Lesson Plan #: CC-0045
Unit I: A World of Their Own: The Americas to 1500



Lesson 5: Stereotypes Create A Narrow View of Indian Culture


Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. understand the concept of "stereotyping."

2. understand that many people have stereotypic views of Indians.

3. understand that studying about the aspects of a particular culture helps people to respect that culture.

4. create a questionnaire that will determine if peers, family members, or other people have stereotypic view of Indians.

5. use background knowledge gained during the unit to help other people understand and respect the contributions Indians have made to American culture.

Description of lesson/activities:
The activities in this lesson focus on values. It is important for students to recognize how our attitudes, opinions, and prejudices shape how we behave in this world-- toward ourselves, and toward one another. As was mentioned in the teacher's rationale for studying this unit, Indians are often stereotyped by movies, advertisements, jokes, toys, etc. In addition to the pieces of literature already recommended for read-alouds in this unit, it is recommended that you read a full-length novel entitled Indian Summer, by Barbara Girion. This book will set the stage for the final activities of this lesson. (Note: Because of all the activities involved in this unit, it may take the duration of the unit to complete the reading of this novel.) The setting of this book takes place on a present-day Iroquois Indian reservation in upstate New York. A young girl named Joni McCord reluctantly travels with her family to the reservation where her father will help out in a clinic. (Joni's friends are convinced she will be "scalped" by all those "savage" Indians!) The family stays with the chief of the tribe, and this means Joni will have to put up with the chief's equally reluctant daughter, Sarah Birdsong. (Her friends think all "palefaces" want to take advantage of the Indians.) Girion realistically portrays what happens when both girls let stereotypic views get in the way of friendship. She takes an important contemporary issue and weaves it into a story that young and old alike can learn from.

1. Through class discussion, students will compile a list of stereotypic views that were exhibited in the book Indian Summer. Students will be asked to identify other cultures that may also be stereotyped (e.g., African Americans, Muslims, etc.). Ask students how kids might "stereotype" each other (e.g., all redheaded people have bad tempers; short people can't play sports; girls are not as strong as boys; boys are better at math and science than girls, etc.).

2. When you are satisfied that students understand "stereotypes/stereotyping," have students create a questionnaire that will be used to ascertain whether stereotypic views of Indians exist among peers, siblings, parents or other people. A sample questionnaire accompanies this lesson. Each student will interview at least three people (from different age groups, if possible). By this time in the unit, students should have abundant factual knowledge about Indians that can be used to help other people understand and respect the contributions they have made to our heritage.

3. Have students share the responses from the questionnaire to determine if their community needs further education regarding the stereotyping of Indians. Students will brainstorm ideas on how that can be done (e.g., display on Indians somewhere in school; visit of Indians to the school; article in school newspaper or newsletter).