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'Man's inhumanity to man' (bigotry and prejudice) (key stage 2)
Respect for all: 'Man's inhumanity to man' (bigotry and prejudice)
Man's inhumanity to man,
Makes countless thousands mourn
Robert Burns: Man was made to mourn; 1784.
This activity was used with children in key stage 2, year 6.
Aim
- To understand that everybody is of equal worth and deserves equal respect.
Activity objectives
- To encourage the children to consider their own experiences and reflect on them.
- To understand the relevance of Anne Frank's life to history and to people in the modern world.
- To identify bigotry and prejudice as the children encounter it within their own lives.
- To consider issues such as 'fair and unfair' and 'right and wrong'.
- To understand the terms 'prejudice' and 'bigotry', to learn to combat them and to recognise the worth of other people.
This activity relates to the following components in the key stage 1 and 2 of PSHE and citizenship framework: 2c, 2e, 2i, 3f; 4b, 4d, 4e, 4f.
Activity description
This work was planned to coincide with literacy hour work on diaries. The children were given a set of extracts from The Diary of Anne Frank, which offered insights into Anne Frank's character and personality.
Introductory activity
Working either in pairs or in groups of three, the children were given five minutes to write down all the different reasons or excuses they could think of as to why people might be picked on, laughed at or bullied. The teacher offered some starting suggestions, such as:
- wearing the wrong type of trainers;
- having an old-fashioned hairstyle;
- having a parent who is a police officer.
Each group's list was then pinned on the wall so that the children could read all the lists. The teacher gave each group a highlighter pen so that when they revisited the lists they could underline any examples where people were bullied because of their character or personality.
Discussion 1
The teacher hosted a class discussion on the theme: 'What does this activity tell us about human nature and our intolerance of other people? '
Once again working in pairs or threes, the children were given a set of extracts from Anne Frank's diary. Some pieces showed her in a good light, others showed the less tolerant side of her character. Each group chose three extracts and drew up a character analysis.
Discussion 2
The teacher chaired another class discussion about the children's reactions to the extracts of Anne Frank's diary. The teacher asked questions such as:
Which aspects of Anne's character do you think would have most irritated the rest of the people living in the annexe?
Which aspects of Anne's character do you think helped her to survive for two years in the annexe?
Do you think there is any evidence that two years of hiding changed Anne's character and personality?
Do you think Anne should be judged by her character? Do you think she should be judged by the fact she was Jewish?
Commentary
Through the introductory session, the children learnt that, on most occasions, the reasons why people are picked on, laughed at or bullied are not connected to their personalities or characters. They discovered (through the discussions) that peer pressure is a significant factor in bullying and resolved to think issues through carefully before 'going along ' with a simplistic majority view.
The children also developed a deeper understanding of prejudice and considered strategies to counter it. They realised that no one is perfect and came to value the importance of assessing how their behaviour may affect others.
The children showed great enthusiasm towards the lessons to be learnt from the story of Anne Frank and demonstrated awareness of the dangers of prejudice and the need to avoid stereotyping. They deepened their understanding that differences and similarities between people arise from a multiplicity of factors and that everyone should show respect for all, irrespective of culture, ethnicity, race, religion, gender or disability.
Follow-up activities
Further work based on the life of Anne Frank could be carried out using materials from the Anne Frank Educational Trust. The trust exists to 'promote and use Anne Frank's diary as a force for good by helping to educate young people against prejudice, bigotry, anti-Semitism and racism'. A further set of lesson activities could consider the plight of refugees, making use of resources from organisations such as Save the Children, Red Cross and the Refugee Council.
Resources
The Diary of Anne Frank, originally published in the Netherlands, 1947
The citizenship schemes of work can be found at www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes
The online national curriculum can be found at www.nc.uk.net
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