Short description
This activity helps students learn some important facts about the American population by examining some measures of diversity and interpreting their influence on population maps created with US Census data. Students will work together in groups and share ideas both in writing and orally, gaining practice in making and sharing observations of visual information, interpreting those observations, and sharing them with their peers.
Teaching Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
- interpret concepts and maps related to the American population
- achieve a deeper understanding of who ”the American people” are
Competence Aims LK20
- use appropriate digital resources and other aids in language learning, text creation and interaction
- explore and reflect on diversity and social conditions in the English-speaking world based on historical contexts
Resources
- US Census page on ”Race”
- Diversity Resources - Learn the Difference Between Race and Ethnicity
- The Racial Dot Map
- Reflective Practice Toolkit: Reflective writing
Preparations
Students should have access to computers, ideally such that they can work in small groups together around one computer, or easily share their reactions from their own computers.
The teacher should familiarize her-/himself with both The Racial Dot Map website and the US Census page on Race beforehand.
Plan of Lesson
Activity 1
Tuning in. Understanding terms (ca. 10-15 minutes)
Students should be split into small groups of 3-4. The teacher should describe that in the US, the term “race” is used more openly to describe people than in most European countries. For example, both “race” and “ethnicity” are used as terms in the census. Teacher should be prepared to compare and contrast the words race and ethnicity both in English and Norwegian. Use Diversity Resources - Learn the Difference Between Race and Ethnicity (see Resources). What does "race" mean in Norwegian?
To solidify students´ understanding of the words race and ethnicity in the US context, students can have a small group discussion what the words mean in the US and why are they still being used? They should then do the same with the term “ethnicity.” Finally, they should agree upon and write down dictionary-style definitions for both “race” and “ethnicity” for their groups. The groups should each share their thoughts with the class.
Activity 2
The US Census
The teacher can then direct students to the US Census page on race (see Resources). Together, they can examine the US definitions and discuss why these terms are still used.
Students might consider the following questions:
- Why are these words not used in the same way in Norway?
- What do they know about how similar terms are used in other countries?
- What similarities and differences can they identify?
As a final product, students can write a dictionary-style definition of one of the terms as it is used in the US context. They should explain what the resource says about its use and reflect on whether they agree or disagree with the definition or classification, giving reasons for their view.
Activity 3
The Racial Dot Map (ca. 25 minutes).
A) Continuing in small groups, students should navigate to the website of The Racial Dot Map (see Resources). Go to Access the Map. Then make sure that the label “Add Map Labels” (upper left) is activated. Use the – and + buttons (lower right) to increase/decrease the size of the map.
The students can then choose different areas of The US. They should turn off the color codes to start and explore the map by zooming in and out and navigating to different areas of the map as they please, writing down observations about where population is distributed and why they think it might look that way. They should be encouraged to think about both history and geographical features as they look at the map.
Parallel to the observation activities the students should make notes of useful vocabulary, e.g. in a two-column table with a word and an explanation, or they are encouraged to contribute to a class mind-map on the board.
OPTIONAL: There could be a pause after 5-10 minutes to allow groups to share their basic observations with the rest of the class.
B) After some time with the non-color-coded map, students should turn on color codes by clicking “Add Color Coding” in the upper left. Using the same process, students should explore the map, zooming in and out and dragging to different areas of the map, in order to make and write down observations about how racial groups are distributed in the US. They should try to answer the question “why is X racial identity distributed that way?” for each major racial identity. Students should be encouraged to look closely (i.e., zoom in) at both rural and urban areas to notice the differences.
OPTIONAL: Each group could be assigned a major city (e.g., New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Detroit, San Francisco, etc.) OR a racial group to focus on in order to present their findings/observations to the class at the end. For example, Detroit presents a very interesting case to examine, given the very clear boundaries between racial groups (cf. Eight Mile Road).
Activity 4
Reflection (ca. 10 minutes)
To finish, each group should share with the rest of the class what they observed about racial diversity by examining these maps. The teacher might point out a couple of useful facts to deepen their observations. E.g., that a majority of the US population lives in urban areas; or that much of the American Southwest (CA, AZ, NV, NM, TX) was once part of Mexico (until 1848), etc
Debriefing and Assessment
After the activity, it may be useful to simply have students write a brief self-assessment of whether their perspectives on American diversity changed by looking at maps and discussing terminology like ”race” and ”ethnicity” in the American context. If so, how did it change and why? If not, why? If Norway had such a sight, what might be different? What might be the same? Why do you think this?
Different kinds of reflection essays could be very useful. E.g., students could each write a reflective essay that tries to link their observations about racial diversity and distribution in the US with one of the important topics like voting patterns, civil rights issues, and the difference between living in an urban or a rural area. See resource for Reflective Practice Toolkit.
Follow-up
Because it is important to be able to reflect on race and ethnicity in a broader perspective, these activities should be extended over more than one class session . Follow-up conversations are important.
Students could also be encouraged to explore other common concepts such as melting pot, salad bowl, and mosaic, concepts also used about race and ethnicity in the US.
Developed by
Andy Meyer, Fulbright Roving Scholar to Norway 2015-16
Revised by Gini Lockhart-Pedersen