Martin Luther King Jr., dreamed of a world more tolerant than the one he lived in. The lessons below -- perfect for use at the start of the school year or for celebrating King's life in January, or any day when children seem to need a reminder -- are designed to teach kids about tolerance. Included: Lessons on stereotyping, appreciating differences, recognizing how words can hurt (or heal), and more.
The highest result of education is tolerance. -- Helen Keller
Helen Kellers words serve as a reminder of the key role educators play -- both as role models and as teachers of tolerance.
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The start of the school year and the days leading up to the celebration of Martin Luther King's birthday are excellent times to introduce classroom activities that teach tolerance. Exposure to such lessons has the power to make a difference in students lives -- and in the world those students will create.
Those Tear-Me-Apart, Put-Me-Back-Together, Never-Be-the-Same-Again Blues
Materials Needed
- mural or construction paper (brightly-colored paper is best)
Lesson Plan
This activity will drive home to kids of all ages the power words have to hurt -- or to heal.
Before the lesson.
Using craft or construction paper, trace and cut out a life-size silhouette/outline of a person. To avoid gender- or race-specific figures, you might want to cut the figure from green or blue paper.
Introduce the lesson.
Gather students in a group and introduce them to their new "classmate. (You might give the figure a name such as Greenie or Bluey to avoid any association with a real person.) Explain that new students often have difficulty fitting in because they are entering a situation where groups of students have already formed bonds of friendship. Point out that some people will automatically put up barriers to a new student, deciding quickly -- without even trying to get to know him or her -- that they dislike the new student.
Ask students to imagine that Greenie (for example) has just come into a classroom where bonds already have formed; the atmosphere is very unwelcoming. Invite students, one at a time, to say something mean to Greenie. They will have to use their imaginations, because Greenie has no specific features they can pick on. The teacher might even start the ball rolling by saying something like "We dont want you here, Greenie, or "We dont like people who are different from us, or "Your hair is a mess, Greenie. Each time a mean thing is said to Greenie, the teacher rips off a piece of Greenie's body and hands it to the person who made the comment.
When ripping, rip large chunks; it will need to be obvious to students where each chunk fits into the whole if they are to piece Greenie back together.
After everyone has had a chance to say something mean to Greenie, its time to start taping Greenie back together. Invite each student who said something mean about Greenie to come up and use tape to reattach his/her piece of Greenie in its proper place. As each piece is reconnected, the student must apologize to Greenie for the mean thing that was said. (You might have younger students model in advance some of the words they might say when making an apology.)
When the torn body is fully repaired -- no matter how hard the students have tried to piece him back together -- Greenie will not look the same as when students met her/him for the first time. Ask questions to lead students to the understanding that, although some of the damage has been repaired, Greenie will never be exactly the same. His feelings were hurt, and the scars remain. Chances are those scars will never go away.
Hang Greenie on a wall as a reminder of the power words have to hurt. Greenies presence will serve as constant reinforcement of a vivid lesson in kindness.
Everybody Is Unique:
A Lesson in Respect for Others
Materials Needed
- 2-inch square of white drawing paper, one sheet per student
- 3-inch square of white drawing paper, one sheet per student
- 4-inch square of white drawing paper, one sheet per student
- art supplies (might include crayons, markers, or paints)
- writing paper and pen/pencil
Lesson Plan
In this lesson, students search for the most positive aspects of some very unusual "people." The activity reinforces the idea that one cant always judge the quality of a person by his or her appearance; sometimes people can be appreciated for their differences.
To begin the lesson, write the word unique on the chalkboard or on a chart. Younger students, especially, will be intrigued by this "unique word! Ask students what the word means to them. Ask: What is it that makes you unique among your classmates?
Next, draw a simple outline of a person on the board or chart. Draw two horizontal lines across the persons body. One line should divide the persons head (including the neck) and torso (shoulders to waist); the other should divide the torso and leg area (from the waist-down). Talk about one section of the body at a time.
- Discuss some of the features that might make up a persons head/neck. Lead students to understand that people can have blue eyes or brown eyes, small ears or big ears, curly hair or straight hair, dark skin, light skin, or a shade in between, freckles, glasses, or a hat, and so on. Write students ideas about a person's head on the board or chart next to the head area of the person you drew.
- Discuss some of the ways in which peoples bodies might be different. Lead students to understand that people can be skinny or heavy, muscular or frail, square- or round-shouldered, and so on. Talk about the kinds of clothing people might wear -- a T-shirt, a sweater, a feathered boa. Write down some of the possibilities students name.
- Finally, focus on the lower body (from the waist down). Point out that people can have skinny or stubby legs and their feet point in, out, or straight ahead. People wear pants, dresses, high-top sneakers, high-heeled shoes, construction boots, ballerina slippers, and so on. Write down students ideas.
When you are satisfied that students have the three parts of the body sorted out, provide each student with a piece of white drawing paper measuring 2 inches square. Have students write their names on one side of the paper and draw on the other side of the paper the head of a person. Tell students that this should not be somebody they know; this unique person should come from their imaginations. Remind them to think first about the features the persons head will have; they can refer to the list they and their classmates created in the first part of the lesson. They should include as much detail as possible in their drawings.
It is very important that students fill up the entire square with the image of the persons head. Also, remind them their head could use a neck to sit on!
When students finish drawing a unique head, provide them with a sheet of paper that measures 4 inches square. After students write their names on one side of the paper, they should turn the paper over and draw the torso (shoulders to waist) of the person. Before they draw, remind students to imagine the features of the persons torso. How is the body shaped? What clothing is the person wearing? Once again, students should fill the entire space and draw as much detail as possible. Think unique!
When students finish drawing a torso, hand them a third sheet of paper; this time a 3-inch square. Have students write their names on one side of the paper, and draw the bottom part of their person (waist down to the feet). Remind students to fill up the space and include as much detail as possible. Once again, tell them to think unique!
As students finish their final square, have them check to be sure their names are on all three parts; then collect them. You might have students put the heads in one box or folder, the torsos in another, and the legs in a third.
Putting It Together
This part of the lesson might be done the same day or the next day.
Distribute to each student a head, a torso, and a set of legs. Students should not get a body part that they drew. Have students tape together the three body parts to create a totally unique "friend. The new friends will be pretty unusual-looking people, to say the least! But...
Here is the crux of the lesson...
Everybody is different, or unique. What a person looks like on the outside has nothing to do with what is inside! Every person has special talents, special qualities...
After students have had a good laugh about how the three body parts came together to create an unusual-looking person, ask each student to think up a name for his or her new "friend and to give some thought to some of the characteristics the new friend might have. Ask: What special qualities does this unique person have? What special talents does the person possess? What do you have in common with your new friend? How are you different?
After students have decided what qualities their new friends have, tell them you would like them to write about their new friends. You might ask each student to begin a story with the words: I would like you to meet my new friend, [name goes here].... Then give students the freedom to choose what they will write as they go on to describe exactly what it is they like so much about their new buddies.
When students have finished their stories, invite them to share them with their classmates. You might use this read-aloud session as an opportunity to reinforce the lesson you hope they will take from this activity: What a person looks like on the outside has nothing to do with what that person is like on the inside!
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