Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Identifying discrimination

20 minutes

Find Out: Who experiences discrimination and why?

25 minutes

Take Action: What does discrimination look like and feel like?

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

understand what discrimination is and how it can affect a person’s feelings, confidence and sense of belonging
listen to and reflect on real stories of discrimination and explore how they can include and support others in their own community.

Success criteria

Students can:

describe how it feels to be excluded and explain why treating people fairly and kindly is important
express their understanding through words, actions, and creativity that promotes kindness, respect and inclusion.

Tune In: Identifying discrimination

Teacher preparation: Review the lesson content in advance and send home this letter to parents and carers, ideally a week before teaching it. Let your students know that this lesson includes real stories. If they feel the content might be upsetting, encourage them to speak with you privately and arrange alternative activities if needed.

Step 1

Write ‘discrimination’ on the board. Use a think-pair-share routine to answer the question:

What does this word mean to me?

Step 2

Display the Inclusion and Exclusion Images. Explain to students that they are now ‘Discrimination Detectives’ and they need to work out which images depict people being treated unfairly and why. Encourage wait time to encourage independent thinking before discussing as a class.

Find Out: Who experiences discrimination and why?

Step 1

Lead a class discussion around who they think in their community experiences discrimination and why?

Following this discussion, watch these three short videos provided, one at a time.

Dylan (watch up to 1:13 mins) - faced bullying and low self-esteem due to his disability.
Haisam (1:27 mins) - was excluded due to his religion.
Baressa (35 sec) - faced racism, which impacted their self-esteem.

After each video, students complete the related questions on the Student Worksheet.

Step 2

Bring the class back together to focus on this key question: How did each person feel?

Then guide a class discussion around the following prompts:

What is self-esteem?
What helps us to build healthy self-esteem?
What causes low or negative self-esteem?
What happens when someone’s self-esteem is low?

Take Action: What does discrimination look like and feel like?

Step 1

Now, students can reflect on what they have learnt. After considering the stories of Dylan, Haisam, and Baressa, ask them to think about their understanding of what discrimination now means to them. As a class, complete a ‘Looks like, Feels like, Sounds like’ thinking routine.

Here are some prompts to help get started:

Looks like: What does exclusion and discrimination look like in everyday settings?
Feels like: How might someone feel when they are discriminated against?
Sounds like: What words do you hear spoken when something/someone is being excluded and discriminated against?

Step 2

Hand each student a coloured strip of paper and invite them to write an inclusive action on it. These will form a classroom ‘Kindness Chain’. Explain that what they write on their link will be their commitment to helping create a more inclusive and respectful community and environment.

Remind them to consider the types of discrimination discussed so far. Use these examples:

I will invite others to join my game or activity. “Come and sit with us.”
I will use kind words and speak respectfully to everyone.
I will include people with disabilities in conversations and activities.
I will stand up for someone being left out at lunchtime.
I will ask how others are feeling and listen to their answers.

Reflection

Students take part in a human barometer reading. This is an engaging way for them to reflect on and think about perspectives different from their own.

To introduce the barometer, explain that the activity helps us consider different perspectives on inclusion, respect and relationships. Emphasise that this is a safe, respectful space and reassure students that it’s okay if we all don’t agree because that’s how we learn. Let students know they can pass on any question if they don’t feel comfortable sharing. Reinforce respectful listening, no laughing and no interrupting others.

Create three zones around the classroom or outside: Agree, Disagree and Unsure. As you read each statement aloud, students move to the position that reflects their thinking. Explain that they must also be ready to explain their thinking. Highlight diverse viewpoints, gently drawing out different perspectives to help the group think critically and behave respectfully.

Develop your own statements or use a selection of these:

It’s okay to only invite some people to join in if you don’t like the way others look or speak.
It’s exciting to learn about other people’s cultures and beliefs.
If someone is different from you, it’s best to avoid them so you don’t get uncomfortable.
Everyone deserves to feel welcome, even if they don’t speak the same language as you.
You should only be friends with people who like the same things as you.
Trying new activities with people from different backgrounds can be fun.
We can learn a lot by listening to stories from people with different life experiences.
If you see someone being excluded, you should do something about it.
It’s okay to make jokes about people’s differences if you’re just having fun.

After the barometer reading, pose these questions and invite students to share:

How did it feel to see where others stood?
Did any responses surprise you or make you think differently?
What did you learn about inclusion or respect today?

Feeling Excluded - Stories About Discrimination

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Summary

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