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Opening a Dialogue

  1. This lesson introduces the curriculum and themes related to racial justice.
  2. This lesson encourages respectful discussion within the classroom about sensitive, difficult, and controversial topics and creates boundaries for these conversations, to promote an inclusive and trusting environment.
  1. Students will be able to articulate an understanding of how injustice affects a broad range of groups in the United States.
  2. Students will be able to participate in potentially challenging discussions about race, ethnicity, religion, and gender inequalities.
  3. Students will layout and have general guidelines to be respectful and understanding of their peers during controversial discussions.

  • Social Inequality: Social inequality refers to relational processes in society that have the effect of limiting or harming a group's social status, social class, and social circle.
  • Injustice: A quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo.
  • Race: Social construct with no scientific basis that divides people into groups. Race is often used to rank groups as superior or inferior. 
  • Gender Identity: One's innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.
  • Sexual orientation: Describes patterns of sexual, romantic, and emotional attraction—and one's sense of identity based on those attractions. Sexual orientation is distinct from gender identity, the internal sense of being male, female, or non-binary.

  1. Previous Homework
    1. Prior to this lesson, students should be asked to complete an Inequality Journal. The instructions for this assignment should stay vague.
      • Inequality Journal: Students will be asked, within the time the journal is assigned to this class period, to write down any discussion or comments they hear in their daily life pertaining to discrimination or injustice. It can be a more direct discussion (i.e. My parents were talking about the news and an article they saw on the wage gap...) to more ambiguous or stereotypical comments (i.e. I overheard someone during P.E. shout, “You throw like a girl!”). Emphasize to students that what they hear can be kept anonymous. Encourage students to write down anytime they hear any sort of conversation on this topic.
  2. Classroom Discussion
    1. Students will be asked to bring their completed Inequality Journals to class. Ask students to discuss within their small groups their observations and what they documented in their journals.
    2. Gather students back into a large group discussion and ask students to share what they discussed in their small groups.
      • What does injustice mean to you?
      • What are some of the comments you wrote down in your journal?
      • What did you discuss with your classmates in the beginning of class?
    3. For students that answer, follow up with questions, such as:
      • What made you write these comments down?
      • Why did you choose to document that?
      • Were there certain topics you noticed pop up more than others?
      • Was what you found surprising to you? Why or why not?
    4. The goal of this activity is to display the aspects they notice (i.e. race/gender/etc.) and what aspects they may overlook (i.e. religion/ethnicity/etc.).
    5. What they document may also pertain to the area and crises most affecting them. This must be considered and can also be incorporated into the discussion.
  3. Setting up Class Expectations & Boundaries
    1. Discuss the importance of respectful classroom environment.
    2. Ask students how they typically feel when discussing controversial topics.
      • Why is it difficult to talk about race, gender, religion, etc. in the classroom?
        • Expect comments such as: “It is uncomfortable”; “We are not experts on the topic”; “I don't want to offend anyone”.
    3. Ask students what they think is appropriate behavior when discussing controversial issues.
  4. Create a set of Classroom “Rules”
    1. Using the previous discussion, create classroom rules for future discussions.
    2. Create something visible and potable to leave up for the continuation of this unit; i.e. write on board, create posters, etc.
  5. Homework
    1. Ask students to create another Inequality Journal considering what they discussed and learned in this lesson.
      • Students should first review their previous Inequality Journal.
      • In light of today’s class period and discussion, did any views change? What are some different perspectives?

  1. Poster Board for classroom rules.
  2. Paper, notebooks, or other device for Inequality Journal.

  1. Zoom meeting
    1. Preferably this lesson would be held face-to-face over video chat.
    2. The lesson format in this case would stay the same.
  2. All Online
    1. Journals
      1. Students can be split up into small discussion groups and given prompts to discuss regarding their inequality journals.
      2. They must create an initial post and comment on group members posts.
  3. Break students into different groups no larger than 5
    1. Give students information on the importance of the classroom environment and controversial topics.
    2. Ask students to work together with their classmates to set up a list of rules for the classroom and submit it to the class.
    3. Using all the group submissions create a single unifying list and post on the class page as well as make known to all students.