What is Ageism? Elementary Grades

Objectives
Activities will help students:

• Determine and analyze their own ageist attitudes
• Break down stereotypes about people of different ages
• Combat ageism in their everyday lives

Essential Questions

• What is ageism?
• Why is it harmful to discriminate against others because of their age?

Materials

• Notebooks
• Chart paper and markers

Activities

1) Note: Write the following statements on the board:

• Kids shouldn’t be trusted.
• Kids can’t do anything on their own.
• Kids shouldn’t have opinions.
• Kids don’t understand.

Read the statements on the board. Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard any of the statements before. How did hearing it make you feel? Turn and talk to the person next to you and share your feelings.

2) Note: While students are completing the Turn-and-Talk, write the following statements on the board:

• Older people are always much weaker than younger people.
• Senior citizens forget things and get confused a lot.
• Adults just want to make up mean rules for kids.

Now read these statements on the board. What are your thoughts about the statements? All of the statements on the board are examples of ageism. Ageism is when people are discriminated against because of their age. (Note: Explain that the statements on the board are examples of age discrimination. Help students make the connection that just like they don’t want to be discriminated against, people who are older or younger than they are don’t want to face ageist attitudes either.)

3) As a class, create a list of common stereotypes about people of different ages. Then list people you know who defy those stereotypes. Why are these stereotypes not true?