Omission and Stereotyping of Minorities
in Text Books
By Larry Angeline East Middle angelinl@binghamtonschools.org
Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion
Do you think minority groups
are fairly represented in textbooks? Are their portrayals positive or negative?
Do you see any racial or ethnic stereotyping?
There are many resources on the internet that point to the problem as
still existing. See If you can find them.
Task:
In this WebQuest you will
investigate the problems of omission & stereotyping of minority groups in
textbooks, trade books, and Basal readers using the PPA process. You will
create both a poster and a 3 minute presentation that reflects this evidence,
and the policies that exist to address it. Your groups
presentation should also include a solution or improvement to current policies.
1)
You will be
working in groups of either two or three students.
2)
You will need to
complete research, artwork and the writing of a poster
3)
Give an oral
presentation to the class
The Poster:
ü
Must be on poster
paper.
ü
Must include
minimal text.
ü
Must have
illustrations.
ü
Must be colorful.
The Presentation:
ü
Must be at least
three minutes in length.
ü
Every group
member should have a part in the presentation
You are responsible for
investigating the omission & stereotyping of minority groups in textbooks,
trade books, and basal readers. To conduct this investigation, you will use
resources to identify omission & sterotyping.
Your group will complete the Four Steps of the Public Policy Analyst
Model (PPA) to decide on the best public policy solution that will help
eliminate omission and stereotyping of minority groups in textbooks and basal
readers.
A worksheet for each of the steps of the
PPA is listed below on the following links. Each worksheet has a step in the
process of finding a solution to the problem. Click on each link and complete
the attached worksheet. Your group will use these worksheets as a guide and
resource material for completing the poster, pamphlet and presentation. Make
sure that you use all four steps of the PPA in your presentations.
·
Define the Social Problem Worksheet
·
Gathering Evidence of the Problem Worksheet
·
Determining the Causes Worksheet
Search Engines:
Specific Web Resources
The teaching behind Columbus Day in
history books.
The Changing Image of Ethnic Groups in Textbooks
Multicultral representations in basal readers.
Poster Rubric
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Use of Class Time |
Used time well during each
class period. Focused on getting the project done. Never distracted others. |
Used time well during each
class period. Usually focused on getting the project done and never
distracted others. |
Used some of the time well
during each class period. There was some focus on getting the project done
but occasionally distracted others. |
Did not use class time to
focus on the project OR often distracted others. |
Graphics - Relevance |
All graphics are related to
the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a
source citation. |
All graphics are related to
the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a
source citation. |
All graphics relate to the
topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation. |
Graphics do not relate to
the topic OR several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation. |
Attractiveness |
The poster is exceptionally
attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness. |
The poster is attractive in
terms of design, layout and neatness. |
The poster is acceptably
attractive though it may be a bit messy. |
The poster is distractingly
messy or very poorly designed. It is not attractive. |
Title |
Title can be read from 6 ft.
away and is quite creative. |
Title can be read from 6 ft.
away and describes content well. |
Title can be read from 4 ft.
away and describes the content well. |
The title is too small
and/or does not describe the content of the poster well. |
Grammar |
There are no grammatical
mistakes on the poster. |
There are 1-2 grammatical
mistakes on the poster. |
There are 3-4 grammatical
mistakes on the poster. |
There are more than 4
grammatical mistakes on the poster. |
Presentation
Rubric
CATEGORY |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Preparedness
|
Student
is completely prepared and has obviously rehearsed. |
Student
seems pretty prepared but might have needed a couple more rehearsals. |
The
student is somewhat prepared, but it is clear that rehearsal was lacking. |
Student does not seem at all prepared to
present. |
Posture
and Eye Contact |
Stands
up straight, looks relaxed and confident. Establishes eye contact with
everyone in the room during the presentation. |
Stands
up straight and establishes eye contact with everyone in the room during the
presentation. |
Sometimes
stands up straight and establishes eye contact. |
Slouches
and/or does not look at people during the presentation. |
Volume
|
Volume
is loud enough to be heard by all audience members throughout the
presentation. |
Volume
is loud enough to be heard by all audience members at least 90% of the time. |
Volume
is loud enough to be heard by all audience members at least 80% of the time. |
Volume
often too soft to be heard by all audience members. |
Speaks
Clearly |
Speaks
clearly and distinctly all (100-95%) the time, and mispronounces no words. |
Speaks
clearly and distinctly all (100-95%) the time, but mispronounces one word. |
Speaks
clearly and distinctly most ( 94-85%) of the time.
Mispronounces no more than one word. |
Often
mumbles or can not be understood OR mispronounces more than one word. |
Listens
to Other Presentations |
Listens
intently. Does not make distracting noises or movements. |
Listens
intently but has one distracting noise or movement. |
Sometimes
does not appear to be listening but is not distracting. |
Sometimes
does not appear to be listening and has distracting noises or movements |
Congratulations! You have been a policy maker by
identifying a problem, gathering the evidence, identify the causes, evaluating
an existing policy, develop solutions and finally selecting the best solution.
Your pamphlet & presentation will teach others about omission and
stereotyping in textbooks!
New York State Learning Standards
English
Language Arts
Standard 1: Information and Understanding: Students will listen, speak, read, and write
for information and understanding.
Students will:
·
collect data,
facts, and ideas
·
discover relationships,
concepts, and generalizations
·
use knowledge
generated from written, and electronically produced texts
Standard 2: Literary Response and Expression: Students will listen, speak, read, and write
for literary response and expression.
Students will:
·
relate texts to
their own lives
·
develop an
understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions of the
texts
Standard 3: Critical Analysis and Evaluation: Students will listen, speak, read, and write
for critical analysis and evaluation. Students will:
·
analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented
by others using a variety of established criteria.
·
use written language that follows the accepted
conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives,
their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.
Standard
4: Social Interaction: Students will listen, speak, read, and write for
social interaction. Students will:
·
use oral and
written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language
for effective social communication
·
use the social communications of others to enrich their
understanding of people and their views.
Social
Studies
Standard
5. Civics,
Citizenship and Government: Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental
system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution;
the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles,
rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of
participation.
Mathematics,
Science, Technology
Standard 2 Information Systems:. Students
will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate
technologies.
Standard 5. Technology: Students will
apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and
evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.