?&nbsp;</li> <li>What did you learn from this clip?</li> <li>How do you think this clip relates to what we just talked about regarding Islamophobia?</li> </ul> <p>Alternatively, have students view and discuss this 1-minute clip of Ahmed Mohamed speaking to reporters.</p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NowThisNews/videos/910489299041195/?fref=nf">https://www.facebook.com/NowThisNews/videos/910489299041195/?fref=nf</a><br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Ask students:&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about this clip?</li> <li>What stood out for you about this clip?</li> <li>What surprised you about this clip?&nbsp;</li> <li>How do you think Ahmed Mohamed is feeling in this clip?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>I Stand With Ahmed and Then Some</h4> <p>Have students work with a partner or small groups to create a tweet in which they either stand up for Ahmed Mohamed or stand up against Islamophobia. Invite students to read out their tweets.</p> <p>After students read their tweets, ask the rest of the class to share how listening to these tweets made them feel. Create a new feelings web, or add to the one you created earlier, using another color.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Closing</h4> <p>Ask a student to read the following quote from the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/17/ahmed-mohamed-is-tired-excited-to-meet-obama-and-wants-his-clock-back">Guardian</a> out loud:</p> <p style="margin-left:.25in;"><em>"It's worth it, once you realize what you're fighting for," says Ahmed Mohamed. And what is he fighting for? He looks around the room, and like any American 14-year-old grappling with issues beyond his control, he answered with the rising inflection of a question. "Not just for Muslims?" he said. "But for anybody who has been through this?"</em></p> <p>Invite students to take a deep breath and think about one thing they learned today.&nbsp; Ask a few volunteers to share.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2015-09-19T10:59:05-04:00" title="Saturday, September 19, 2015 - 10:59">September 19, 2015</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Sat, 19 Sep 2015 14:59:05 +0000 fionta 441 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Respect for All 2012: Standing up to Discrimination https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/respect-all-2012-standing-discrimination <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Respect for All 2012: Standing up to Discrimination</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p><strong>by Marieke van Woerkom</strong></p> <h4><br> Objectives</h4> <p><strong>Students will:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Explore diversity and what it means to have a welcoming classroom environment</li> <li>Define the terms "prejudice" "stereotype" and "discrimination"</li> <li>Read an article about a hate crime in Lowell, MA, and determine who in the story was the aggressor, who was the target and who were the allies</li> <li>Explore the role of an ally both in the article and at school</li> <li>Explore the challenges to being an ally and ways of being an ally</li> </ul> <p><strong>SEL Skills:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Creating a more positive, supportive, welcoming classroom community</li> <li>Exploring feelings (about a hate crime)&nbsp;</li> <li>Compassion</li> <li>Standing up for those who are being targeted</li> <li>Becoming an ally</li> </ul> <h4>Materials needed:</h4> <ul> <li>Today's agenda on chart paper or on the board</li> <li>Chart paper and markers for activity on definitions</li> <li>Article at&nbsp;<a href="http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/13/10149681-vets-hold-eat-in-to-help-immigrants-vandalized-restaurant">http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/13/10149681-vets-hold-eat-in-to-help-immigrants-vandalized-restaurant</a></li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>Gathering&nbsp;</h3> <p><em>(10 minutes)</em></p> <p>Instruct students in your class to take a few minutes to think about how we are all a part of different groups and belong to different communities. Ask students to think about some of the different groups they are a part of. You may want to hand out index cards where students can list some of the groups/communities they are a part of.</p> <p>Explain that in this gathering you'll ask students to share some of the groups and communities they just listed. Next we'll appreciate them with applause. Model the activity by sharing a group or community you are a part of by standing up and saying "I am _____________." Then ask everyone else in your class who is part of the same group (eg , Puerto Rican) to stand up with you and get everyone else in the class to applaud.</p> <p>Having modeled the activity with a few of the groups you belong to, ask several students to stand up and share some of the groups they are a part of, saying "I am _____________." Have others in the class stand with them if they belong to the group as well. As a class, applaud those standing up.</p> <p>At the end of the activity ask your students some or all of the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>What was that activity like?</li> <li>What did it feel like to be applauded?</li> <li>What did it feel like to stand as a group?</li> <li>What did it feel like to stand alone?</li> </ul> <p>Explain that we want our class and our school to be the kind of place where people feel welcomed and celebrated, no matter who they are or what group they are a part of. We want people to be able to stand up proudly for who they are and the communities they represent. This is what Respect for All Week is all about.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Check Agenda and Objectives&nbsp;(1 minute)</p> <p>Explain that this week,&nbsp;<a href="http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/mediarelations/NewsandSpeeches/2011-2012/rfaweekrelease21012">February 13-18, 2012, is Respect for All week</a>. RFA week is a New York City Department of Education initiative to counter bullying and harassment based on ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability and other characteristics. In today's lesson we will think about steps we can take to counter bullying and harassment through different activities, including reading an article about a group of veterans taking a stand.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>Defining Terms&nbsp;</h3> <p><em>(14 minutes)</em></p> <p>Ask students in what ways cultural difference can enrich our lives, our classrooms, our learning. Elicit some quick responses from your students before noting that unfortunately cultural differences are too often used as an excuse for bullying and harassing people, driving wedges between us.</p> <p>Write the word&nbsp;<strong>prejudice&nbsp;</strong>on the board or chart paper. Ask the students what "prejudice" means. Work toward a definition of prejudice as literally "pre-judgment," a negative attitude about a group of people not based on knowledge.</p> <p>Ask if they think some people are prejudiced against teenagers. What are some of the negative attitudes people have about teenagers? Elicit some examples from the group and chart them. Your chart might look something like this:</p> <p>Teenagers:</p> <ul> <li>like loud music</li> <li>are addicted to junk food</li> <li>talk on the phone a lot</li> <li>are rowdy, rude, and disrespectful</li> <li>won't let anybody tell them what to do</li> <li>are totally into themselves.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Discuss:&nbsp;</strong>Do some teenagers fit these descriptions? Do all teenagers fit this description? Who can describe a teenager they know who is not like this? Is it fair to say or imply that all teenagers are like this? What negative results could come from people being prejudiced against teenagers?</p> <p>Now write the word&nbsp;<strong>stereotype</strong>&nbsp;on the board or chart paper. Elicit and explain that the negative statements about teenagers listed on the chart are examples of "stereotypes." Ask if anyone can define the word stereotype. Work toward a definition of stereotype as a general statement about a group of people based on incomplete and often inaccurate information. Usually it's negative.</p> <p>Now write the word<strong>&nbsp;discrimination</strong>&nbsp;on the board. Elicit and explain that discrimination is "an action or actions based on prejudice." Make sure the students understand that prejudice is an attitude, while discrimination is an action. Ask the students for an example of discrimination against teenagers - that is, actions based on prejudice against teenagers. Students might give examples such as the following: security agents following teenagers around in stores; police confronting teenagers who are doing nothing wrong.</p> <p>Elicit other examples of prejudice and discrimination from the students. If they have trouble thinking of things, prompt them by mentioning various groups and asking students to describe prejudiced attitudes some people have toward the group and forms discrimination might take.</p> <p>To record the students' ideas, you might make a chart like the one below:&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <table border="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div>Group</div> </td> <td> <div>Prejudice</div> </td> <td> <div>Discrimination</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Teenagers</td> <td>They're all thieves</td> <td> <p>Teenagers Have the security agents follow them and encourage them to leave</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Old people</td> <td>Crabby and boring</td> <td>Avoid them</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Disabled people</td> <td>Can't work effectively</td> <td>Don't hire them</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Girls</td> <td>Not strong or good at sports</td> <td>Don't let them play</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Summarize the activity by saying something along the following lines: We all have prejudices we carry around in our minds. We all make generalizations; that's one way our minds make sense of the world. But when we act on negative judgments and generalizations about groups of people -judgments and generalizations formed without sufficient knowledge - we can cause lots of pain to ourselves and others.</p> <p>We need to be aware of our prejudices; counter them by increasing our knowledge and experience; and work hard to see each person for who they are. Treating others with respect means seeing them as individuals and avoiding assumptions about them based on a group they belong to. This is what Respect for All Week is all about.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>Vets hold 'eat-in' to help immigrants' vandalized restaurant&nbsp;</h3> <p><em>(20 minutes)</em></p> <p>Ask students to read the article "Vets hold 'eat-in' to help immigrants' vandalized restaurant" at&nbsp;<a href="http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/13/10149681-vets-hold-eat-in-to-help-immigrants-vandalized-restaurant">http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/13/10149681-vets-hold-eat-in-to-help-immigrants-vandalized-restaurant</a></p> <p>Coming back together ask students some or all of the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about this story?</li> <li>How did the restaurant owner feel after someone threw the rock through the window of her restaurant?&nbsp;</li> <li>How did she feel when the veterans filled up her restaurant?</li> <li>Why do you think it might be significant that it was vets who took this action?</li> <li>What message did it send?</li> <li>The article talks about a hate crime. What is a hate crime?&nbsp;</li> <li>If you look back over the definitions we just created, what category does hate crime fit into?</li> <li>Who were some of the groups/communities mentioned in the article?&nbsp;</li> <li>What roles did they play? Elicit that the man who threw the brick was the aggressor, the restaurant owner was the target (of discrimination) and the vets were allies to the restaurant owner.</li> </ul> <p>Ask your students next to think about their school, asking some or all of the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>Are people at your school treated differently based on what group they are from? How?</li> <li>Do you think it's easy to stand up on behalf of those who are being teased, bullied or threatened? Why or why not?</li> <li>What might make it easier?&nbsp;</li> <li>Thinking back to the article, what are some of the things we could do to stand by people when they are targeted either at school or beyond the school walls? <p>&nbsp;</p> </li> </ul> <hr> <h3>Closing&nbsp;</h3> <p><em>(5 minutes)</em></p> <p>In closing ask students to discuss the following quote in pairs:</p> <p>"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."&nbsp;<br> <em>—&nbsp;Robert F. Kennedy</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>This lesson was written for TeachableMoment.org by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/marieke-van-woerkom">Marieke van Woerkom</a>. We welcome your comments. Please email them to:<a href="mailto:lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org">lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org</a>.</em></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2012-02-14T00:00:00-05:00" title="Tuesday, February 14, 2012 - 00:00">February 14, 2012</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000 fionta 634 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org