What strategies do you use to build a supportive classroom community in order to discuss sensitive or controversial topics?
Consider how your class differs from Ms. Sinclair's. How would you introduce stereotypes to your own class?
What do you notice about the ways Ms. Sinclair works with students to develop and use criteria for the letter writing assignment? How can you work with students to:
develop criteria for one of your own assignments?
encourage ongoing reference to the criteria as students refine their work?
Taking It Back to Your Classroom
Ask your students to add to the checklist on stereotypes included as background for this lesson. Bring in several age-appropriate news articles. Divide the class into groups, and give each group two or three articles to analyze, using the checklist.
Ask students to bring in product packages or other marketing items that promote stereotypes (e.g., sports team logos, food packaging, etc.). Have students research the origins of the logos and/or look at some of the protests and legal battles that have been waged to get rid of certain images.
Ask your students to read a follow-up assignment to determine how writers challenge stereotypes (for example, The Boston Coffee Party by Doreen Rappaport challenges stereotypes of women during the American Revolution). Students may illustrate some aspect of the book that relates to stereotypes.
Divide the class into groups and ask them to develop a booklet about stereotypes to share with students in another classroom. Work with your students to develop criteria for a booklet before they begin work. Remind students to apply the criteria as they create and refine their booklets. Plan a session for sharing the booklets with each other and then with another class.
For related print materials and Web sites, see Resources.