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Daily Lesson Plan taken from The New York Times on the Web – Learning Network-Teacher Connections Working It OutExploring Racial Divisions in the Workplace: A Simulation Activity Authors: Alison Zimbalist, the New York Times Learning Network Tanya Yasmin Chin, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City
Introduction: In this lesson, students participate in a simulation in which they are arbitrarily assigned different work roles (cleaners, line workers, and supervisors) and compare their experiences to those discussed in a New York Times article about the racial divisions that exist among work tasks in a pork production plant.
Content Area and Grade Level: The grade level is 9 through 12. The subjects are Economics, Language Arts, and Social Studies.
The Standards: The standards that this lesson plan covers are taken from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for k-12 Education: 2nd Edition and have been provided by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning. Grades 9-12 Economics Standard 2- Understands characteristics of different economic systems, economic institutions, and economic incentives. Benchmark: Understands that in every economic system consumers, producers, workers, savers, and investors respond to incentives in order to allocate their scare resources to obtain the highest possible return, subject to the institutional constraints of their society. Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Writes compositions that are focused for different audiences; Writes compositions that fulfill different purposes; Writes reflective compositions; Writes persuasive compositions that evaluate, interpret, and speculate about problems/solutions and causes and effects.
Objectives: Students will: 1. Participate in a simulation in which they are arbitrarily assigned different work roles. 2. Explore the racial divisions that exist among work tasks in a pork production plant in North Carolina by reading and discussing “At A Slaughterhouse, some Things Never Die.” 3. Compare the class work simulation to the pork plant article read in class.
Materials: The teacher will need to look up and print out the page: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/race/000616friday_ws.html this will explain what you have to do with the following materials: - five slips or squares of green construction paper, one with an “X” on it - equal numbers of slips or squares of blue and red construction paper for remaining students - hat or bag - roll of tape - one sheet each of green, blue, and red construction paper - bag of unopened cookies - two-liter bottle of soda - five cups - five napkins - cleaning supplies for the room (paper towels, cleaning solution, window cleaner, large bowl or bucket of water) - supplies for journal-making (one piece of construction paper and two pieces of unlined white paper for every student in the class, one stapler filled with staples, two pairs of scissors, three thin-tipped black markers) - four envelopes - classroom needs to have a blackboard - chalk to write on the blackboard - copies of “At a Slaughterhouse, Some Things Never Die” (one per student) - Have a list of the Extension Homework Questions printed out enough for each student to have The students need to bring a pen or pencil to class with them. The teacher will supply the rest of the materials for them.
Procedures: NOTE TO TEACHERS: This lesson plan focuses on issues related to race. Because the topic of race is often incendiary, teachers should be particularly mindful in guiding the lesson. Additionally, teachers should be prepared for students coming across extremely derogatory racial terms in the article that may be upsetting or confusing. 1. WARM-UP/DO Now: Prior to class, prepare the materials and classroom as detailed on the worksheet that you printed out off the Internet (address given above). Stand at the door of the classroom with the hat or bag containing the colored slips of paper and with a roll of tape. As each student enters, have him or her pull a piece of paper from the hat or bag, give the student a piece of tape to tape the paper to his or her shirt, and instruct the student to sit quietly at one of the desks in the group with the matching piece of paper. Once all students have taken their seats, instruct them to open the envelopes on their desks and to read the contents quietly to themselves. 2. After all groups have carefully reviewed their instructions, have the Head Supervisor (the student who drew the green slip of paper with the “X” on it) read his or her statement (also found in the green group’s envelope). Then, allow the simulation to take place. Try to get involved as little as possible with what is happening in the class. The simulation ends when the red group has created enough journals for the entire class. (This should take no more than fifteen to twenty minutes). Then, tell students that they will be receiving their paychecks in the mail: $1000 for the head supervisor, $100 for each of the supervisors, $20 for each member of the blue group, and $10 for each member of the red group. Ask students to rearrange the desks in a circle, and give each student one of the journals created by the red group. Have students reflect in their journals on their thoughts of the experience, responding to the following (written on the board for easier student reference, written by the teacher before class): - How were tasks assigned in the beginning of class? - What happened with students in the other groups? - How did you feel about the work that you did? - What did the supervisors do? - What role would you want to be in if you were to do this activity again? How would you get that role? - Were the amounts of pay for each worker fair? Why or why not? - Do you think that situations like this really happen? Why or why not? · After ten minutes of journal writing, ask students to share their responses. 3. As a class, read and discuss, “At a Slaughterhouse, Some Things Never Die,” focusing on the following questions: a. In what ways is the Smithfield Packing Company divided by race? b. Some of the workers in the plant are quoted as stating racial slurs about other workers of different races. Why might they feel this way? Why might what they see in the plant and in other experiences confirm their views? c. Why is “language a divider” at the plant? How might language divide people in other circumstances? d. What is the hiring process at the plant? e. What is a typical day at the plant like for workers who cut the meat? What is the day like for workers who are on the “kill floor”? f. What does this plant provide for the Tar Heel economy? g. How much are people at the plant paid depending on their different tasks? h. What has happened at the plant with respect to labor union activity and regulations? How do these situations relate to the racial division in the plant?
Closure: In the remaining space in their journals created and used in class, students compare the class work simulation to the New York Times article read in class. Students should share their responses in a future class. For a more extensive assignment you could have a list of the following questions printed out on a paper, one for each student to take home. - Why do you think that racial divisions in workplaces like the factory described in the article exist? - If you could write a letter to one of the people mentioned in the article, whom would you write to and what would you write? - What is a stereotype? Are all stereotypes inaccurate? Are all stereotypes harmful? - Why do you think people stereotype racial, gender, and or ethnic groups by saying things such as, “All people of that race act this way”? Where do such perceptions come from, and why do so many people believe them? - What obstacles do you think immigrants to the United States encounter today, and why? - What common obstacles do immigrants encounter, and why are there obstacles sometimes difficult to overcome? - For what reasons do people immigrate to other countries? How might immigration into a particular neighborhood benefit that community or city? How might it burden that community or city?
Assessment: Students will be evaluated based on participation in simulation activity, thoughtful written reflection of the activity, participation in discussions, and written comparison of the class activity and the situation detailed in the featured article.
Explanation:
I
picked this lesson because I am very interested in history and I want to teach
English. English includes composition, like writing in journals, reflecting &
writing thoughts on paper and answering questions in good form and English. I
thought this way a good way to combine history like racism and the society
ladder for paying people depending on whom they know and then writing things
down like reflecting on what you think and have just learned. I know that
students learn from doing things with their hands as well as seeing them and
talking about them with other students. So, this is a good lesson to teach
students because they are able to work with their hands, talk about it with
people, and see what they are
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