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Materials Needed:
Photographs of a variety of different people –
enlarged to 8 x 10. Brief Biographies affixed to
the back.
White Board or Chalk Board
Markers or Chalk
Optional material: (if time permits)
“The Dot” by Peter Reynolds
Note: If you have photographs of family members
or friends who are of a different ethnicity or race,
do consider including them in your lesson. This
will be particularly effective in a multicultural
class, as it can build a community of acceptance and
encourage embracing differences.
Purpose of Lesson: Through their own
discussion and reactions, students will see how we
all react with pre-conceived notions about who
people are based on clothes, race, attractiveness,
ethnicity, facial expressions, etc..It is the goal
of this lesson to encourage reflection on the topic
of open-mindedness.
Length: - One 45-minute lesson.
Lesson Beginning
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Rather than tell the students that the topic of
discussion is on open-mindedness, just begin the
class by hanging the first photo.
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Tell the students that “we’re going to have some
fun trying to figure out who some people are,
and I’ll WRITE DOWN everything you say.”
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Who do you think he/she is? Follow up with
questions such as: How old? What nationality?
American Citizen? What does he/she do for a
living? Where does he/she live? etc…..
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Leave enough room to write down all the
students’ answers. Most often, discussion about
who’s probably right/wrong will start to occur.
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Go through more photos – perhaps 3 or 4
depending on time allowed.
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During the lesson, interact with students about
their opinions.
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When “guessing” is complete, ask the students if
they want to know how close they came. Of
course, the answer will be “YES”.
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Read the bio for each one and then pass the
photos around the room, so they can see for
themselves.
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Be
creative. Find photos of executives in
construction gear, multicultural families, old
people who look young, etc…
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Tell the students this was an exercise in
open-mindedness. Point out that if we judge
people on our preconceived notions, we are often
wrong.
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If there is time, finish the lesson by reading
“The Dot”. Older kids may groan that it’s a
baby book, but just smile and tell them the most
profound lessons come from baby books.
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Conclude by telling students that the artist
Vashti had trouble being open-minded about
herself. That maybe if we all can open our
minds to our own possibilities, we can do the
same for others.
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