| Overview | Audience | Objectives | Activity |
Overview - Students will look at stock characters in film, television, and plays. Through analyzing all forms of media, students will observe the same characters repeatedly. They will be able to determine what makes each character fall into a stock character category. We choose to use the movie Jack as a media source because it will emotionally stimulate the students. They can reflect back on past experiences with the guidance of the teacher. Students learn in many different ways and the more examples that are available to them will hopefully reach them with the underlining point the teacher is trying to make. Jack is an example with true human behavior that students can see with their own eyes that stereotypes do happen. We hope that through this activity students will learn that the stereotypes of the media effect their lives and that not everyone has to fall into a specific character to be popular or successful.
Intended Audience - Grades 3 - 5. During the period between the ages of 8 and 11, children are starting to realize stereotypes, what they look and act like, who their friends are, and what is and is not cool. This age group is still very innocent, but very impressionable about what they see in the media. They are old enough at this point to categorize personality types. This activity will prepare them so that when they enter middle school they will see someone as they really are instead of as a stereotype.
Statement of objectives -Through this activity students will realize that just because they do not look like everyone else, play sports like everyone else, or even have grades like everyone else, they are still very unique people and that no one can bring them down. By using media as well as drama, students will see that everyone is different and they are special people. National Standards
Materials -
Pictures of various people
from magazines and movies
Movie: Jack
Video camera
Videotape
Disposable camera(s)
T.V. and VCR
Activity
-
1. Using different
pictures from magazines, students will be asked
what type of person these people are. Are they nice, mean, have a
family, work, athletic, a dancer? What makes you think this about
them by just looking at them?
2. These stereotypical characters are already preset in your mind from the media but how true are they? At this time an example from the media will be used to show that the dorky kid is the popular kid; he might have a big nose and have braces but that doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings. This kid is smart and funny. Instructional conversation about real life kids like this will proceed the example.
3. Watch and discuss
the movie Jack.
Great questions to get
to get the discussion going. . .
* What makes Jack different from other kids?
* Why isn't he a typical kid?
* How do his classmates treat him when they first meet him?
* How do you think that made him feel?
* How do his classmates treat him once they get to know him?
* Was Jack really all that different from his peers?
4. Students will be
asked to create a piece of media that demonstrates what a non-sterotypical
person can achieve:
* The older students can write a script of a scene based on a situation
similar to Jack's,
where the "dorky looking" or just plain different looking kid is most popular.
They could
then do little rehearsal and perform the scene while the teacher videotapes
(release
form
for
videotaping students). Remind students that the audience is involved
in the process of
creating meaning to the piece of media. Think about who will be watching
their scene. Is
the information they share going to help or hurt the audience who is watching?
* The younger students will dress up and make each other look as
silly as possible and all the
"cooler." The students will then use disposable cameras
to take pictures of each other and
once they have been developed, have them to talk about how it is similar
to how Jack felt.
They could then look at the developed pictures and make up a story about
their silly dressed
friend.
Higher Order Thinking
Skills
* Why does the media
mostly show these stereotypes instead of the unexpected types?
* How can you help
break the idea of the stereotypes displayed in the forms of media that
we have
looked
at?
* Could we live without
stereotypes? What would this world be like without them?
* Do you know anyone
who falls into a particular stereotype?
* Do you think there
are some truths in stereotypes? Why?
* How would stereotypes
effect your first day at a new school? How would it effect the first
day
of school
for someone new here at your school?
* When are stereotypes
most harmful? Where are they most harmful?
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