Deciding Who's on a Team

Unit	World Olympics, p. 50
Lesson Name	Deciding Who’s on a Team
Grade Band	Elementary (Grades 3-5) Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Unit

World Olympics, p. 50

Lesson Name

Deciding Who’s on a Team

Grade Band

Elementary (Grades 3-5)

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Required Materials	Have enough copies of the Observer Forms for each student who will be an observer plus extra copies should students need another form. Have a copy of each of the role play Identity Card sets provided (front and back). Print the information on large index cards or heavy stock paper and attach a length of string or yarn to each so that students can wear their two cards – the physical description (front) card on their chests and the personal information (back) card on their backs. Print the definition of stereotype on chart paper: A stereotype is a mistaken idea or belief many people have about a thing or group that is often based upon how they look on the outside, which may be untrue or only partly true. Stereotyping people is a type of prejudice because what is on the outside is a small part of who a person is. (This definition should be kept hidden until it is asked for toward the end of the lesson.)
Standards / Competencies	CASEL Core Competencies Self-Awareness Self-Management Social Awareness Relationship Skills Common Core ELA-Literacy Standards Listening and Speaking Reading Writing NCSS Social Studies Themes Individual Development and Identity
Recommended Time	55 mins

Required Materials

Have enough copies of the Observer Forms for each student who will be an observer plus extra copies should students need another form.
Have a copy of each of the role play Identity Card sets provided (front and back). Print the information on large index cards or heavy stock paper and attach a length of string or yarn to each so that students can wear their two cards – the physical description (front) card on their chests and the personal information (back) card on their backs.
Print the definition of stereotype on chart paper: A stereotype is a mistaken idea or belief many people have about a thing or group that is often based upon how they look on the outside, which may be untrue or only partly true. Stereotyping people is a type of prejudice because what is on the outside is a small part of who a person is. (This definition should be kept hidden until it is asked for toward the end of the lesson.)

Standards / Competencies

CASEL Core Competencies

Self-Awareness
Self-Management
Social Awareness
Relationship Skills

Common Core ELA-Literacy Standards

Listening and Speaking
Reading
Writing

NCSS Social Studies Themes

Individual Development and Identity

Recommended Time

55 mins

Essential Question	How do stereotypes affect who gets to be on a team?
Learning Objectives	Explain the concept of stereotyping Identify ways in which people stereotype others based on physical appearance Give examples of additional ways in which people can be stereotyped Demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which stereotyping is harmful to the person being stereotyped and to the people who stereotype others

Activating Prior Knowledge	Tell the group that they will be participating in a role play activity. Two children will play the role of coaches. Eight children will play students trying out for school teams. The remainder of the class will be official observers who must pay careful attention and take notes about the interactions between the coaches and students on their official Observer Forms.
Core Instruction	Choose two students to play the role of coaches and eight who will be playing the role of students trying out for a team. Send the two coaches out of the room where they cannot hear or see what preparations are being made. Choose eight students to try out for school teams and ask them to come to the front of the room. Give each of the eight students who are role-playing a front and back Identity Card. Ask them to quickly read who their character is, put their cards on front and back and stand along the wall of the classroom. They should have their backs against the wall, so that the coaches and observers cannot see their back cards. Distribute the official Observer Forms, one to each observer. Explain that they are to carefully observe and take notes on what happens when the coaches pick their teams. Call for the two coaches to come back into the room. Pick one of the coaches and tell the group that this person is the coach of the academic quiz team, a team that travels to different schools to compete in a game that is based on many academic subjects (Math, Science, Social Studies and English Language Arts). Tell the group the other coach is the coach of the athletics squad, a team that plays many different sports and competes in many different physical events. Explain to the coaches (and to all of the children) that the children wearing the identity cards are playing a role. They are no longer themselves. They are the character on their placards (so girls can play boys, short people can play tall people, etc.). Remind observers to take notes. Tell the two coaches they have three or four minutes to read the Identity Card on the front of each of the eight students. Once they have read all the front Identity Cards, flip a coin to choose the coach who will pick first. Coaches take turns picking four students to be on the team they coach. The eight students may not speak at this time and must keep their back card hidden from view. Once all eight role players are on a team, ask the coach of the athletic squad: Why did you pick the people you did? Was it easy or hard for you to make your choices? Why? Ask the coach of the academic quiz team: Was it easy or hard for you to make your choices? Why? How did this experience make you feel as the coach of the academic quiz team? Why? Now give the coaches time to ask two questions of each of the players they picked for their team to decide whether they are happy with the teams they chose. The 8 “players” must respond to each question by playing the role each has been given. Each “player” may only use information they have been given on both identity cards, front and back. Players may not look at their back cards, which must be kept hidden from the coaches. After the two coaches have had a chance to ask questions of the players, ask the coaches: Now that you have had a chance to ask your players two questions, explain why you are happy or unhappy with the teams you chose? Remind observers to take notes. Ask the observers: What did you observe about how the role players seemed to feel about being chosen for either of the teams? Ask two or three observers to read their observations. What did you observe about how the coaches felt as they chose their teams? Ask two or three observers to read their observations. What did you observe after the coaches were allowed to ask each of the players on their teams two questions? Why do you think you saw this reaction from the coaches? Ask the eight role players to use feeling words to answer: How did your character feel about being picked for the team you were chosen for? Now that you have felt this way, what is one piece of advice you would give the coaches? Have each of the eight role players reveal the placard on their backs and read their personal information to the entire group. Ask the whole group: What does this game tell us about making judgements based only on a person’s physical characteristics? Ask the group if anyone knows what it is called when we make assumptions about a person or group of people based on how they look on the outside. Post the definition of stereotyping at the front of the room. Ask the group: How did stereotyping play a part in how characters in the role play were chosen or not chosen? Ask the students who played the eight characters to share how it felt to be chosen based only on their physical description. Chart answers on newsprint or the board. Ask students: What are some important characteristics of people that you cannot necessarily see on the outside? Chart responses. Ask: What problems could arise if coaches believe stereotypes about which groups of people are either good or bad at what they coach? Ask: If you believe stereotypes, what problems could that cause for you? How could this cause problems between friends or teammates?
Wrap-up	Ask: How could believing in stereotypes affect what people believe they can do? How could this harm the person who is stereotyped and the people who are doing the stereotyping? Why?
Learning Beyond Classroom Walls	Extension Activity: Ask students to research an athlete or a group of athletes that experienced stereotyping, and then to write two or three paragraphs about what they learned. Encourage students to speak with adults in their family and/or community as well as to use the internet or library as resources.

Activating Prior Knowledge

Tell the group that they will be participating in a role play
activity. Two children will play the role of coaches. Eight children
will play students trying out for school teams. The remainder of the
class will be official observers who must pay careful attention and take
notes about the interactions between the coaches and students on their
official Observer Forms.

Core Instruction

Choose two students to play the role of coaches and eight who will be playing the role of students trying out for a team. Send the two coaches out of the room where they cannot hear or see what preparations are being made.

Choose eight students to try out for school teams and ask them to come to the front of the room. Give each of the eight students who are role-playing a front and back Identity Card. Ask them to quickly read who their character is, put their cards on front and back and stand along the wall of the classroom. They should have their backs against the wall, so that the coaches and observers cannot see their back cards.

Distribute the official Observer Forms, one to each observer. Explain that they are to carefully observe and take notes on what happens when the coaches pick their teams.

Call for the two coaches to come back into the room.

Pick one of the coaches and tell the group that this person is the coach of the academic quiz team, a team that travels to different schools to compete in a game that is based on many academic subjects (Math, Science, Social Studies and English Language Arts).
Tell the group the other coach is the coach of the athletics squad, a team that plays many different sports and competes in many different physical events.

Explain to the coaches (and to all of the children) that the children wearing the identity cards are playing a role. They are no longer themselves. They are the character on their placards (so girls can play boys, short people can play tall people, etc.).

Remind observers to take notes. Tell the two coaches they have three or four minutes to read the Identity Card on the front of each of the eight students.

Once they have read all the front Identity Cards, flip a coin to choose the coach who will pick first. Coaches take turns picking four students to be on the team they coach. The eight students may not speak at this time and must keep their back card hidden from view.

Once all eight role players are on a team, ask the coach of the athletic squad:

Why did you pick the people you did?
Was it easy or hard for you to make your choices?
Why?

Ask the coach of the academic quiz team:

Was it easy or hard for you to make your choices?
Why?
How did this experience make you feel as the coach of the academic quiz
team? Why?

Now give the coaches time to ask two questions of each of the players they picked for their team to decide whether they are happy with the teams they chose.

The 8 “players” must respond to each question by playing the role each has been given. Each “player” may only use information they have been given on both identity cards, front and back. Players may not look at their back cards, which must be kept hidden from the coaches.

After the two coaches have had a chance to ask questions of the players, ask the coaches:

Now that you have had a chance to ask your players two
questions, explain why you are happy or unhappy with the teams you
chose?

Remind observers to take notes. Ask the observers:

What did you observe about how the role players seemed to feel
about being chosen for either of the teams? Ask two or three observers
to read their observations.

What did you observe about how the coaches felt as they chose
their teams? Ask two or three observers to read their
observations.

What did you observe after the coaches were allowed to ask each
of the players on their teams two questions? Why do you think you saw
this reaction from the coaches?

Ask the eight role players to use feeling words to answer:

How did your character feel about being picked for the team
you were chosen for?
Now that you have felt this way, what is one piece of advice
you would give the coaches?

Have each of the eight role players reveal the placard on their backs and read their personal information to the entire group.

Ask the whole group: What does this game tell us about making
judgements based only on a person’s physical characteristics?

Ask the group if anyone knows what it is called when we make assumptions about a person or group of people based on how they look on the outside.

Post the definition of stereotyping at the front of the room. Ask the group: How did stereotyping play a part in how characters in the
role play were chosen or not chosen?

Ask the students who played the eight characters to share how it felt to be chosen based only on their physical description. Chart answers on newsprint or the board.

Ask students: What are some important characteristics of people
that you cannot necessarily see on the outside? Chart responses.

Ask: What problems could arise if coaches believe stereotypes
about which groups of people are either good or bad at what they
coach?

Ask: If you believe stereotypes, what problems could that cause
for you? How could this cause problems between friends or
teammates?

Wrap-up

Ask: How could believing in
stereotypes affect what people believe they can do? How could this harm
the person who is stereotyped and the people who are doing the
stereotyping? Why?

Learning Beyond Classroom Walls

Extension Activity: Ask students to research an
athlete or a group of athletes that experienced stereotyping, and then
to write two or three paragraphs about what they learned. Encourage
students to speak with adults in their family and/or community as well
as to use the internet or library as resources.

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