Today, the entire 5th grade participated in a social science experiment. The classes were evenly divided into two "teams"--a green team and a yellow team. It was decided that the green team would be the privileged group and the yellow team would be those who were less fortunate. Students were randomly placed. For example, in my class, I chose the even numbered students to wear the green badges and the odd numbered students to wear the yellow. I made a few changes to separate best friends to better faciltate the experiment.
The privileged group was allowed just that. They went to lunch and specials first. They were given priority seating choices. The less fortunate group would have to wait. They also had to share books for class activities. I did make sure that no one's learning was impeded during the course of the day. Everyone received the same instruction and participated in class discussions.
The experiment was designed so that students would understand what discrimination looks like and how it affects people. The other teachers and I tried to help the students understand that it was not just about race, but also about abilities/disabilities and economic advantages/disadvantages. For example, in our class, one less fortunate student won the lottery while a privileged student had a car accident and had too many medical bills to stay privileged. This was not done to reward or punish anyone. It was done to demonstrate that your situation may change at any time.
The students were good sports throughout the day. Some of the privileged students felt sorry for their classmates. Some of the less fortunate students made protest signs, though a few "went to jail" for "stealing" tape. Again, the point was not to punish any one student or any group of students, but to demonstrate that people are not always nice and rules are not always fair. Last week, we talked about how Rosa Parks and Dr. King stood up for what they believed was right by using non-violent means. I was proud to see that some of the students were "protesting" and upset by how they or others were being treated. It shows that they have a lot of compassion!
3 comments:
i liked that experiment i thought we needed to know how they did stuff back then. i thought it was funny that they had to go to jail but rules are rules and luckly i didnt go to jail thank goodness!!!
This experiment made an impression on Mack. It turned into our discussion at dinner and I was able to extend what you teaching them in class. Thank you for making it so well rounded. Mrs Moore
Hey mrs. cannon my science project is which bread mold's the fastest.Also right my mom is in the hosptil because she the flu.
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