Prejudice and Discrimination
A Lesson in Justice and Fairness
Discussion Activity
Explain that now we're going to explore a kind of unfairness called prejudice and discrimination. Ask, what is prejudice? Elicit the students' thinking.
Explain that sometimes people have negative attitudes toward people different from themselves. Without even knowing the person, they assume they won't like the person.
This is called prejudice. Prejudice is a negative attitude or opinion that is not based on knowledge. Action based on prejudice is called discrimination.
You might mention the book or video (above) Green Eggs and Ham by Doctor Seuss, which most children are familiar with. The character in that story says he doesn't like green eggs and ham. Finally, when he tries them, he does like them. His original opinion was formed without knowledge. That's an example of prejudice. People can also have prejudice about other people.
Ask, What are other examples of prejudice and discrimination? Elicit examples from several volunteers. Encourage the students to think of examples from their own lives. Are prejudice and discrimination fair? What effect do they have on people? When things happen that are unfair, either to us or to someone else, what should we try to do?
http://morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/respect-all-0