For our final lesson in this rotation, we talked about the importance of accepting differences. We began the lesson with a Brain Builder called "Common Ground," where students would use thumbs up or thumbs down to show their partner how they felt about a certain activity that I asked about. These hand signals allowed students to see if they had the same or different feelings than their partners. I asked students about five different activities, and many of them got a good mix of things they had in common and things they didn't.
We spent the rest of the lesson talking about a picture of two girls: Olivia and Yasaman. Yasaman, an Iranian student, was new to Olivia's school. We talked about what looked different about these students (how they dress, ethnicity, Yasaman wears a hijab). I told the students about others in the class laughing at Yasaman, and how Olivia sometimes does that too. We talked about why they might tease or laugh at Yasaman (they don't understand her culture, they've never met anyone like her). We also talked about how Yasaman feels when students do this: sad, hurt, embarrassed. We talked about how teasing or laughing at someone because they are different is not respectful.
Next, we brainstormed ways Olivia and Yasaman were alike. Both girls liked to draw, and Olivia was very interested in the special Iranian drawings Yasaman was working on. We brainstormed ways Olivia could get to know Yasaman better, and Olivia ended up asking Yasaman about her drawings. Eventually the girls became good friends. We talked about what Olivia can do the next time someone teases or laughs at Yasaman (tell them its against the rules, tell them to think about how they would feel if it happened to them).
We ended the lesson by having students get back with their partners and think about three things they have in common, two differences, and one thing they would like to know about each other.
