Lesson 1

Addressing Stereotypes, Discrimination and Freedom Within the Classroom

Subject Area: English Language Arts, Morals, Media, and History

Grade level: 6-7

Time: Two lessons, two days

Materials:

1. Internet (YouTube)
2. Lyrics and CD of John Lennon’s Imagine.
3. CD player

1. Students will associate real issues such as stereotyping and discrimination with lyrics and speeches.
2. Students will produce their own speeches based on the issue of their choice.
3. Students will critically evaluate their values and hopefully reassess them.

1. Read the lyrics of Imagine by John Lennon to the class.
2. Discuss the meaning of the lyrics and have a group discussion about what they might mean.
3. After discussion listen to the song.
4. Next, watching Martin Luther King’s Freedom speech via the Internet as a class.
5. Talk about what is being said in his speech and how it can relate to John Lennon’s Imagine.
6. Have a class discussion based on the two forms of media expressing prejudice and discrimination and the issues being addressed while raising issues regarding activism.
7. The students will then have to make their own speech based on the predisposed information given in class dealing with any issue dealing with stereotyping and discrimination.
8. The following week the students should present their speech in front of the class.

1. Assess individual mastery dealing with the issue of their choice with regards to discrimination.
2. Evaluate their ability to write a coherent speech and productively express their ideas and views.
3. Participation and effort throughout class discussion.
4. Assess the students’ acquired knowledge throughout the unit.