2018 Rainforest ArtLink Guias del Maestro Guidelines RFArtLink 2018 English | Page 23

II. Lesson Plan and Activities
Introductory Lesson: Challenging Stereotypes
Activity
Description and Important Points
Born in Vermont, Abigail still enjoys skiing and
snowboarding every winter. She would put a pair of
new skis to good use; there is no need for a new rocking
chair. Filled Index
Cards
Ask, “Did the labels on these people mislead you into making
the ‘usual’ choices?”
To know a person well, you need a great deal of information - more
than you'll find in a label. With nothing but a word or two to go on,
your mind produced a stereotyped image rather than a real picture
of the person.
In printing, a "stereotype" is a metal plate which reproduces the
same picture over and over. In thinking, a stereotype is a mental
picture in which all people in a particular group look and act the
same way.
Stereotypes can cloud our judgment because they ignore the fact
that no two human beings are identical. Take the cab driver, for
example. In your mind did you picture him as a middle-aged,
tough-talking New Yorker? This is one stereotype of a "cabbie" seen
in movies and on TV. However, real cab drivers can be young or old,
male or female, foreign-born or from any US state. Yet, when we
think in stereotypes, we tend to ignore these possibilities.
How true-to-life are these stereotypes? Usually, a stereotype has
some truth to it. There probably are some senior citizens who do
not get out much, some "A" students who are nerdy and some cab
drivers who are tough. But there are many more who do not fit
these descriptions.
Stereotypes distort the truth. They suggest that all people in a
particular group behave in the same way, which is not true. When
people begin to stereotype others on the basis of their race,
religion or nationality, the result is prejudice. Filled Index
Cards
•
4. Discussion
5. Conclusion
Materials
If possible, ask your students if they have ever experienced being
stereotyped and how they have overcome those situations.
Draw some conclusions about their personal experiences.
Hold a discussion about any stereotypes students might hold
towards the people who live in their partner country (located near
by the rainforest). Make a list of these. Ask students where they
think these views came from.
Finally, reenforced the importance of thinking twice before
assuming they are right about a country, a region or a culture they
have limited information about. With this on mind, they are ready
to connect with an overseas partner on this program.
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