Discussing Race - Lesson 4: That's Not Fair

Discussing Race
Lesson 4: That's Not Fair

Lesson Goals

Help students identify unfair or racist behavior
Empower students to help in in unfair situations

Lesson Description

Use the illustration, “Exploring Exclusion” to help students think about how it feels to be excluded. Older children can consider what it means to be “fair” and begin to think about reasons why someone might be treated unfairly, including racism.

Lesson Plan: What Are Feelings?

Play "Us Time" Song

(1 Minute)

Open Us Time with the “Us Time” song. Sing it together or play the video.

Review Agreements

(1 Minute)

Agreements are rules that people decide, together, to follow such as:

Paying attention to each other;
Keeping our hands to ourselves; and
Giving everyone a turn to speak.

In each session, discuss agreements, add to them, modify them, and recommit. Students can raise their hands or say “I agree” to show that they agree.

Discussion: Exploring Exclusion

(5 Minutes)

Use the illustration, “At the Doctor’s Office” to prompt a class discussion. Display the image and allow several minutes for students to observe and share what they see. Throughout your discussion, model talking about children’s differences. For example, “You noticed that the little girl with brown skin is sneezing!” You can prompt conversation with the following questions:

Where do you think these children are?
Look at this child’s face and body. How do you think they are feeling? Have you ever felt that way? What made you feel like that? What helped you to feel better? What might help that child feel better?
Have you ever been to the doctor’s office? How did you feel when you were waiting to see the doctor? Who was with you to help?

Storytime: Exploring Exclusion

(10 Minutes)

Read a book that features people with a variety of skin colors (suggestions below (or link to existing book list!).

Quick questions after reading the book:

What do you think?
What is the difference between people with light skin and people with dark skin?
Can children with different skin tones play together?
Can children with different ways of moving around play together
Can children who speak different languages play together?
Is it ever OK to tell someone that they can’t play? Why or why not?

Some books to consider:

Shades of People by Shelley Rotner
All the Colors We Are by Katie Kissinger
Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer
Black is Brown is Tan by Arnold Adoff
Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
I Walk With Vanessa by Kerascoët

Dance to "Up, Up, Up"

(5 Minutes)

Use the illustration, “At the Doctor’s Office” to play a movement game, “Feeling Like Others.”

Point to one child in the picture and tell students to stand up if they have ever felt the same way as that child.
Ask one of the standing students to name the feeling that they share with the child from the illustration.
Ask another child to find something different between the child in the picture and themself.
Invite everyone to sit down and repeat!

Note: You can modify by changing the movement or trying this exercise with illustrations in a book. For example, students could stand with their hands in the air or walk around the perimeter of the rug.

Closing Discussion: Empathy

(5 Minutes)

We all have feelings! We all feel sad, happy, worried, excited, calm, or silly sometimes, though the things that make us feel our feelings can be different.

Getting a shot/injection at the doctor’s office might be scary for some people, but not scary for another person. What do YOU usually feel at the doctor’s office? (Share.)
When you share someone else’s feelings, that’s called empathy. Having an empathetic friend feels good. When [name a student] gave a hug/ice pack/hand to [name another student], that was an example of empathy.
People can feel the same feelings, even if they are different in other ways. I can share the happiness of [name student or other teacher], we can share the same feeling, but still be our own people!

Thank You: Share the Us Time Closing Song

(1 Minute)

Conclude with “Thank You,” the Us Time “goodbye” song. This song marks the end of Us Time. Invite children to share what they want to say “thank you” for! Find the song online at playsparkler.org/UsTimeSongs.

Standards

Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Goal P-SE:3, Goal P-SE:5, Goal P-SE:6, Goal P-SE:7, Goal P-LC 1, Goal P-LC 4, Goal P-LC 5, Goal P-LC 6.

CT ELDS:SE.36.7, SE.36.8, SE.48.7, SE.48.8, SE.60.9, SE.60.10, SE.48.15, SE.60.19, SS.48.4, SS.48.5, SS.60.3, L.36.5, L.48.5, L.60.5, L.36.7, L.48.7, L.48.11, L.36.14, L.48.13, L.48.15.