Arab in America by Toufic El Rassi. San Francisco: Last Gasp, 2008.

ISBN:  978-0-86719-673-3

Annotation: Learn what it's like to be Arab in America through the eyes of Toufic El Rassi, who experienced confusion and discrimination following the first Gulf War.

Age range: 9-12 grades

Media used by illustrator: black ink

Personal Rating: 4Q/3P

Curriculum Usage: very useful in a high school history class during a discussion of wartime propaganda.

 

Lesson Plan Title: Exploring Stereotypes

Concept / Topic To Teach: Stereotypes about Muslims in contemporary America, especially since 9/11.

Standards Addressed: (For 11th graders, http://www.k12.wa.us/curriculuminstruct/) 

5. SOCIAL STUDIES SKILLS The student understands and applies reasoning skills to conduct research, deliberate, form, and evaluate positions through the processes of reading, writing, and communicating.  5.1 Uses critical reasoning skills to analyze and evaluate positions.  5.2 Uses inquiry-based research.  5.3 Deliberates public issues.  5.4 Creates a product that uses social studies content to support a thesis and presents the product in an appropriate manner to a meaningful audience.      

General Goal(s): to encourage students to think about the ways in which we stereotype different groups, and to examine popular media for evidence of stereotyping.

Specific Objectives: to use the book Arab in America by Toufic El Rassi to examine stereotypes of Muslims and Islam.

Required Materials: copies of the book Arab in America, writing tools, computers with Internet access.

Anticipatory Set (Lead-In): The lesson plan takes about a week. About a week in advance, students are assigned to read the book Arab in America in preparation for class on Monday.

Step-By-Step Procedures:                                                                                                                                                                                            1. During Monday's class period, the teacher will initiate a discussion about Muslim stereotypes as El Rassi presents them in the book. The teacher will write them on the board, and students will discuss his/her opinions about particular stereotypes (where they've come from, not if they agree with them).   2. During Tuesday's class period, students will go online to explore a variety of popular news sources, American ones such as CNN and MSNBC, and ones which serve the Arabic world, such as al-jazeera. Each student will take notes on whatever evidence he/she finds for the stereotyping evident in El Rassi's book. A class discussion will follow.  3. That night, students will begin writing short papers (2-3 pages) about the evidence of stereotyping in the media. They will discuss how they ultimately feel about El Rassi's book in light of what they have researched.  4. During Friday's class session, each student will give a 5 minute presentation about his/her paper. If necessary, presentations can continue the following Monday.

Plan For Independent Practice: Both the initial research and the paper-writing will take place independently.

Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set): A class discussion to follow the presentations.

Assessment Based On Objectives: Grading the papers and watching the presentation will allow the teacher assess what the students have learned.

Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities): These students can have a few extra days to write their papers if they need them.

Extensions (For Gifted Students): These students will be encouraged to write more complex papers.

Possible Connections To Other Subjects: None recommended.

 

ateater/07-19-09