Title of Lesson: Local Area - Do Perceptions Differ#131

Key Words for Cross Reference:culture

National Standard: 6
How culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions.

State Standard: 11

Teaching Level: E

Objectives/Purpose:
- to realize what we think we see-- is not always what is the reality
- to observe what we see (We see, but do we really observe?)
- to understand "individual perception"

Materials:
4x6 card with [ ] [ ] drawn clearly
4x6 card with one clear circle with a section of the top missing

Procedure:
1. Brainstorm synonyms for "see".
2. Introduce the word "perception".
3. Hold up card with [ ] [ ] on it for 2 seconds.
4. Students tell what they saw.
5. Repeat with circle card.
6. Share responses.
7. Discuss: Is what you saw different from what was there? Does this ever happen in "real life"?
6. Explain to the children you are taking them on a tour. They need to be absolutely silent and very good observers. They must not interact with each other.
7. Visit another classroom, part of the school, or another building/place and observe for 3 minutes.
9. Return to class and have each student record things he or she observed on sheets of newsprint so everyone can read them.
11. Post sheets and discuss the similarities and differences among the observations. What might account for the differences?

Evaluation/Assessment:
What did you learn about "seeing " from this activity?

Enrichment/Extension:
Concept of stereotype
What is American, French, English, etc. Compare likes and differences. Is something better, worse or is it the perception?

Reflection: How successful was this lesson? Did all students benefit? Were there any surprises? What might you do differently another time? Please note any changes that will make this lesson more effective and useful in the future and pass them along to the NHGA. We appreciate your comments.
Thank you.
The authors. *

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Original file name: 131rtf - converted on Tuesday, 20 October 1998, 20:55