Lesson 6: Unit Reflection ~ Africa is a Continent!

Grade: 3rd
Time needed: 30 minutes 



Essential question of the unit being addressed in this lesson
What assumptions/stereotypes exist about the continent of Africa? What drives these stereotypes? How accurate are the stereotypes about Africa?

How do these stereotypes affect our understanding of people, cultures, practices, countries, history, and politics in Africa?


How can we debunk these assumptions?


Lesson Objectives
Students will be able to…
-          reflect on their learning throughout the unit
-          articulate their new understanding about stereotypes of Africa and how, if at all, it has
             changed them



MMSD standards
Behavioral Science
         3. Demonstrate respect and responsibility for self, others and property


NCSS standards
IV. Individual Development and Identity


Materials needed

  • Writing utensil
  • 1 piece of paper per student, folded into thirds
  • Hard writing surface (clip board or book)

Activities

Tri-fold reflection
Gather in a circle on the carpet. Each student will receive a blank sheet of paper which they will fold into 3 parts. The instructions for the activity are as follows:

¨      In the first part, write your response to Question 1
o       What did you think about Africa before beginning this unit?

¨      Pass your paper 10 people to the right. On the new sheet in the second part, write your response to Question 2
o       How have your perceptions about change, if at all, since beginning this unit?

¨      Pass your paper 6 people to the right. On the new sheet in the third part, write your response to Question 3
o       What is one thing you learned about stereotypes that you want to remember in the 
      future to share with someone else?


¨      Pass your paper 4 people to the left. Choose one response on the sheet that you would like to share with the class.

 

* Allow approximately 4 minutes per question for students to write their response. This should leave 15-20 minutes for sharing at the end.

 

Assessment
The activity itself will serve as the assessment for the final reflection. Even though I will not know which students wrote which responses, I will be able to gauge the learning and progress of the class as a whole.