Lesson Plan Title : Discrimination and Acceptance in Student's Lives

Age Range: Grade 3 through grade 5 (Elementary)

Overview and Purpose: Students see that discrimination is something that can occur even today in their school or neighborhood. It doesn't have to be racial, the discrimination can be as subtle as not playing with someone because of the clothes they are wearing or how they smell.

Objective: The student will be able to list three ways that students today are discriminated against and five ways that they are accepted.

Resources:

Pictures portraying segregation and discrimination during Dr. King's time

Activities:

Give the students time to look at the pictures and then discuss them. Talk about whether people are still treated the same way now as they were back then. Ask the students if they think there are other types of discrimination that occur today. If they have trouble coming up with examples or if they think it does not occur, you may have to give them some scenarios. These can include examples of people being treated differently or ignored because they have a physical or mental handicap or do not smell good or wear the right clothes.

After you've discussed some of these scenarios, divide the students into groups and have them try to think of other examples of discrimination that they see. Ask them to brainstorm what could be done differently, so that there is acceptance instead of discrimination. Come back together as a class and discuss each group's examples.

Wrap Up:

This activity can be made more personal by having students write in their journals about a time that they were discriminated against or were accepted by someone when other people were discriminating against them.