A Tiered Lesson on Identity, Stereotypes, and Discrimination

Here are some of the students' "identity cards". They wrote adjectives and sentences about themselves on their cards.

This is the tiered version of a lesson that I taught on Monday. In this lesson, which was taught to a 9th grade inclusion Language Arts class, features the topics of identity, stereotypes, and discrimination. It is a fairly simple lesson, but it is meant merely as as introduction to issues of prejudice that we will delve deeper into as the quarter progresses.

Here is an example of a student’s analysis of stereotypes in an advertisement.

1. Subject: English

Grade: 9^th grade (inclusion class)

2. Standard: EALR: Reading Component 3.1: Develops ideas and organizes writing

GLE 3.1.1: Analyzes ideas, selects a manageable topic, and elaborates using specific, relevant details

3.  Key concept(s): Students will know the meaning of the words identity, stereotype, and discrimination, and how these things are still a large part of American culture.

Generalization(s): Students will understand the connections between those three words, understand why identity is important, and understand how stereotyping and discrimination can be hurtful.

4. Background:

Students will probably know a lot about identity already, and they may know about discrimination and stereotypes as well. However, I’m going to spend time focusing on their individual identities in the beginning of the lesson so that they get a feel for what we will be talking about, and then I will move on to a discussion about stereotypes of different kinds of people. After naming a few stereotypes that we know of, I’ll teach the students about discrimination and how stereotypes can cause it. Lastly, I will give them an activity based around identity but focusing mainly on stereotypes in popular advertisements. This way, the students will have already learned how these things are interconnected, and I will use scaffolding to teach how my topics fit into our culture.

5. Which part of the lesson will you tier?  (Content, Product, Process)

• Content:  I won’t be tiering the content, because I think it is fairly easy for all skill levels to understand and it is an important foundation for the rest of my lessons this week.

• Product: I want to keep the product the same, because the outcome at the end of the lesson should be consistent for everyone. The information that students will need to know is easy for everyone to show evidence of understanding in, even though their understanding may come by way of different means.

• Process: Tiering the process seems to be the best way to separate the levels of this lesson, because it will allow students who need extra time and support more opportunities to learn in their own way. Additionally, it will provide the students who work at a faster pace to learn several aspects of the content without getting too far ahead of everyone else.

6. Type of tiering (readiness, interest, learning profile)

• Readiness: Because this is an inclusion class and it features a wide range of learners, I want to build these tiers around the ability levels of the students. There are some who will probably know a lot more about the topics coming in to the class and therefore have a lot more to say, write, and think about. Other students will want to learn the content more slowly and methodically, which will require more in-depth explanations of the lesson topics.

• Interest: I think this is a lesson that all students will be interested in, because its main basis is identity and understanding oneself. Kids who are more interested in one section of the lesson than another are welcome to do any extra work that they would like to do, but in general I think this is something that everyone will want to learn about.

• Learning profile:  Because the students are taking the multiple intelligences test, the lesson features different learning styles in a very literal sense. However, I don’t want to tier the lesson by grouping kids in their different learning style categories, because I don’t think it would necessarily work with this topic quite yet. Students will certainly come to understand more about their strengths and weaknesses in particular learning areas, though.

7. How many tiers?

1. Tier 1: students who have great trouble understanding concepts

Students will begin by filling out “identity card” that has their name, words that describe them, and an interesting fact about themselves.

Students will take multiple intelligences test, and we will discuss their individual results as a class if they feel comfortable.

I will explain the definitions of identity, stereotypes, and discrimination to the class. Students will ask questions and tell me what they know about these words. I will write what they say on the board.

Students will draw a thought map based on what they said about the three words. I will work with them to connect ideas and concepts on paper so that they can better understand the different aspects of these topics.

Students will then choose an advertisement from the pile I brought in and answer the questions in the assessment below.

1. Tier 2: students whose comprehension meet grade level expectations

Students will begin by filling out “identity card” that has their name, words that describe them, and an interesting fact about themselves.

Students will take multiple intelligences test, and we will discuss their individual results as a class if they feel comfortable. After considering their results, they will then write examples of how they learn best.

I will explain the definitions of identity, stereotypes, and discrimination to the class. Students will ask questions and tell me what they know about these words. I will write what they say on the board.

Students will brainstorm examples of stereotyping and discrimination within popular culture, and write their examples down.

Students will then choose an advertisement from the pile I brought in and answer the questions in the assessment below.

1. Tier 3:  students whose comprehension exceeds grade level expectations

Students will begin by filling out “identity card” that has their name, words that describe them, an interesting fact about themselves, and whether they believe identity is based on “who you are”, “who others think you are”, or both.

Students will take multiple intelligences test, and we will discuss their individual results as a class if they feel comfortable. Students will write a short reflection on how their results are a part of their identity, and how the way they learn affects their understanding of the world.

I will explain the definitions of identity, stereotypes, and discrimination to the class. Students will look up definitions of the words, write these definitions and compare them to their own interpretations of the words. They will then think about examples in their own lives, history, and the world today, and jot down their thoughts.

Students will then choose an advertisement from the pile I brought in and answer the questions in the assessment below.

8. Develop the assessment

As a final assessment at the end of class, each student will answer questions about the magazine advertisement he or she selected. (See example of student work above). The student will answer the following prompts:

1.)   What would you say about this person’s identity? How does he or she define himself/herself?

2.)   What are 3-5 words that describe this person?

3.)   Does the depiction of this person fit any stereotypes that you can think of? Explain.

Students will also be assessed through their participation during the discussion on identity, stereotypes, and discrimination earlier in class.