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Nearpod
Gender Stereotypes Online
Overview
Grade: 6 – 8
Overall Goal: To explore how can gender stereotypes shape our experiences online
Standards | Learning Objectives | Assessment |
Common Core: grade 6: RI.4, RI.7, RI.8, RI.10, W.4, W.10, SL.1a, SL.1b, SL.1c,SL.1d, SL.4, SL.6, L.6 grade 7: RI.4, RI.8, RI.10, W.4, W.10, SL.1a, SL.1b, SL.1c, SL.2, SL.4, SL.6, L.6 grade 8: RI.4, RI.8, RI.10, W.4, W.10, SL.1a, SL.1b, SL.1c, SL.1d, SL.4, SL.6, L.6 ISTE: 1a-d, 2a-b, 2d, 3a-c, 4a-b, 4d, 5a-d, 6a-b, 6c | Students will be able to ...
· Define gender stereotypes and their impact on people’s identities, both online and offline. · List different ways that genders are portrayed in the media · Compare how gender stereotypes can be hurtful, and affect the way people behave online between males and females. | See Resources / Artifacts section. |
Warm Up
TELL students that you have been invited to a birthday party for 3-year-old twins, Jasmine and Jayden. You need the students’ help in brainstorming a list of possible gifts for each child.
INSTRUCT students to spend three minutes writing down some gift ideas. Meanwhile, draw the following Venn diagram on the board:
INVITE students to share their gift ideas aloud. Write students’ suggestions in their chosen section of the Venn diagram, placing check marks next to any gift ideas that are mentioned multiple times. Alternatively, invite students to create and edit their own Venn diagrams with Lucid Chart (www.lucidchart.com).
SELECT a stereotypical “boy gift” idea for Jayden, like a toy truck. Invite students to discuss whether or not they could give the same gift to Jasmine. Repeat the exercise with a typical “girl gift,” like a doll, and encourage students to talk about why they might or might not give this gift to Jayden.
Main Lesson
Instructor will lead the Nearpod and explain the slides and students will participate on the collaboration slides.
1: What Are Gender Stereotypes? (10 minutes)
Slide 1: For this slide I will ask the students to use the collaborative space to write their own definition of gender. This will show what the students already know and what aspects I need to explain more thoroughly. This will also show the students what their peers think gender means.
Slide 2: This slide will show the students the actual definition of gender. This way they can see how close or how far their own definition of gender was. I will use this definition to compare to the students’ definitions and let them know which aspects of their definitions were correct and which were incorrect.
Slide 3: This slide the students will again use the collaborative space to write their own definition of the word stereotype. This will give an idea of what students think a stereotype is, as well as seeing what their peers think.
Slide 4: I will use this slide to show the students the definition of stereotype and compare that to their definitions. I will also introduce the term gender stereotype and ask the students to define this term using the previous terms they have just learned. I will tell them that it is a popular belief about how a certain gender is supposed to behave. It is also important to address here that gender stereotypes are not ways in which people have to behave, but are ideas that some people have on the way people should behave, which can lead to sexism and hurtfulness.
Slide 5: This slide explains the definition of sex which is important so that students can differentiate between sex and gender. In this slide we will discuss how your sex and gender often match, but do not have to.
Slide 6: This slide will use the collaborative space so that students can list a gender stereotype. This slide is important because by now the students know the definition of gender stereotypes, and this slide will show if they can apply the definition and list an example of a gender stereotype they see in their daily lives. This will show that the students understand the difference between a stereotype and a gender stereotype. I will look at the responses and discuss with the students why or why not the examples they listed are examples of gender stereotypes. This will help students to identify stereotypes they see online.
Slide 7: This slide connects gender stereotypes to the online world. I will explain how many students feel as if they have to conform to a certain gender on their online profiles. I will read off the statistics listed on the page and then ask the students why they think that the percentage for girls is always higher than the percentage for boys. Their responses should be along the line of because a gender stereotype of women is that they care more about their appearance, and how women are often judged based on appearance rather than personality.
Slide 9: This is where I will pass out the QR code sheet and allow the students some independent time to read about an aspect of gender stereotypes online. During this time I’d like the students to explore other examples of ways gender stereotypes are present online. This will lead to a later discussion on how this affects people who view these articles.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kmYLGixEn6VFPPEmPr7hCEHnrgH0I8VgLVW4JUXhyMQ/edit?usp=sharing
Slide 10: This last slide is used for the students to share what they have learned from their independent search. During this slide we will read off what interesting facts the students learned from their articles about gender stereotypes and then I will pose the question of how these gender stereotypes could affect certain genders online. The response that I am looking for is somewhere along the lines of that people can be hurt by gender stereotypes and how by enforcing these gender stereotypes online, it can make people think that they have to conform to a certain gender rather than being themselves.
DEFINE the Key Vocabulary terms gender, stereotype, and sex using Nearpod.
EXPLAIN that gender stereotypes, for example, encourage people to think that little girls are sweet and like to dress up as princesses, while boys are rowdy and like to play with trucks. These are common assumptions, but they aren’t always true. During the Nearpod these questions and comments will come up and we will be encouraging students to think about these ideas during the Nearpod. “Have you ever noticed how sometimes people believe that some girls are super kind and like to dress up all the time, or that boys are messy and like playing with cars? This is the idea behind gender stereotypes.” “Do you see any problems that can come from these stereotypes outside of how someone dresses or what toys they play with?” We expect our students to respond with ideas involving jobs or possibly how men/women act. Some students might say things regarding another gender that might be seen as degrading and if this occurs we will change the subject of what we are talking about and continue on with the Nearpod. Some student might call the other gender stupid if they behave a certain way or use other terms that could be derogatory to other groups of individuals (ex: “The way that guy dresses is so gay.”) if this occurs please change the subject immediately and encourage students to please research more into a specific topic if they’re adamant about wanting to know more and providing the resources.
INVITE volunteers to define what the words, gender, stereotype, and sex mean in their own words, and ask them to share examples of gender stereotypes they see in the world around them using the collaborative space in Nearpod. Discuss how these stereotypes may be harmful and we will create a safe environment for this discussion by allowing students to either share the information verbally or through anonymous notes within the note board in which they can share information without feeling judged by classmates. One thing we might start off by saying is, “Today’s discussion is going to be on an issue that might upset certain individuals; however, as a safe environment we encourage you to share your opinions and beliefs over these issues whether this is with the group or anonymously through discussion. Please do not be afraid to ask questions regarding topics or if you would like more information that involves our lesson today we will provide you with whatever sources we have.”
ENCOURAGE students to explore the resources listed on the NearPod and list facts that were surprising or interesting about gender stereotypes online and in the media. These links will also be printed off as QR codes so that students can access them on their iPads.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kmYLGixEn6VFPPEmPr7hCEHnrgH0I8VgLVW4JUXhyMQ/edit?usp=sharing
ASK: Why might some people find gender stereotypes limiting?
Gender stereotypes can encourage very specific ideas about how boys and girls should act. Some people’s personalities and interests might match up with gender stereotypes; others’ might not. In some cases, gender stereotypes may keep some people from feeling comfortable with who they are, or who they want to be.
Gender Messages in the Virtual World
IF STUDENTS SEEM TO BE BECOMING UPSET DURING THE DISCUSSION PART OF THE ACTIVITY EITHER CHANGE THE QUESTION, DEMONSTRATE THE EXAMPLE AVATAR AND DISCUSS THAT, OR SWITCH OVER TO THE ASSESSMENT.
https://www.funko.com/pop-yourself/designer
POINT OUT that the Internet is a source of media. We may see, and even take part in, communicating gender stereotypes online. Also we will discuss how sometimes media can change how our interpretation of gender appearance evolves over time. This will allow students to create and demonstrate figures which illustrate the problem with stereotypes within our society.
DEFINE the Key Vocabulary term avatar.
TELL students that they are going to create avatars for a virtual world. They should keep track of the gender stereotypes they notice along the way. The activity will encourage students instead of creating two different avatars to create one within the time we have within the lesson. Students should create an avatar that interest them and discuss why they chose certain aspects of the avatar’s appearance. Students should be told to pick whatever features they desire for the avatar and not to think of anyone else’s interest but their own.
DISTRIBUTE the website link to all students so they can access the site on their device. (if this does not work allow students to use a backup device for the activity or provide papers and other utensils for students to draw their avatar.
ALLOW students 5 minutes to complete the activity so that they can create one avatar the would be used to describe them. During these 5 minutes if students need assistance offer them help with deciding what their avatar should wear according to what the student believes they should wear.
Note: The “Dress Up Your Avatar” feature of this activity allows for students to be online to create these avatars; however, make sure you observe student activity to make sure students are not going on other sites. If students can be seen using other websites give them the avatar drawing handout instead.
HAVE students describe the avatars they created to a partner for the last two minutes of the activity and ask their partners questions regarding the appearance and the choices that students have made regarding the avatar.
ASK: What kinds of stereotypes about your partner’s avatar did you notice?
Encourage students to analyze their partner’s avatar to see if they can identify any stereotypes regarding the appearance of the avatar. Students will then discuss if this is a stereotype of if the way the avatar appears is breaking stereotypes in certain aspects. If students seem to appear to grow upset with this discussion either end the activity short or demonstrate the teacher’s example avatar.
HAVE students describe the other student present their avatar to their partner. (If activity is on time and running smoothly, if not then skip this discussion and head to the assessment.)
ASK: What kinds of stereotypes about your partner’s avatar did you notice?
Students should again discuss the avatar that their other partner created and if it highlights any stereotypes about femininity/masculinity (ex. Long haired boy avatars or short haired girl avatars) discuss whether the students believe these to be stereotypes or if any gender can express these features. Encourage students to use vocabulary from previous lessons to discuss this idea.
POINT OUT that people don’t have to create avatars that identify with their gender and can create whatever type of avatar they want to for the activity.
ASK: How might virtual worlds allow you to challenge, or break free from, gender stereotypes? (partners)
Encourage students to recognize that virtual worlds can allow people to push the boundaries of gender stereotypes. People can experiment with ideas about gender and appearance. For example, a female user could play with the avatar application and create a male avatar if they desire that dresses however the girl prefers. Avatars in games and movies can also behave a certain way that might disregard stereotypes and encourage students to discuss the idea of famous movies or video games where they have seen characters break out of stereotypes.
Assessment
https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5bb23ae39b9be5001a425212/gender-stereotyping-w200 (created by Brandon)
Using the Quizizz, students will demonstrate their knowledge of gender stereotypes which they learned from the Nearpod.
Assessment Rubric:
| Great | Average | Poor |
Indicator | Score is greater than or equal to 13/15. | Score ranges from 8/15-12/15. | Score is less than 8/15. |