Brooke Miller

South Charleston Middle School

Reflection Summary Statement Lesson on Diversity
Developing the Lesson:
In developing my lesson on diversity, I worked closely alongside Mrs. Hess. I had asked
her about any specific ideas she would like me to focus upon, and she said to find a way to
correlate prejudice from the Holocaust with todays society. She wanted students to understand
that prejudices, scapegoats, and stereotypes are still a reality. I knew that Mrs. Hess takes some
form of grade for each day of class, so I asked her if she wanted me to produce a worksheet of
sorts to grade for that daily grade. She replied yes, so I knew then that the writing aspect of my
lesson would be taken in the form of the worksheet.
In developing the worksheet for the lesson, I wanted it to be pretty straight-forward, for it
was going to be more of a guide for discussion within the groups of students. I produced a
worksheet that encompassed what Mrs. Hess and I had spoken of and included heavy focus on
the terms prejudice, stereotype, and scapegoat. Mrs. Hess looked it over and thought it
was great, so I finalized it and made the necessary copies. I made sure to put heavy emphasis on
wanting students to give examples of each of the terms that are still relevant today.
Standards:
I used the following standard for my lesson -ELA.8.SL.C13.1
engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw

on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on
ideas under discussion.
follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific
goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others questions and
comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify
their own views in light of the evidence presented.
(CCSS SL.8.1)
Mrs. Hess specifically gave me this standard to focus on. She explained how she wanted students
to work in groups because with the Next Generation Standards there is a heavy emphasis on
discussions. She said this is different from the old CEOs, so she would appreciate help with this
one. I felt that with diversity was a great thing for students to hold discussions on and about;
students were able to receive different perspectives from their peers. With such a sensitive topic,
it is more productive to hear thoughts from those around oneself than simply just being taught
about it.
Student Response:
I believe that students responded very well to the lesson. They were very intrigued by the
lesson in and of itself. The topic is near and dear to their hearts, especially since they are in the
midst of a unit on the Holocaust. This extreme outcome of prejudice and ignorance about
diversity is what students feel responsible for avoiding ever again.

When I introduced the lesson with Elie Wiesels acceptance speech, the tone of each and
every class changed. They felt the seriousness of the topic even more deeply. Before I read his
words aloud, I emphasized that his memoir was for mature audiences and was very gruesome,
dark, and honest. This caught their attention, and after I finished reading, they were all in awe. I
think this helped to really ignite their passion for understanding prejudice and why it exists.
I had a few students from each class tell me that they thought I did a great job. One girl
from the sixth period told me she wished I was their teacher all the time. I was very excited to
hear compliments from the students. They seemed to learn a lot. When I wrapped up the whole
class discussions at the end of each period, I made sure that they understood that they had power,
even as eighth graders, to change the thoughts of the world. I wanted them to feel as if they could
make a difference, for I genuinely believe they are capable of doing so. I think by the end of the
lesson, they felt as if they had the power to accept diversity and prevent prejudice as well.
The discussions held in individual groups in each of the different classes differed greatly.
Students were coming up with all different kinds of examples of prejudice and stereotypes: All
blondes are dumb, All poor people are lazy, All white girls drink Starbucks. Though their
examples and thoughts were varied, they were all great examples; I was just very thrilled that
they were all discussing so well. The thing I think students struggled with most was
understanding that prejudice is not a tangible thing, but rather a concept. I had to explain this in
each of the classes, even the more advanced period. After doing so, students grasped the overall
lesson much better. Luckily, I was able to catch on to this early and adjust as needed throughout
the day.
Assessment Results:

Diagnostic Assessment Results

Number of Students

20
15
10
5
0
Prejudice

Stereotype

Scapegoat

Verbal Defining of Terms

Period 2

Period 3

Period 4

Period 6

Summative Assessment Results

12
10
8

Number of Students

6
4
2
0

10

15

20

25

Points Earned (25 Max)

Period 2

Period 3

Period 4

Period 6

Data Based Decision Making:

The diagnostic assessment for this lesson was very informal simply due to the time
crunch of all I had to accomplish within forty-five minutes. Had I had two days to teach this
lesson, I would have had much more thorough diagnostic assessment strategies. That being said,
I simply asked at the beginning of the lesson how many students by a show of hands were able to
define prejudice, stereotype, and scapegoat. When students raised their hands, I asked
Mrs. Hess to jot down the numbers for me. The results are given in the first chart.

I used a worksheet as the summative assessment for this lesson. I dedicated each section
of the worksheet to be worth 5 points. If students did not complete the entire section, they lost
the entire five points for the section. No partial credit was awarded due to the fact I thoroughly
went over the instructions and sectioned the worksheet off so clearly. Please see an attached
example of the worksheet for further explanation.
It is clear to see the differences in abilities of each class period. Period 3 is the inclusive
class and it shows in these results. Period 4 is the more advanced group, and it is clear they
grasped the worksheet and what their expectations were within their groups. Period 2 and Period
6 were close in results and were deemed previously by Mrs. Hess to be the average groups
which is also clear within these results.
After seeing the overall grades of each of the individual periods, I more thoroughly
analyzed which parts of the worksheet students lost points at most. While grading, I noticed a
trend in an inability to follow the instructions on the last section of the worksheet which told
them to give at least four suggestions of how to get rid of prejudice. Students in the periods aside
from the advanced group did not give four, but rather just one or two.
I am pleased with the overall results from the summative assessment. Though they were
not as drastic as they could have been due to the students claims of prior knowledge, I was still
very happy with their work. I do, however, think the results were skewed because the diagnostic
testing was so informal.
I used formative assessment by going around from group to group and listening to
discussion and even joining the small group discussions if needed. Once I joined in with the
groups that were struggling more with the concepts, students began to become more active so
that when I left, they were successful and continuing the conversation. I really enjoyed the

formative assessment in the form of a whole class discussion within the last few minutes of class.
This ended up being a good way to wrap up the lesson and allowed students to share their ideas.
If I could change anything about this lesson, it would be the time taken to give an
authentic, formal, diagnostic assessment. It was not due to lack of planning that made the task so
sporadic, but rather the pressure to have the entire lesson in forty-five minutes. For period 2
specifically, I would take more time to emphasize the point value of the worksheet and the
necessity it represented. For period 4, I would have dedicated less time to the explanation of the
terms, for they seemed to have a pretty solid background knowledge. I would have then used this
time to go into more deep of a discussion at the end of the lesson.