they read in class. This was an important activity because it helped prepare students to
meet state English language and literature standards. One of the other teachers questioned
whether this topic was acceptable for middle school. But when I said that I thought it was
precisely what the curriculum is supposed to be about, she backed off.
In middle school, students are first thinking about their sexuality. I have not yet had to ad-
dress the needs of a student who is grappling with being gay. However, I have actively chal-
lenged the use of homophobic language in class and encouraged students to respect differ-
ence. In discussions about Matthew Shepard, we compared accepting differences of sexual
orientation with differences in race. After the Matthew Shepard lesson, some of my students
watched a biography of his life on MTV and talked about it with their families. One girl made
her brothers promise never to call someone “fag” again.
***FIG. 9.1 Teaching about Matthew Shepard—a lesson for middle school students.
Aim:What can happen when prejudice goes unchallenged?
Objective:Students will:
·Listen to a newspaper article and understand and explain its content.
·Compare information garnered from one source with information presented in an-
other format.
·Identify and discuss prejudice against people who are perceived as different from
themselves.
·Express their own ideas on prejudice in the form of a poem.
Materials:
·“Far Side” cartoon on human diversity and prejudice.
·Lyrics to “Scarecrow” by Melissa Etheridge and the CDBreakdown.
·Newspaper editorial, “The Lesson of Matthew Shepard,”The New York Times, Octo-
ber 17, 1998, 14.
Do Now:Students will examine a “Far Side” cartoon on human diversity and prejudice.
Students will write their view of the main idea of the cartoon.
Motivation:Discuss the question: “How can stereotypes and prejudices lead to hate
crimes?”
Activities:
·Review student responses to the “Far Side” cartoon.
·Teacher will put poem structure on board and review with class.
One Noun
Two Adjectives
Three Verbs
One Question
One Answer
·Teacher reads excerpts from the newspaper editorial to the class twice. First time, lis-
ten only. Second time, write down words and phrases that evoke emotions.
·Students write poems about the newspaper editorial using this format.
·Volunteers read their poems to the class.
·Students read aloud the words to the song “Scarecrow,” which was inspired by the
Matthew Shepard case.
·Class will listen to recorded version and class discuss its meaning.
Summary Question:Should people accept human differences? Why?SUPPORT 241