For Teachers
The downloadable teacher guide is designed for high school social studies
and/or language arts teachers to use in close conjunction with the film. The
activities are suggested for grades 10 and 11 with adaptations for grades
9 and 12. The guide includes general discussion questions and four classroom
activities as well as suggestions for promoting "active listening."
View a PDF version of the teacher
guide.
This requires the Adobe Acrobat
reader
and the PDF plug-in.
Going Deeper
Discussion Questions
These questions
are provided for classroom discussion based on the film. Discussion can be
an effective way for students to increase their awareness and understanding
of the many issues addressed in the film. Consult the Active Listening tips
and share them with your students before beginning classroom discussion.
Note: As an additional activity, assign students the task of looking for definitions of race and ethnicity using the dictionary and/or other resources. Discuss the different definitions in class. What is the purpose of having definitions of these terms? Is the concept of race changing?
Active Listening Tips
In any classroom discussion, and particularly those in which emotions may run high, it is important to engage with others in ways that ensure everybody has the opportunity both to speak and to be listened to. It is advised that you set guidelines or norms for ways to "actively listen" in advance of classroom discussions. Here are some suggestions for you and your students to consider:
Techniques for Active Listening
Ask how the person feels. Be careful not to assume that you know how the person feels.
Communication Blockers | Communication Enhancers |
Blaming and attacking | Asking for more information and problem solving together |
Being distracted or using other body language that is non-attentive | Making eye contact, leaning toward the other person, giving full attention |
Dismissing or making light of someones problem | Showing empathy, validating the other persons feelings |
Interrupting | Staying silent until the person is finished speaking |
Lecturing/moralizing | Withholding judgment |
"Yes but" statements | "Yes and" statements |