Learners will analyze the dynamics of group formation and membership and give examples of groups, in their own lives and in history, which have been denied rights. They will describe how inclusion and exclusion from groups causes conflicts, and determine ways of overcoming differences among groups.

The learner will:

• identify and describe inclusive and exclusive membership requirements of various groups.
• define and correctly use vocabulary related to inclusion and exclusion.
• describe a historical example of exclusion.
• demonstrate similarities and differences among groups through the use of a Venn diagram.
• write a letter demonstrating another person’s point of view regarding membership in a group.
• use inclusionary techniques to communicate acceptance to someone outside the group.

Anticipatory Set:

Ask the question, "Besides being learners at this school, is there any group or organization to which you all belong?" (In most cases, there will not be any other that all the learners will share in common.)

• Pin up team pennants from the hometown team on one side of the room and an arch rival team on the other side of the room. Have learners stand under the group to which they belong/support. Do the same for professional teams of the area, nearby college logos, national flags, CD music styles, Pepsi or Coke ads, clothing labels, makes of cars, etc. Have the learners keep a list of "teams" to which they belong. Discuss that these "teams" are preferences that may change easily and often.
  
  
• After an appropriate amount of movement, have the learners begin a new list which records other teams/groups to which they belong (Scouts, baseball team, gymnastics, dance group, church group, etc.). Discuss that these affiliations more closely reflect each learner’s personal life style and habits than the previous "teams" listed in the first activity.
  
  
• Have the learners discuss in pairs how they judge strangers they meet, and list in order of prevalence how they observe and judge strangers (i.e., gender, age, weight, race, affluence, clothing, attractiveness, etc.). Have the groups share from their lists with the class.
  
  
• Have learners pick three interesting groups to which they belong on their list and write a list of rules which allow them to belong to their group and eliminate others from belonging. Share the rules with the class. Notice similarities and differences.
  
  
• Ask each learner to make a list of five groups to which they do not belong. Have them list reasons they do not belong to some of these groups and then write the names of groups they would like to join.
  
  
• Move into a discussion circle. Give a few learners six pointed stars to put on their chests, and have two learners wear pink triangles. Ask the learners to share the names of groups to which they want to belong. If learners with a pink triangle or yellow star volunteer to speak, ignore them, or if the climate is right, don’t let them speak and ask them to stand outside the discussion circle. If learners recognize from prior knowledge what is happening, let them lead the discussion, or lead the discussion to explain the discrimination in Nazi Germany imposed on Jews, suspected homosexuals, Gypsies, and physically handicapped people. Lead the discussion to consider people labeling, judging, stereotyping, discriminating and excluding others. Ask for or point out examples of contemporary discrimination. Ask if any of them has been discriminated against because of a group to which they belong.
  
  
• Thinking in terms of inclusion/exclusion, define the following terms and ask for examples:
• bias
• discrimination
• diversity
• exclusion
• inclusion
• minorities
• pluralism
• sensitivity
• racism
• respect
• stereotyping
• tolerance
  
  
• Ask for suggestions on ways to avoid labeling, excluding, judging and hurting others by the "us vs. them" tendency we all use to understand who we are and how we relate to others. Have one or two learners keep a record of ideas on the board or on paper.
  
  
• Distribute Bridging the "Us vs. Them" Gap (Attachment One). Ask the learners to think of someone they will definitely meet in the next 23 hours who does not belong to a group to which they belong. Have them write a one or two sentence "resolution" saying they will conduct an experiment using with some of the kindness, caring, benevolence and/or inclusiveness techniques discussed by the class. Ask them to be ready to tell the results of their experiment in class tomorrow. (Use names only if it can be done with respectful kindness.)
  
  
• Give each learner a sticky paper shape cut from different colored paper to wear. Have a volunteer make groups and categorize the learners by sticker attributes and have them stand in the groups. Ask if another learner could group and categorize by attribute different. (By color, by size, by shape, by where they stuck the shape, etc.)
  
  
• Using the learners’ lists of groups to which they belong, ask them to work in groups of three, and categorize the groups in the same way as was done in the previous exercise.
  
  
• Distribute Groups To Which We Belong (Attachment Two). Have the learners in each group of three put their name on one of the circles. Have them find similarities and differences between themselves by putting the groups to which they belong on the Venn diagram. (If all three are males, the term "male" would be in the center of the diagram. If two were males, the word "male" would be in the intersection between their two circles and the term "female" would be in the larger circle area opposite that belonged to the female.) Have the learners add to their lists if they belong to groups to which others in their threesome belong.
  
  
• Have each learner pick a group to which they belong that they know someone else wants to belong. Have them write a letter to themselves pretending that they are the other person who wants to belong to their group. They can be obvious or subtle about their desire but should attempt to communicate some of the emotion or feelings that the other person might have. Have them read their letters to the two others in their work group, and have each of the others give it three grades, one for following the assignment, one for showing proper emotions, and for imagination/communication.
  
  
• Each learner will write a brief report on the procedures used and the results of their experiment on bridging the gap between "us vs. them." The results will be read to the class, edited to not divulge any names.

Interactive Parent / Student Homework:
Learners will write and carry out a resolution to perform an act of kindness, caring, benevolence or inclusion for a member of the community.