In this lesson, students will continue to explore the relationship between individual and society by examining how we so often believe “single stories” and stereotypes about groups of people. The activities that follow ask students to reflect on the basic human behavior of applying categories to the people and things we meet and to think about the circumstances in which “single stories” about others can be harmful or even dangerous.

The short video No Human Being Was Born Illegal is explored through teaching strategies such as pre-viewing, think-pair-share, word walls/clouds, levels of questions and fishbowl. By learning about the social activism of the students in the video, students may think more deeply about the issues facing their own communities.

The short video Students Map Bully Zones to Create a Safer School is explored through teaching strategies such as barometer, think-pair-share, pre-viewing, four corners and anticipation guides. By observing how the students in the video raise awareness about bullying in their school, students may consider their own school climate around bullying and open the conversation about how to create a safer school.

The short video Cyberbullying is explored through teaching strategies such as pre-viewing, anticipation guides, four corners, evaluating Internet resources, fishbowl and levels of questions. By learning about cyberbullying and how students in Watchung are taking a stand against online bullying, students may think more deeply about this in their own community.