Activity: Introduction to Block Plan 

Steps & Teacher Directions: 

1. Tell students that this week, they will be learning about socioeconomic status and its impacts. 

2. Tell students that today they will be learning about what socioeconomic status is and examples of socioeconomics in everyday life. Then, they will be able to complete activities and assignments to demonstrate their understanding on the topic. By the end of the week, they will be able to talk about how different factors accumulate to form someone's socioeconomic status, and how that status may impact the quality of education they have access to.

    Activity: Teacher vocabulary presentation

    Steps & Teacher Directions: 

→ Give a brief introduction to explore students' background knowledge by having anyone who’s heard the term ‘socioeconomic status’ raise their hand, and asking if anyone wants to guess what it means. This leads into the presentation found in ‘Appendix A' below:

• What are Socioeconomic Factors?

• Socioeconomic Status vs. Social class (give definitions / explain how they differ. Ask clarifying questions to make sure students understand because they are similar topics)

• What is intersectionality?

• What is Stigma?

• What is Bias?

• What is Discrimination?

• What makes something Systemic?

→ Ask comprehension check questions (CCQ’s) before moving into vocab activity (2-3 Minutes)

Example CCQ’s: 

1. What concept that we covered is a division of society based on social and economic factors?

2. What is a negative and unfair belief held by an individual called?

3. What is it called when discriminatory policies are built into a system?

    Activity: Group vocabulary activity

Steps & Teacher Directions: 

→ Prior to class, print out a copy of the vocabulary activity slides found in ‘Appendix B' below. Use one of the printed diagrams to provide an example to the class using a word of your choice as a visual aid to help students understand the instructions for the vocabulary activity: (2-3 Minutes)

• Students are separated into 8 groups with each group given one of the vocabulary terms covered in the introduction presentation as well as one vocabulary activity diagram containing their term.

• Students work collaboratively to fill out the Frayer Models using their newly gained knowledge on terms. 

• Students stand with their groups and quickly (1-2 minutes per group) present how they filled out their charts to the class and then hand in the models to the teacher who will hang them up in the classroom so that students can reference them if they need help understanding vocab in later sections of the unit.

→ Ask comprehension check questions (CCQ’s) before students start the vocab activity: (2-3 Minutes)

Example CCQ’s:

1. How many groups are we getting into?

2. How many vocabulary terms will each group cover?

3. How many diagrams will each group fill out?

4. What do you do with your diagram after you present it to the class?

     Activity: Group socioeconomics comprehension activity 

    Steps & Teacher Directions: 

→ Prior to class, print out one copy of the presentation slides found in ‘Appendix C’ below. Print out the student diagram (one for each student) which can be found in ‘Appendix C’ as well. You should explain to the students that each group will be receiving a story to read with their group. They will discuss that story as a group, but they will each fill out their own worksheet. They should pay attention to the characters, and think about what socioeconomic factors may contribute to their challenges and successes in each story: (2-3 Minutes)

• Students are separated into 8 groups with each student given one of the real world student diagrams, and each group given one of the story slides covered in the socioeconomics in the real world presentation.

• Students work collaboratively to answer the questions provided in the diagram, but each student will fill out their own diagram so that they can be handed back to them later.

• Students have 15 minutes to read the story, and discuss the socioeconomic factors and impacts with their group while you walk around the classroom and observe the conclusions they are drawing. After the 15 minutes is up you should collect the student diagrams for review, and grade them for completion later. This activity is meant to be a tool for you to gauge how well your students are understanding the topic. You can write comments on their observations and hand their diagrams back to them during the next class.

→ Ask comprehension check questions (CCQ’s) before students start the SES real world activity: (2-3 Minutes)

Example CCQ’s:

1. How many groups are we getting into?

2. What are you reading with your group?

3. How many diagrams is each group filling out?

4. What should you do with your diagram when the 15 minutes is up?

    Activity: Listening and reflection activity

    Steps & Teacher Directions: 

→ Prior to class,  print the listening activity diagram found in ‘Appendix D’ below, 1 per student. After the students have learned the lesson vocabulary and have a good grasp on the concept of socioeconomic status, tell them that they will be watching a Tedx Talk called The ‘opportunity gap’ in US Public Education, and answering some discussion questions as an exit ticket for today’s class. Hand one activity diagram to each student, and go over the instructions with them. 

• Students should listen for the quotes written on the activity diagram in the video, and list their responses in the right hand column while the video plays. 

• Once you feel that students have an understanding of the listening activity, play the first half of Anindya Kundu’s Tedx Talk found in ‘Appendix D’ below for them [0:00-3:30]. 

• After pausing the video at 3:30, ask some students to share their responses to the video quotes, and have a discussion for the remaining 7 minutes of class. This discussion will prime students to consider how socioeconomic status may impact education, and prepare them for the next lesson which will focus on socioeconomic status and undergraduate acceptance.

   Lesson 1 Vocabulary Presentation     

      Vocabulary Comprehension Activity

   Socioeconomics in the Real World Slides

   Socioeconomics in the Real World Activity Diagram

    Lesson 1 Listening Activity Diagram

    Anindya Kundu's Tedx Talk The "opportunity gap" in US Publics Education