Balance in Our Curriculum to Dispel Racial Stereotypes

Middle School Grade 8

Lynda Watkins-Turner

INTRODUCTION:

“It’s not what you call me, it’s what I answer to.”

--African Proverb

THE IMAGES YOU SEE ARE STEREOTYPES!!

OUR GOAL: STOP USING STEREOTYPES TO DEFINE EACH OTHER!!

It is an unfortunate reality that recently many of your teachers, staff and administrators have observed that too many students at New Design Middle School have become comfortable using slurs and derogatory slangs to refer to each other’s “perceived” ethnicity. “Perceived” is in quotes because some of the students are being called negative stereotypical names that do not even match their true identity.

We must start with stereotyping. What is it? Where does it come from? How can we change our stereotypes of others?

Let’s take a step back and trace some of the origins of stereotypes, why we use them and then try to come up with a solution to this problem, so we can make New Design Middle School a more positive and inclusive place to learn.

THE PROBLEM: STUDENTS’ USE OF STEREOTYPES TO IDENTIFY ONE ANOTHER.

TASKS: (2)

Part I:

Materials: Survey; 2 groups; Chart Paper, Whiteboard or SmartBoard

*2 Groups will be formed (*Teacher will choose. The Groups will be formed as heterogeneously, as possible.)

Group #1: The students will design/develop a survey on what people think of different ethnic groups.

Group #2: The students will take the survey created by Group#1.

The two groups will discuss their findings and generate questions of each other.

Example: Group #1: How did you come up with these questions?

Group #2: Why did you choose your answers?

Part II: Information will be compiled by the teacher (to avoid any further bias.)

Part III: We will make a Poster 2 Chart papers:

#1) of the Stereotypes that we named and #2) Who we are (really) behind the stereotypes.

Part IV: A summary of what you learned: 5-10 complete sentences. Choose a stereotype and what you have learned to debunk the myth of the stereotype.

A Rubric will be used to grade your contributions.

TASK 2: Aftermath: Group Presentations on what you have learned from your Research.

PROCESS/RESOURCES:

Refer to the assigned 2 Groups.

THE STEPS OF PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST

*Please follow these steps to ensure proper completion of Task: 1-6 (Use all attached worksheets.)*

1. Define the Problem

2. Gather the Evidence

3. Identify the Causes

4. Evaluate an Existing Policy

5. Develop Solutions

6. Select the Best Solution

Here are resources that will be useful to help you complete your project.

This is part of the curriculum that we try to promote everyday to dispel stereotypes.

We also feature months devoted to learning more about Ethnic Groups and other

Disenfranchised peoples:

September: Latin(x) Heritage Month

October: Indigenous People Day/Columbus Day

November: Native American Heritage Month

February: Black History Month

March: Women's History Month

May: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

June: Pride Month/ Juneteenth: African- American Liberation from Slavery

July: Disability Pride Month

February: Lunar New Year (Chinese)

Resources:

Black Racial Stereotypes

https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/links/essays/vcu.htm

Embrace Race

https://www.embracerace.org/resources/young-kids-racial-injustice

Spanish Stereotypes

https://www.verywellmind.com/6-harmful-stereotypes-about-latin-americans-5113358

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6Fq27AzSMo

Asian Stereotypes

https://weta.org/watch/shows/what-i-hear-when-you-say/what-i-hear-model-minority-racial-stereotype

Replacing Aunt Jemima

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/consumer-products/brands-want-replace-racial-stereotypes-packages-not-all-customers-agree

https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/06/17/879104818/acknowledging-racial-stereotype-aunt-jemima-will-change-brand-name-and-image

Disney Stereotypes

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/18/business/media/disney-plus-disclaimers.html

Culture is NOT a Costume

https://www.threadingchange.org/blog/category/Racial+Stereotypes

Children affected by Stereotypes

https://thewarriorledger.com/3222/opinion/racial-stereotypes-affect-students/

The Responsibility of our Educational Institutions (in addressing racism)

https://en.unesco.org/futuresofeducation/ideas-lab/barbieri-ferede-education-eradicate-racism

EVALUATION:

RUBRIC FOR PRESENTATION and WRITTEN RESPONSE (SUMMARY) by Ms. Watkins-Turner

Indicator	Exemplary! 4	Good 3	Passing 2	More Effort Needed 1
Designed/Developed Completed Survey	Ideas were shared with strong evidence to support details	Ideas were shared with some evidence to support details	Ideas were clear, but the reasons are unclear, absent, or incomplete.	Very little thought given to ideas or no ideas shared
Followed PPA	PPA was followed step by step and worksheets were completed	The majority of the PPA was followed, but not all steps. (The outcome could have been stronger with all the PPA steps followed.)	Some of the steps of the PPA were followed, but it lack of some steps affected the outcome	None of the PPA steps were followed or The ones that were followed were not followed correctly; Incomplete worksheets, for example.
Visual/Presentation “Bulletin Board Ready”	*The Presentation showed a clear contrast between the stereotype and reality in an original, creative and visually pleasing manner*	The Presentation showed a contrast between the stereotype and reality in a creative and visually pleasing manner.	The Presentation showed a vague contrast between the stereotype and reality	The Presentation did not show a contrast between the stereotype and reality.
Knowledge of Subject	The Written Summary Piece: Strong connection to the research. Written Summary well researched as evidenced by the references to the resources provided; Other sources may have been referenced outside of the provided resources.	The Written Summary Piece: Strong connection to the research. Written Summary well researched as evidenced by the references to the resources provided.	The Written Summary Piece: Had a connection to the research provided.	Minimum or no connection to the research provided
Writing (Spelling & Grammar)	Mechanics reflect careful editing.	A few errors present, but they do not distract.	Mechanical errors distract at times.	Distracting mechanical errors throughout.
Teacher Comments:

CONCLUSION:

What have we learned? It is not always easy to be honest with ourselves, but it is worth it if we really want to be “the change we seek.” We have:

● designed/developed a survey based on stereotypes

● Taken the survey to expose our own stereotypes

● Did research based on the resources provided and even did our own research to determine where these stereotypes may have come from.

● We have designed anchor charts that dispel the stereotypes and reveal a more balanced view of reality.

(No one is ALL one thing; we are much more complex than that!)

● We wrote a summary of our findings to share with our peers and teachers.

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STANDARDS:

New York State

Social Studies: Standard 2/World History

(*To help dispel stereotypes* Teacher’s Note)

Students: know the social and economic characteristics, such as customs, traditions, child-rearing practices, ways of making a living, education and socialization practices, gender roles, foods, and religious and spiritual beliefs that distinguish different cultures and civilizations • know some important historic events and developments of past civilizations • interpret and analyze documents and artifacts related to significant developments and events in world history

ELA:

Writing Anchor Standards Text Types and Purposes STANDARD 1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

STANDARD 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.