racism
- Video: A Class Divided
- Minimum of 1 library resource for initial post
Introduction
Racism and discrimination have real consequences to those who experience it first-hand. Mrs. Elliott’s experiment in a 3rd grade class demonstrated how quickly a group can be oppressed by society.
For example, the brown-eyed children participated in a timed activity. The first day, when they were in the low class, they completed the activity in 5 1/2 minutes. The second day, when they were in the superior group, they completed the activity in 2 1/2 minutes. The reasons the children provided for decreased versus increased productivity in an activity in which they were well-versed are shared by individuals who are oppressed by society.
Initial Post Instructions
Reflect upon A Class Divided (video). For your initial post, address the following:
- Fifteen years after the classroom experiment, the 3rd grade class, now young adults, returned to campus to visit their teacher. Mrs. Elliot posed the following question to her grown-up former students, “Should every child have the exercise or every teacher?” What do you think? Why?
- What scene or scenes do you think you will remember a month from now and why did you pick those scenes?
- Did any part of the film surprise you? Why?
