Racial Prejudice: Past and Present

Subject Area

Social Studies

Grade(s)

9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

This activity should be used at the beginning of a lesson about the long-standing racial prejudice issues in America as depicted in short stories like Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” (1894). The teacher can use the Poll Everywhere site to create a question like “What 'appropriate' word comes to mind when you compare racial prejudice of modern-day America to the America of 125 years ago?” You can use the responses to the question to create a “Word Picture” on the Poll Everywhere website so that students can see all responses on the board. This will segue to viewing a YouTube video entitled "Too White to Be Black Too Black to be White" (5:36 min.). 

This activity was created as a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

Phase

Before/Engage
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 09-12 - Contemporary World Issues and Civic Engagement

SS10.CWI.5

Analyze cultural elements, including language, art, music, literature, and belief systems, to determine how they facilitate global understanding or misunderstanding.

UP:SS10.CWI.5

Vocabulary

  • global understanding
  • cultural elements
  • evidence
  • analyze
  • belief system
  • globalization
  • perspective
  • diversity

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The elements that form a culture.
  • Differing cultures around the world.
  • Culture conflicts throughout history.
  • The meaning of globalization as well as how globalization has provided a need and an avenue for global/cultural understanding.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Analyze elements of culture using a variety of techniques.
  • Support analysis with global perspective of culture.
  • Identify cultures throughout the world through locating.
  • Form an argument with evidence to determine if cultural elements facilitate global understanding or misunderstanding.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Cultural elements facilitate global understanding or misunderstanding for any given culture.
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 09-12 - Sociology

SS10.S.10

Describe social movement and social change.

UP:SS10.S.10

Vocabulary

  • social movement
  • social change
  • collective behavior
  • mobs
  • riots
  • fads
  • crowds
  • Civil Rights movement
  • women's movement
  • gun rights movement
  • green movement
  • other minority movements

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The many historical movements related to social issues.
  • Several examples of collective behavior.
  • The ethical issues facing modern society.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Discuss the factors leading to various social movements.
  • Understand how collective behavior works.
  • Analyze ethical and social issues facing modern society.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There have been many factors influencing the development of various social movements throughout history.
  • There are many examples of how collective behavior has worked.
  • There are a variety of dilemmas involved in the different social and ethical issues facing modern society.

Learning Objectives

  • The students will evaluate opinions about racial prejudice in America 125 years ago and currently to describe social movement and change. 
  • The students will integrate insight from multiple sources to answer a question about racial prejudice in the South.

Activity Details

1. As students enter class, the teacher should have already created an "Opening Question" using the Poll Everywhere website, and the question can be projected on the board. Students may use their cell phones to respond to the site; they do not have to sign in, but they will be prompted to use a name for their responses. Students’ answers will populate the website’s “Word Cloud” to prompt a short class discussion. The teacher will instruct them to sign up on their device and contribute an answer to the question.

The teacher can use the Poll Everywhere site to create a question like “What 'appropriate' word comes to mind when you compare racial prejudice of modern-day America to the America of 125 years ago?” 

If you use the free version of "Poll Everywhere," the teacher controls the question(s) and the format used. If the "Word Picture" option is selected, students can see their responses populate on the screen as a "Word Picture", which can prompt discussion.

2. After students have responded, the teacher will lead a short class discussion about their responses.

     a. What are some reasons a modernized country like the US may still have "far to go" when dealing effectively with racial issues?

     b. Explain one reason that Americans struggle with prejudice.

3. After discussion of their responses, the teacher will direct students to watch the YouTube video “Too White to Be Black Too Black to be White” (5:36 min.) and lead students in a discussion of the video.

This is an introductory activity that will lead students in discussing the long-standing racial prejudice issues in America as depicted in short stories like Kate Chopin's short story entitled “Desiree’s Baby". This lesson can be continued using the explore/explain activity in ALEX entitled Racial Prejudice and Sexism in Short Stories.

Assessment Strategies

The Poll Everywhere discussion will serve as a formative assessment of student's prior knowledge and personal assets about racial prejudice in America over the past 125 years. The class discussion following the viewing of the YouTube video will serve as a formative assessment of students' cultural assets and emerging knowledge about the Creole culture in the South, particularly Louisiana. Students should be able to describe social change that has occurred by analyzing the multiple sources presented. 

Variation Tips

Instead of using the Poll Everywhere, the teacher may direct students in a class discussion of questions, which prompt discussion about racial prejudice issues.

This entry activity can be used for a range of lessons, but it will work well with authors like Kate Chopin and any of her short stories.

Background / Preparation

The teacher needs to make sure the Poll Everywhere link is available if he or she has created a Word Picture activity for the Introductory Question. The teacher should ensure the YouTube video link is accessible on the school's computers.

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

tcook1
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