Continuing the Discussion

School Colors

Aired October 18, 1994

Letter from David Fanning,
FRONTLINE Executive Producer

Educator's Primer

Classroom Activities

Letter from David Fanning

Dear Educator:

Over the past twelve seasons on PBS, FRONTLINE has earned its reputation as a trustworthy source of information for its viewers. Now, we hope to broaden our relationship with America's educators by providing useful classroom materials developed for FRONTLINE programming and by extending the off-air record rights for the series.

The pages that follow represent our first efforts to bring FRONTLINE into your classroom on a regular basis. Three times each school year--fall, winter, and spring--FRONTLINE plans to highlight one program which is particularly suited for classroom use, supplying teachers with interesting, comprehensible strategies to cover issues raised in programs through group activities, discussion questions, and capsuled background information.

We have developed an educational guide to supplement our 1994 fall premier program, "School Colors," a co-production of the Center for Investigative Reporting and Telesis Productions for FRONTLINE. The program follows a diverse group of students, teachers, administrators, and parents through one year at a large, urban, high school in Berkeley, California. Airing Tuesday, October 18, 1994 the program examines how one high school is grappling with conflicts over political correctness, multiculturalism, and race while it struggles to provide quality education to all its students in a safe environment.

"School Colors" will draw the attention of high school students who will relate to their peers featured in the program. Regardless of the demographics of your school, the issues raised in the program are relevant to all high schools. The information, tips, and ideas in this guide are designed to assist you in integrating "School Colors"--the program and its themes--into your teaching.

To allow educators to incorporate FRONTLINE programs into their curriculum, PBS has recently extended the off-air broadcast rights for the series, allowing educators to use FRONTLINE programs up to one year after each broadcast. Additionally, FRONTLINE will utilize the PBS on-line service Learning Link to bring more time-sensitive educational materials directly into schools via computer modem.

In keeping with PBS's commitment to enrich classroom instruction, I am enthusiastic about this expanded role for FRONTLINE. I hope you find the materials useful and would welcome your comments for improvement.

I look forward to building a partnership with you and your students.

Sincerely,

David Fanning
Executive Producer

EDUCATOR'S PRIMER

"School Colors," a provocative two-and one-half-hour documentary produced by the Center for Investigative Reporting and Telesis Productions for FRONTLINE, gives a first-hand look at the events, relationships, and conflicts at Berkeley High, a large, multicultural, urban school. The program examines how sharply segregated along color lines our public schools remain forty years after Brown v. Board of Education.

The documentary is developed in three acts that explore segregation in the classroon, the social segregation of the student body, and finally, the school's efforts to achieve greather racial equity and harmony.

We encourage you to review the following sections before you initiate the activities on the next page.


A Matter of Respect

"School Colors" is likely to trigger discussion about the words people use to describe themselves and their heritage. Throughout history many groups have been labeled by others. In a non-biased and respectful community, each member of the community should retain the right to self identity. Acknowledging students' right to self definition is a matter of respect which educators can model. Address students in the terms that they prefer.


Self Examination: Assessing your Educational Approach to Diversity

Reflecting on how you teach helps you become aware of the conditioning and individual filters that influence your work. The following questions are intended to help you become aware of and explore your educational approach.


Tips for Creating Anti-Bias Environments:
Valuing Diversity in the Classroom


Taking on Sensitive Issues

Comfort. Spend time thinking about and exploring your own beliefs. It is important that you feel ready to discuss these issues with students.

Openness. Look inside yourself. Recognize that your experiences and beliefs shape your perceptions. Examine your own experiences, your parents' attitudes when you were growing up, and your personal beliefs prior to talking about sensitive issues with students. Your willingness to be open and to grapple with these issues will help you be more effective with students.

Learning. Join your students in their educational journey. Educate yourself about other cultures and incorporate that knowledge into your teaching.

Okay. Remind yourself constantly that it's part of the process to feel uncomfortable. Don't let it become an obstacle. You don't have to have all the answers or to resolve the issues.

Resources. If you need help with these issues, there are organizations that have facilitators and materials to assist you. Contact the Anti-Defamation Leauge's A World of Difference Institute, 823 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, or Teaching Tolerance, Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104.

Support. Learning to educate all of our children is a complex process. As you explore your own feelings, attitudes, and values, think about forming a support group to bolster your efforts and assist you in processing your own bias.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Introduction

"School Colors" is an exciting and powerful tool to help you facilitate student discussion. You can tape the broadcast and use it for one year. The program is best used in small groups, using those segments that fit with your curriculum. The film is not recommended for viewing at student assemblies.

Whether you use these activities or others, keep in mind some basic guidelines when addressing sensitive issues such as the ones presented in "School Colors."

We hope you will find these two exercises valuable and that they will inspire you to find additional ways to use the program in your educational efforts.


Berkeley High students Xochiti Rios and Arthur Yee struggle
to maintain their identities in the face of challenge.


Self Definition Exercise:
Getting to Know Yourself


Learning Outcome

Students will see how their perception of others is affected by the way in which they identify themselves.


Video Segment

Students in video journalism class discuss self identity. [Act III, Approximately 10 minutes from end of program.]


Instructions

  1. Have students choose three words that define them.

  2. Ask students to break into small groups (two to four students per group) to share what words they chose and why.

  3. As a large group, identify and quantify the categories that students used to describe themselves, for example, race, religion, gender, ethnicity.

  4. Facilitate a discussion with students about identity. The discussion should remain on the broad subject of self identity rather than specific people. Some questions to pose are: Were you surprised by the way students identified themselves? If so, in what ways? Were you surprised by your own choices? Do you categorize others in the same ways that you identify yourself? How do you feel about someone who does not value the categories you chose to describe yourself? How can you maintain the right to self identity and be open to seeing others as they want to be seen?


Labeling Others Exercise:
Getting to Know Others


Learning Outcome

Students will experience how labels are used and how they can limit their experiences with others.


Video Segments

Teachers discussion about prejudging students. [Act I, Approximately one-half hour from start of program.]


Instructions

  1. Have each student choose a student whom they do not know. They should not tell anyone whom they chose.

  2. Students should write a short paragraph describing how they perceive that person. Encourage students to think carefully about what information they used to describe that person. Was it physical appearance, neighborhood, social connections, musical taste, racial group, religion? Student reflections should be kept confidential.

  3. At this point you can:
    • Have students interview the person they chose to find out if their description was accurate. Students should question one another about how they came to their conclusions. (This approach should only be taken in settings where there is a high level of comfort and respect between students.)
    • Ask students to observe the person over time, finding opportunities to talk, do school work, or just be around the person. Provide class time each week to jot down notes about how the person is matching up to their original description.

  4. Without sharing who they chose to describe, ask students to share with the group the ways in which they described one another. Discuss what criteria they used. Were the criteria useful in helping them to make accurate assessments of another person? Would they be comfortable having themselves described using the same criteria?

Comments or Questions

To obtain a copy of additional classroom exercises exploring how students can both maintain their own cultural identity and succeed in mainstream society, contact FRONTLINE's Eileen Warren at 125 Western Avenue, Boston, MA 02134. (617) 783-3500; fax, (617) 254-0243; Internet, eileen_warren@wgbh.org FRONTLINE also welcomes your comments and suggestions.

Videocassettes of "School Colors" and other FRONTLINE programs can be purchased from PBS Video. To order, call toll-free: 800-344-3337 or fax: 703-739-5269 or write: PBS VIDEO, Public Broadcasting Service, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314-1698.

"School Colors" educational material was created by Simone Bloom Nathan, Caren Keller Niss, and Jim Bracciale with input from the Outreach Advisory Board: Milton Chen, Manuel J. Fernandez, Grace I. Holmes, Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Joanne Taupier, and Leonard P. Zakim.

Photos by Julie Nestingen. Teachers may photocopy this lesson plan for educational purposes. All other rights reserved.

(Copyright) 1994 WGBH Educational Foundation.

New Content Copyright © 1998 PBS and WGBH/FRONTLINE