Sample Standard: The student understands the impact of the American civil rights movement
Grade Level: 8
Time: 20 minutes
Materials: Two sets of colored index cards. One color has simple math problems, and the other color has difficult math problems. Have one card per student.
Group Size: Any. Students will be in two groups.
Purpose: To experience prejudice as an introduction to a unit on Civil Rights.
Activity:
- As the students enter the room, distribute the colored index cards so that there are two equal groups.
- Ask the students to line up with their same color group on opposite walls.
- Proceed to have the groups read and solve their problems one at a time and keep score of their correct answers. The group receiving very easy questions will score many points, and the other group receiving very difficult questions will score very few.
- When the groups catch on to the inequity, ask them to describe how they felt.
- You may then transition into discussions about civil rights for various groups such as Women, African Americans, Jews during WWII, Japanese internment camps, homosexuals.
Adaptations for ELL students:
Ask the students to share an example of the civil rights movement in their country of origin.
Adaptations for Above Level Students
Have the students write the reason why they thought it was unfair for students to be given different equations to solve. How did this simulate prejudice?
Submitted by Priscilla Shumway, a former teacher who is currently a training consultant with the Bob Pike Group.
