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Objectives: 

Activities will help students:

  • Weigh different
    sides of the same argument and form independent opinions.
  • Use oral
    language skills to make a case for their opinions.
  • Support their
    opinions using evidence and well-formed arguments.

Essential Questions: 

  • What is
    diversity?
  • What are some positive
    results that come from representing groups in the media that are often
    underrepresented?
  • What are some negative
    results that come from representing groups in the media that are often
    underrepresented?
  1. Recall concepts of representation in advertising and conclusions that your group has drawn over the course of the past three lessons in the series. Explain to students they will be talking about advertisements that make a concerted effort to represent groups of people that are often underrepresented. Show students the advertisements below or similar advertisements that represent people of color, same-sex families, people with visible disabilities or other underrepresented groups. Ask students to talk with neighbors about their initial reactions to these advertisements.
  2. Explain to students that there are positives and negatives to advertisements that make an effort to represent underrepresented groups. Some potential positives are that more people might feel that they are important or that their lives are validated. A negative result might be the feeling that are it is “too little, too late.”
  3. Divide the class in half and have them focus on the advertisements you show. One group should take charge of developing an argument in favor of advertisers representing people who are often underrepresented. Another group should make the case that these attempts are harmful. Preliterate students may plan their arguments orally; otherwise, students should write. Explain to students that for this exercise, they might be taking a position that is not what they actually believe. That to participate in a debate is part of learning.
  4. After students have had a chance to come up with arguments, allow each group to share their arguments, take questions and make counterarguments. After all ideas have been heard and discussed, ask students to share their personal opinions. Remind them that this might be a question to which there is not a simple right or wrong answer, and that is OK—the valuable aspect is in considering a variety of points of view and examining the evidence.

       

Reflection

Students have formed and made a case for strong opinions in this lesson, and some have even practiced arguing for an opinion that is different from what they actually believe. While at home, encourage students to think about how they might make a case for the exact opposite point of view. Encourage students to contemplate and talk about what it feels like to understand multiple sides of an argument, and how this might help them feel stronger when they make their own decisions and take a stand for what they believe in.

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