Gender and Identity

Learning Intention: We are learning to identify our personal strengths and how we can use them when dealing with difficult situations. 

Whole:

Review stories from last session (Remi and Aysha) and identify their strengths. 

Prompting Questions:
• Which strengths would be useful for Aysha as she follows her interest in cricket?
• Which strengths might be useful in helping Aysha to deal with negative comments such as ‘girls don’t play cricket’?
• Which strengths would be useful for Remi as he follows his interest in dance?
• Which strengths might be useful in helping Remi to deal with negative comments such as ‘boys don’t dance’?

Use this as a basis for creating class brainstorm of positive adjectives. (Examples: loyal, determined, honest, fun-loving, patient)

Highlight how these positive personal strengths are not gendered.

Part:

Students work in pairs to write down personal strengths about themselves   and each other in learning journals. 

Whole:

Play “Mind the Baby Game” 

HOW TO PLAY THE MIND THE BABY RELAY
• Organise two or three teams.
• In each team the players form pairs. Each pair stands side by side and links elbows. They must walk as a pair without letting go elbows.
• Gather the pairs one behind the other so the teams are ready for their relay race. Down the other end of the room place a chair for each team to run around.
• Give the first in line for each team a cloth bundle (or doll) to carry. This bundle is the ‘baby’ that the couple must carry and then pass on to the next pair in their team. The bundle/baby must be kept safe and at all times must be held by both parties in the partnership. If the baby is dropped, it must be picked up by both parties.
• The first couple from each team begins by rushing to one end of the room. Together they carry the baby. They run as best they can with their elbows linked together and their other arms supporting the baby. They run from the start line to the other end of the room, around a chair that marks their destination, and then back to where they started. Here they pass the baby to their teammates (still with elbows linked) who are the next pair to continue the race. The winning team is the one that has their last pair return first with the baby. 5 

DISCUSS
After the game, settle the class to discuss the activity. Useful questions include:
• What did you have to do to make sure you did not drop the baby?
• What skills were you using to make sure that your ‘baby’ was being carefully looked after by two people?

 • In real life, what skills do we use to help look after babies?
• In real life, does it have to be a father and a mother who work together to look after a baby, or can other combinations of people do this? Seek examples.

Reflect on the game: 

Useful questions include:

 • What did you have to do to make sure you did not drop the baby? 

• What skills were you using to make sure that your ‘baby’ was being carefully looked after by two people? 

• What was a strength of your partner? 

Did it matter if you were a boy or girl in this activity?  (Link to mothers and fathers, link to gender).