Course: Adult Roles

Lesson: Labeling/diversity

Day 1 of 2

Materials: Head bands with descriptions.

Six boxes wrapped with items inside

1 sucker per student rewrapped in a different wrapper

Rocks of at least two different colors.

Activity: As students enter the classroom a headband is placed on each student’s head. Each person will see the other’s head band but not their own. All the members of the group take turns as the “victim”. The other group members provide “clues” to the victim by giving him verbal and non- verbal clues. The expected outcome is for the victim to guess what his/her identity is.

On each headband are the description:

  1. Wealthy banker
  2. Unemployed biker
  3. Mistress
  4. Pregnant mom on welfare, 4 kids
  5. Drug addict
  6. AIDS patient
  7. Convict on parole
  8. Gang banger

These descriptions can be changed to any stereotype and more added. Once they have guessed discuss why they treated each other the way they did. How did each of them feel when the class treated them a certain way.

Alternative Activity:

Guess label on back

*As students enter the room tape a label (Occupation) on their back. Instruct students to not tell each other what is the label on their back. I just print of a piece of paper with an occupation on it and tape it to their back. I try to chose occupation that have a gender bias to them.

  • Ask each person to think of a word to describe your label. Any word will do. The word might be a positive or negative stereotype.
  • Write down each word until you’ve filled your list
  • After each word, guess your label
  • If someone gives you a word you already have on your list, ask them for another word
  • Get only one word from each person
  • If you guess your label before your list is full, keep asking for more words until you’ve filled your list.
  • Try to use stereotypic adjectives –don’t make it too easy!

After activity discuss how the class labeled some of occupations people had. The labels that we gave for the occupations are they always true?

How do we label people we come in contact with.?

  • Race
  • Social Status
  • Gender
  • Appearances/
  • Clothes they wear
  • Physical

Race:

Activity: hand out rocks to everyone. Some will have pretty rocks some ugly plain brown ones. Have students name their rocks, and write down what is special about their rock After students have had time to write about their rocks have them volunteer to share with the class about their rocks. Pick one type of rock to not like (for example I have some pink ones that are pretty so everyone wants to pick those to have as their rock and I chose those not to like). As students volunteer to share we all listen, but if someone volunteers to share about their rock that is pink I tell them I don’t want to hear about their rock because we don’t like their color of rock, it is not pretty. After we have done this for awhile, I ask students who had pink rocks how they felt about their rock now? And how they felt when I didn’t want to get to know their rock? What does that outside have to do with what their rock is really like?

Social Status:

Relate a story of someone who has left everything in their country to come to America and how their status changes from what it was in their home country and the status they have when they come to US. A lot of times they will have a high status in society (doctor, lawyer, teacher) and when they come to the United States they don’t have the credentials or language skills to have the same career and their status here is lower.

Also with in the United States we just people on their social status.

Discuss: Gender Biases

Gather a collection of typically gender biased articles (pink shirt, cars, dolls, blue shirt, pocket knife, etc). As you hold each item for the class to see, have the class identify whether they think the item is stereotypically for a girl or boy. Discuss how one individual’s perception may differ from another’s.

If you were the opposite sex what would you be like?

What career would you have?

What likes or dislikes would you have?

Read “My Daddy might have loved me”: (attached below)

Appearances

Activity: Have six students come to the front of the room and select a box. Have them explain why they chose the box. What type of person does that box represent to them?

After students have selected a box and have shared what is inside, discuss what type of person the box represents to them. The boxes are decorated as listed below:

  1. Looks okay on the outside, dictionary on the inside
  2. Looks okay outside, cotton balls inside
  3. Small box with plain unattractive wrapping, jewels inside
  4. Beautifully wrapped box, empty inside
  5. Looks nice on the outside, candy bar inside
  6. Beautiful box that will not open

Item in box type of person person’s appearance

  1. Dictionary Someone smartNormal appearance
  2. CottonAir headNormal appearance
  3. JewelsBeautiful personPlain looking
  4. Empty BoxGorgeous outside,Beautiful appearance

but nothing inside

  1. Candy BarLooks good and is goodNice looking
  2. Box will not openBeautiful, but will notBeautiful appearance

share self

Have students share personal experiences that they have had that deal with labeling or stereotyping a person and then discovering that the person was much different that their original perception. It is very effective to have them use a teacher as the subject.

Clothing labels – talk to the class about ways we treat people differently because of the way they dress, etc.

Family Labels – Family injunctions is a fancy term for the labels your family gives you. Have the class mention some family injunctions that they have heard.

What do labels do to people’s self esteem? (shut people out).

Story: Brayden came home from the babysitter one day and said “Mom I not a “ooser”. I said “What?” “I not a ooser am I” My daughter said “he means a LOOSER, Rex called him a looser.” We need to be careful about the labels we put on others.

What kind of labels do we place upon other students or peers? (may be written on the board).

Story: “The Average Child” (attached)

As young adults it is important now for you to decide which labels you are going to receive and which you are going o reject. As a little child you probably didn’t have a lot of analytical skills and took everything people said about you and you believed it whether it was true or not. NO LONGER can you let others be in charge of the way you choose to see yourself. The principle of FENCES AND GATES is important to learn. The idea is you are in charge of any information that comes your way. If you like the message another sends open the gate and let that message in. If it is a negative message that is destructive CLOSE THE GATE! Also of note is the idea that it takes 15 positive ideas to overcome one negative one.

Physical:

Activity: As the teacher says a name students need to say the first thing that comes to their mind.

Helen Keller (Students usually reply blind or deaf)

Christopher Reeve (crippled or superman)

Danny Devito (short, fat)

John Candy (fat, funny)

Etc.

We need to take time and get to know the person on the inside.

Activity: “People are priceless”

Tell the class you need an arm, leg, hands, eyes, etc. Have the students give you a price for each of those items that they would be willing to sell to you. (Most won’t sell any for any price) Point: People are Priceless.

Assignment: Have each student bring something to share with the class that shows their culture or individuality. (The teacher may want to share something with the class know to help the students to begin thinking or share something next class period if you want a diversity in what students share.)

Summary:

(Before class begins, the wrappers should be removed from each sucker, then rewrapped with a wrapper that does not represent the flavor found in side it.)

Give the suckers to the students, allowing them to choose the color they want. Do not tell them that the suckers have been rewrapped. As suckers are passed out, continue to talk about the fact that a book cannot be judged by its cover. First impressions are not a good indication of what a person really is, etc.