Grade 10 Social Studies: The Power of a Label (part 2)
Objectives
It is expected that the student will:
Analyze Canadian society from 1815 to 1914 in terms of gender roles, ethnicity, daily life, and the arts
Evaluate the influence of immigration on Canadian society from 1815 to 1914
Develop critical thinking skills by questioning, comparing and evaluating materials
Demonstrate effective research skills, including: accessing, collecting, evaluating, and organizing information
Materials
Multicultural Canada archival collection
New Kids on the Block: Oral Histories of Immigrant Teens by Janet Bode
Computers
Access to Internet
Activities
Introduction:
Students will look at the difficulties of being a teen immigrant and having to transition into mainstream North American culture all the while being assigned certain labels.
Before beginning the study, ask students to get into groups and brainstorm what the term “label” means, in terms of assigned identity. Ask students to think of a label they know of and share it with the class.
Study:
Using the book New Kids on the Block: Oral Histories of Immigrant Teens by Janet Bode and well as looking at issues of the newspaper, “New Japanese Canadian” students will compare and contrast the numerous experiences of immigrant teens. While comparing and contrasting, students must make mention of labels and how these labels impact the experiences of immigrant teens.
After doing this, students work in groups to look at their own school community and brainstorm certain labels assigned to people causing exclusion. Based on the brainstorming session, the students then write survey questions about their school’s social boundaries. As a class, discuss the survey questions and choose the ones that the class feels would evoke the most honest answers from other students.
Ask students to take copies of the survey to classes (teacher permission permitting). Students will present the survey to classes, explaining it and then monitoring the class for any questions while their peers complete the survey. After this, tally the results of the responses by group, and then by class. Ask students to create a bar graph on an Excel spreadsheet to show the information. See if any themes emerge; for example, are multiracial students the most left-out group? Are gay students the most bullied? How can we as students lead as examples to stop negative labeling in the school? Through this activity, genuine discussion about discrimination can emerge.
Conclusion: Ask students to write a refection piece on what they have learned from doing the assignment. Students should write about both reading the experiences of immigrant teenagers, as well as what they learned from the survey assignment.
Assessment
Students will be assessed formatively; the teacher will provide continuous feedback on the constructing of survey questions as well as the final reflections.
Extension
Students write an essay or response on the theme of labeling. This should include what they have learned from the survey they conducted it their school as well as adding how they themselves have been assigned a label, perhaps one that they liked or hated.
Lesson adapted from Sally Butler’s Lesson: New Kids on the Block, from www.tolerance.org
