LT2: Social Justice Lesson Plan

Crystal Yang 10149967

Education 450
University of Calgary
Class: Grade 5 Social Studies Unit Topic: Identity
Time: 90-minute lessons Lesson Topic: Stereotypes

Objectives of the lesson:

1. Understand what stereotyping is.
2. Gain empathy for the Indigenous peoples of Canada and learn how they have been stereotyped.
Learner Outcomes (Program of Studies) Plan for Diversity
-5.2: Histories and Stories of Ways of Life in -Kids can either write or draw in their class
Canada journals.
-5.3: Canada: Shaping an Identity -Let kids with poor eye-sight sit near the front
Grade 5 presents events and issues that have during the video.
impacted citizenship and identity in the Canadian -Kids who are physically disabled can have their
context over time. own set of markers at their desk.
Prerequisite Knowledge, Skills, Strategies and Preliminary Matters (Announcements, etc.)
Attitudes -Class has been warmed up to talking about
-Students already know the concept “identity”. sensitive topics respectfully in previous weeks.
-Students have learnt about the Indigenous -Paper plates will be laid out at each desk. Extras
peoples, their past way of life, and the fur trade will be at the teacher’s desk. Markers will be out
(5.2 curricular outcome). in the front of the classroom.

Time What the What the Resources Assessment

teacher does student does
Warm up: 10 mins Tell the class Actively None required. Review
Activating to sit in a listening or understanding
prior circle on the raising their of previous
knowledge of carpet. Go hand to answer lessons.
identity over today’s questions.
agenda. Ask
them to tell
you what
“identity” is.
Lesson 1: 15 mins Teach the class Actively Teacher’s No formal
Preconceived that our listening. example of the assessment.
notions identity can be Move to their next activity.
formed by desks when
others as well prompt.
as ourselves.
Teach what a
stereotype is
and explain the
first activity
and ask if
there are any
questions, then
ask students to
go to their
desks.
Activity 1: 15 mins Give 5- and 1- Doing the Markers and Students can
minute “Understandin paper plates. understand
warnings till g Prejudice how identity is
 end time, then through Paper complex:
“Understand tell students to Plate Portraits” identify an
ing put away the activity. assumption
Prejudice markers and people make
through sit at their about them
Paper Plate desks when (bump) versus
done. something that
Portraits”
makes them
who they are
that people
would not
know just by
looking at
them (crater).
Lesson 2: 15 mins 1) Tell 1) Students are Completed Students gain
Stereotyping students to looking at the paper plates. empathy and
look at the “bump”. an
“bump” of Students are understanding
their plate. explaining the of stereotyping
Ask them how different by articulating
they feel emotions they how they feel
looking at this feel from when others
part versus looking at each have
looking at the side of the preconceived
“crater” part of plate. notions about
the plate. 3) Students are them.
3) Explain actively
how listening.
preconceived
notions can
become
stereotypes.
Explain what a
stereotype is.
Activity 2: 15 mins (10 1) Show a 1) Are looking Images of Emerging
Addressing min lesson & 5 slide show of at the board Indigenous understanding
Indigenous min writing) pictures of and actively peoples of Indigenous
peoples Indigenous listening. collected from peoples’
stereotypes & peoples on the 2) Can identify a Google stereotyping:
reflecting on Smartboard that these are search, Students can
one’s own while passing pictures of Smartboard, identify their
preconceived out class Indigenous class journals, initial
notions journals. peoples and and misconception
2) Ask explain why. writing s/understandin
students if 3) When utensils. gs of these
they know prompt, will people in their
who these write in their Most students journals.
pictures are of class journals. should have Journals will
and how they their own be checked
knew. writing after class.
 3)Talk about utensils at
stereotypes of their desks.
Indigenous
peoples and *Show
the levels of pictures of
oppression that Indigenous
led to them. peoples from
4) Ask the the grade 5
class to write social studies
about what textbook in
they know case of
about technological
Indigenous difficulties.
peoples.
Activity 3: “6 10 mins 1) Introduce & Students are Smartboard, No formative
Misconceptio play video. watching the laptop, the assessment.
ns About 3) Ask if there video on the YouTube
Native are any Smartboard video, and
American questions and actively banner paper.
People” about the listening.
video to clarify When prompt *Have a script
understanding. for questions of the video to
about the read aloud in
video, some case of
students may technological
raise their difficulties.
hands to ask
questions.
Closing: 10 mins Ask students Students White board, Students
Social justice to write in respond to the class journals, demonstrate a
writing their journals questions on and writing deeper
reflection until the end of the whiteboard utensils. understanding
class. Write on in their class of identity and
the white journal. stereotyping
board: compared to
“What’s one their last
thing you’ve written
learned from response in
the video?” their journals.
“Has anything Journals will
you’ve thought be checked
changed?” after class.
“What’s one
thing you will
do to help
make all
people feel
more
included?”
Teacher’s reflection after the lesson:
 Type here.
Follow-up on next lesson:
Type here.

Appendix A
Notes to teacher:
The setting for this lesson is an average, well-funded school in Alberta that has

Smartboards, teacher laptops, and whiteboards in their classrooms. My specialization is English

as a Second Language (ESL), but there is no Alberta curriculum for ESL Education in Alberta.

However, Alberta Education states that we must teach ESL students about Canadian culture

(Alberta Education, 2011). I chose the topic of stereotypes because sometimes when teaching a

culture, stereotyping happens. I decided to create a lesson plan for a social studies class and tie

the subject of stereotyping to the Indigenous peoples of Canada because it would give a

Canadian context to the problem of stereotyping. I picked grade five because students begin to

learn about the Indigenous peoples, as well as Canadian identity, in the grade 5 Alberta

curriculum. I have worked with ESL exchange students before, and I have noticed how they

would adopt stereotypical ideas of Indigenous peoples and not realize that they are actively

discriminating against these people when doing so. By addressing the stereotyping of Indigenous

peoples in grade 5 social studies, I hope that students, ESL and non-ESL, would learn not to

discriminate against Indigenous peoples, and to be more careful about stereotyping other cultures

starting at a young age.

I started my lesson by activating prior knowledge, which was what students have already

learned about identity in the course. The next activity is for students to critically think about

identity by examining how their own identity is constructed. The activity brings out the contrast

of how they view themselves versus how others have mistakenly viewed them. The discomfort
created by the contradictions they discover could help build the foundation for understanding the

effects of prejudice, and later, stereotyping. Though this binary approach of “the self” versus

“the other” does not fully encapsulate the complexity of identity where other views of you can

feed your own views of yourself, it is a simplified and basic introduction to the volatility of

identity where these grade 5 students can further advance upon in their later stages of education.

For now, this binary is used to introduce the stereotyping that happens to the Indigenous peoples

of Canada.

By considering how it feels to face prejudice against oneself, one can be more empathetic

about how others feel when facing prejudice, and one can become more aware of their own

prejudices. This method is called the “pedagogy of discomfort” (Boler & Zembylas, 2003, pp.

107-108). The class journals will be used to help aid in self-reflection of one’s own, or one’s

own witness, of prejudices against Indigenous peoples. The journal also provides evidence for

formative assessment. After students are in the state of mind that is open to reflect on the concept

of stereotyping, the teacher can introduce them to the four levels of oppression: institutional,

cultural, ideological, and historical (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2017, pp. 65-71).

Once the layers of oppression are brought to light, the teacher can help move the class

towards Truth and Reconciliation by letting Indigenous peoples’ voices be heard. The short

video, “6 Misconceptions About Native American People” shows a couple of Indigenous girls

who discuss why stereotypes and common fallacies about Indigenous peoples and culture are

inaccurate (Teen Vogue, 2016). This video will help address any of the students’ prejudices

about Indigenous peoples and solidify the fact that they are just another ordinary group of

Canadians under layers of oppression. After watching the video, the class will write in their

journals again, but this time, respond to whether any of their previous notions have changed from
the last writing activity in class, and then move to advocating for social justice by explaining one

thing they will do to make Indigenous peoples and other people more included in their

community.

Appendix B

Instructions for "Understanding Prejudice through Paper Plate Portraits” Activity

You will need one paper plate per student. First, review the meaning of the word
prejudice, breaking down the word into its parts, “pre” and “judge.”
Begin brainstorming about the types of judgments people might make without getting to
know someone. Ask, “What is something someone might think about you just from looking at
you?” I usually model with an example about myself. Younger children often mention judgments
based on gender, age, size or clothing. My students have said, “Some people might see I’m a girl
and think my favorite color is pink,” and “People might think that just because I’m a kid, I don’t
know a lot.” Older students may mention stereotypes based on race, ethnicity, religion, class or
sexual orientation. Chart students’ responses, writing the broader categories on the board, such as
“gender” and “age.”
Explain that students will be reflecting on the difference between what others might
assume about them and how they truly are on the inside. Students will draw their faces on the
outside or “bump” of the plate. They will then write a few words or phrases that they think
someone might assume about them. On the inside or “crater” of the plate, students color in a
heart and write words or phrases that describe their character/personality—who they really are.
For example, I have seen boys write down “rough” and “violent” on the outside of their
plates and “gentle” and “loves stuffies” on the inside of their plates. One of my students wrote
down “small,” “dumb” and “weak” on the outside of her plate, while she wrote down “strong,”
“curious” and “loves sports” on the inside (Teaching Tolerance, 2019).
 References:

Alberta Education. (2011). English as a Second Language Proficiency Benchmarks. Retrieved

from: http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/

Boler, M., & Zembylas, M. (2003). Discomforting truths: The emotional terrain of understanding

difference. In P. P. Trifonas (Ed.), Pedagogies of difference: Rethinking education for

social change (pp. 107-108). New York, NY: Routledge-Falmer

http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/lib/ucalgaryebooks/reader.actio

n?ppg=116&docID=182000&tm=1544153491951

Sensoy, Ö., & DiAngelo, R. (2017). Is everyone really equal? An introduction to key concepts in

social justice education (2nd Ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

Teaching Tolerance. (2019). Understanding Prejudice through Paper Plate Portraits. Retrieved

from https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/understanding-

prejudice-through-paper-plate-portraits

Teen Vogue. (2016, November 29). 6 Misconceptions About Native American People [Video

file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHdW_LVfn28