Timely Tolerance

An exercise in the cyclical nature of discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes, and our role in confronting it.

WebQuest design by Davie Bregante, Erin Powers, and Steve Shelton

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page

Introduction


Events like September 11, the Holocaust, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and other social injustices can be linked to high levels of intolerance, prejudice, and discrimination.  The lack of education about these issues contributes to more problems in the world than any other in history.  Does it have to be this way?  We believe through education and self-examination, people can learn the facts about tolerance and its role in any healthy society. 

In this WebQuest, students will examine issues of prejudice and intolerance in the context of both historical and contemporary events. They will learn the structure of and access the tools necessary to plan, design, and create a museum exhibit.

 

Task

Santa Barbara Junior High eighth graders have been commissioned by the Foundation for Tolerance to create a pertinent museum for our community. We will divide the work for this monumental task by asking small groups of students to focus on a particularly oppressed group. Your job is to design an exhibit to educate and inform Santa Barbarans. Your work will become part of a timely, ever developing, student oriented tribute to tolerance.

1.  Design an exhibit that focuses on the struggle of one group of people. Your exhibit will include two historical examples and two contemporary examples of this group's plight. From these stories, construct the story of a group of people to be relayed in your choice of presentations:  

  • Power Point including supplementary commentary
  • Posters or three dimensional visuals with detailed notes
  • An informative brochure discussing your exhibit. 
This presentation will be designed in a small group and presented to the class and special guests for the grand opening of the museum.

Your goal as a museum curator is as wide and varied as your audience. You want to educate fellow students and others about factual events and the climate that lead to them. Ask people to open their minds and think about the consequences of their own words and actions. Through education, you have the power to promote positive change in your school and the world.

2.  From the experiences you've researched, assume the role of an oppressed person and create an autobiographical narrative from this point of view.  Develop an identity, including a name, age, ethnicity, gender, and a setting where you live. Write about an incident in which you were discriminated against. Include details.

English-Language Arts Content Standards

This product will address the following English Language Arts Content Standards:

Writing Strategies
Research and Technology
1.4 Plan and conduct multiple-step information searches by using computer networks and modems.
1.5 Achieve an effective balance between researched information and original ideas.
Evaluation and Revision
1.6 Revise writing for word choice; appropriate organization; consistent point of view; and transitions between paragraphs, passages, ideas.

Writing Applications
Genres and their Characteristics
2.1 Write biographies, autobiographies, or narratives:
a. Relate a clear, coherent incident, event, or situation using well-chosen details.
b. Reveal the significance of, or the writer's attitude about, the subject.
c. Employ narrative and descriptive strategies (e.g., relevant dialogue, specific action, physical description, background description, comparison or contrast of characters).

Speaking Applications
Genres and Their Characteristics
2.1 Deliver narrative presentations (e.g. biographical):
a. Relate a clear, coherent incident, event, or situation by using well-chosen details.
b. Reveal the significance of, and the subject's attitude about, the incident, event, or situation.
c. Employ narrative and descriptive strategies (e.g., relevant dialogue, specific action, physical description, background description, comparison or contrast of characters).

Process

  1. At the computer, read and discuss the list of categories.
  2. Choose two or three from the list you are interested in researching. Since one of our goals is for students to have the opportunity to learn about a variety of groups, you need to choose groups of which you are not a member.
  3. Find a partner with interests similar to your own.
  4. Explore what is available on the links for the type of intolerance that you have selected.
  5. Decide on two or three subtopics in a particular category to research.
  6. Sign up with your teacher for ONE kind of intolerance (Ex:  under Racism, African-Americans)  about which to create an exhibit and presentation. If you do not get your first choice, know that you'll still have an opportunity to learn about this group during the presentations.
  7. With your partner, discuss:
  • What qualities does your exhibit need to have? 
  • What elements will make this an interesting exhibit?  
  • How can you make this experience educational, informative, and interesting for your audience?
  • Now,  find information based on your criteria. Take notes and begin to create your exhibit.
  • Decide together as a team on the final format of your exhibit.
  • Prepare your exhibit using whatever medium you've chosen.
  • Describe and present your exhibit to your audience.

Intolerance Web sites

Ableism

Wal-mart case      
Wal-mart deaf men's ads   
Northwest Airlines case   
Genetic testing of railroad workers    
Auto dealership quadriplegic   
Chuck E. Cheese  
Hertz Corporation  
Exxon Corporation   
During the Holocaust

Ageism

Barbara Walters and newswomen
CEOs and big corps
Google search definition  

Racism

Irish-American
Asian-American
Student Stories
Police Discrimination
 Roma (gypsies) in the Holocaust  
Poles during Holocaust  
Racial profiling in Minneapolis                      
Racial profiling-Arabs, post- Sept.11
Racial profiling- general
Racial profiling Dallas killing
Racial profiling -Media Blackface   

Homophobia

Santa Barbara man burned  
Persecution in other countries
Persecution in Africa
 Matthew Shephard case
Santa Barbara case
Overview of history of homophobia
Matthew Sheppard case and info
Holocaust-Homophobia  

Political Intolerance

El Salvador
Honduras   
Guatemala
Africa
Chechnya
Turkey
Tibet and China
Bosnia

Religious Intolerance

Jehovah's Witnesses during the Holocaust
Jehovah's Witnesses in the Holocaust
Catholics during Holocaust (Poles)  
Bosnia
In Russia  
Overview
Against Gypsies
Holocaust Warsaw Ghetto Images

Anti-Semitism

In U.S .
Overview

 

Catholicism

History
Irish-Catholics
Catholicism in Northern Ireland
In the U.S.

Islam

Overview
History
Recent Discrimination
UK

Sexism

Softball fields
Elks Lodge membership
Father denied rights
Woman fired because of pregnancy
Women in the military
Police make-up

Evaluation of Presentation

The collaborative group work and the presentation to the class will be assessed according to the rubric. See the chart below to guide your performance and reach your goal.

Beginning

1

Developing

2

Accomplished

3

Exemplary

4

Score

 


Time - use of class time and the computer lab

 

Group does not use class and lab time to prepare for  museum presentation.

Group uses a small portion of class time and lab time to prepare for the museum presentation.

Group uses almost all of the available class and lab time to research,  prepare, and practice the museum presentation.

Group uses all of the available class and lab time to discuss, prepare, and practice the presentation.


 

Organization of Presentation

 

Organization is not evident. Students do not know what each individual's responsibilities are.

Organization is somewhat evident. Students have some understanding of their responsibilities.

Organization is visible. Students know most of their roles. Notes or other forms or organizational aides are used.

Organization is very visible. Students know their exact role and how to perform their select tasks.

 

Voice and Intonation

 

Voices are inaudible. Students do not use intonation.

Voices are somewhat audible. Students use a small amount of intonation

Voices are audible. Some intonation is utilized.

Voices are very clear and audible. Intonation is utilized and makes the presentation interesting.

 

Audience Participation

 

No effort is made to involve the audience in the participation. The audience is very passive.

Some effort is made to involve the audience in the presentation. The audience is somewhat engaged.

Visible effort is made to involve the audience. Group uses a question, handout, or discussion to involve the audience.

Group effectively uses a variety of questions, handouts, or writing activities to involve the audience. Group responds to reactions appropriately.

 

Museum Exhibit

 

Group does not show a physical or electronic model of its museum exhibit.

Group shows a rough and /or incomplete physical or electronic model of its museum exhibit.

Group shows a complete   model of its museum exhibit.

Group thoughtfully displays a carefully designed and constructed museum exhibit.

 

Attitude and Effort

 

The group's attitude is poor. Students complain about project, group or other items. Group may appear listless during the presentation.

Little energy is spent within the group during class and lab time. Teacher must intervene during group conflicts. 

Group works together with interest. They solve disagreements with few problems.

All members actively participate, demonstrate excitement, and work as a supportive team. Problems are solved quickly.

Autobiographical Narrative Process

1. Choose a perspective to assume in this writing assignment. This perspective needs to be a point of view that you are not a part of. For example, a female teenager could write from the point of view of an 80-year-old man as a way of learning more about ageism.

2. Develop an identity, inlcuding a name, ethnicity, gender, and a setting where this person lives.

3. Write about an incident in which you were discriminated against.

4. Include well chosen details and relate a clear, coherent incident or event.

5. Reveal the significance of, or the writer's attitude about, the subject.

6. Employ narrative and descriptive strategies (e.g., relevent dialogue, specific action, physical description, background description, comparison or contrast of characters.

7. The finished product should be 500-700 words.

Evaluation of Autobiographical Narrative

See the California State writing rubric pdf file for narrative writing.

 

Conclusion

Now that you are an accomplished museum curator, presenter, and biographer, we hope you will continue to use your skills to further educate others about tolerance and its importance in our lives. To assist you in your lifelong task, the following links may be helpful:

Racial profiling--additional sites: http://www.sikh.org/hatecrime/

Credits & References

We wish to thank Judy and Jerry Headley and Kay Butler-Nalin for all their patience, support, and assistance in the development and maintenance of this WebQuest. Withou their encouragement and expertise this educational opportunity for students would not be possible.

We also wish to thank the Santa Barbara County Office of Education for the use of their facilities during the development of this project.  

In creating this lesson we consulted the Reading/Language arts Framework for California Public Schools

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