Lesson Plans for Exploring Prejudice and
Diversity Issues
Hate
Objective: to learn about prejudice and its dangers
Grade level: Elementary - Middle school
Materials: dictionaries
Time required: 1 to 1.5 hours
1. Vocabulary - Ask students to look up and copy the
definitions of "prejudice, discriminate, stereotype"
- or any other words found in the glossary.
2. Definitions - Ask students to define the words
using their own language.
3. Rehearsal - When you are certain they understand
each word, divide the students into groups of four. Assign
one of these words to each group. Ask each group to present
a 4-minute role-play which demonstrates their word. Allow
about 30 minutes for this.
4. Role-Play - Have one group present its role-play.
Ask the class to respond to the role-play. Make sure that
someone in the audience can articulate what the word is and
how the role-play illustrated the word. Repeat this until
each group has a turn to present and hear feedback.
5. What did we learn? Explain to students that these
things happen when we just look at people as part of an ethnic
or cultural group instead of as individuals. Tell students
that the next time they see someone they feel prejudiced towards,
have discriminated against, or think of in stereotypical ways,
they might ask themselves - why do I think this way? Am I
right? Am I seeing this person as an individual or as a group
member? Am I making assumptions?
*While the students are working, listen in on each group
to be sure that their role-play accurately illustrates their
word. If it doesn't, explain why so that they can change it
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