Racial Stereotypes

[tiffane]

This is a lesson for a group of 6-8 strong lycée students - it requires a fairly high level of maturity as well as a good grasp of the English language.

I usually start by writing the word 'stereotype' on the board and asking the students to explain to me what it is. We then brainstorm different groups of society that can be stereotyped and I write them up on the board too. I then split them into pairs and get them to brainstorm labels/stereotypes that they know for particular countries (usually I do France, USA, Japan and the Middle East). You can find images to help them if you like (e.g. for France, I have a postcard with a picture of a guy in a blue an white stripe shirt and a beret holding a baguette, drinking red wine in front of the Eiffel Tower...).

Give them just a couple of minutes to come with as many as they can (say you want at least five) an then have them present them to the class. Follow this up with a brief discussion of how stereotypes can be postive/negative/neutral and then move onto the DEBATE - the main part of the lesson.

Debate: That stereotypes are harmless
Present the topic and explain how the debate will work - you split them into two teams of three and they use the idea you give them to create a short speech. Write on the board 'introduction, argument, example, conclusion' to remind them how to structure their speeches. Tell them to use the examples from their previous brainstorm. Give them about 15 minutes to prepare before presenting the debate to the class. If you have 7 or 8 students, get the extra students to introduce and sum up the debate.

Arguments for the Affirmative team:
1. Stereotypes are funny
2. Stereotypes are based on reality
3. We should be able to say what we want (freedom of speech, Voltaire)

Negative:
1. Stereotypes are not funny
2. Stereotypes are untrue
3. Stereotypes are too dangerous in the 21st century

If they understand the instructions and the topic, this generally works quite well. Giving them an argument eliminates the time it takes for them to come up with an idea, and also ensures that the debate flows logically. With some students, I had to prompt them to get them to speak for more than about 30 seconds...

You need to really watch the clock during this lesson and make sure the first part doesn't go too long and that you leave enough time for the debate.

Attached is a list of common stereotypes for a few different countries/regions (if you're stuck for ideas and need to help them...) and a sample speech.