‘That’ Equity lesson my way
If you have started looking up ideas for talking about equity on Pinterest you have likely seen the basket idea (see below). I have adjusted it a bit to my own liking, as I didn’t like the idea of making a grand sweeping statement at the end that drew the conclusion for the students or assuming who noticed what was and was not fair.
I usually like my class on the floor in a line- but up to you.
I have used this idea in several different contexts from early years (age 4) to Middle School. In the simulation I usually start with no discussion beforehand, the children come in and I say I need them to all line-up. Then after I have them line up, I have them take a seat and say we are going to play a game. I show them the basket and say if you can make it in you get a prize. Sometimes it’s a piece of candy, or if I have a class economy then some class cash, etc. Then I place the basket right in front of the front of the line and hand that person the ball.
They basically just place it in, and hooray prize!!! (sometimes the complaining starts here and sometimes it takes a bit for it to kick in that this may not be fair). We go through the line and they take their turns trying to make the basket. Some of the students may start trying to stand- not allowed. Some of the students will try to help their classmates and instruct everyone to lean to the side to make it easier- and nope not allowed (but keep both of these instances in mind for a conversation afterward). Likely the “It’s not fair” is going and I like to stick with responses, such as “It’s the same shot” “I’m not giving you special treatment to stand, move, etc.” “Everyone is getting their turn.” This is tricky as I’ve set my class up to be an open dialogue atmosphere and the students are getting quite frustrated with me by this point.
When we are done we circle up. First I like to give the students a little quiet time to reflect on what just happened- if they want to take notes or pictures of what they thought or how they felt give them the opportunity to think. Then we go right into a group share. What was going on there? Usually, fairness comes up right away. When I go to my line of “You all got the same shot” this will be met with “No it wasn’t because of …xyz.”
Sometimes I give prompts to get them thinking too:
“Do the people in front of the line just have better aim than those at the back?”
“How did they feel when I didn’t let them change from their spot? “
“How did they feel when I didn’t let them help each other?”
What would have been a more equitable way to play this game? (this can be a good place for a partner or small group discussion first and then a larger group share out.
I like this as a base for talking about equity. For older grades this is also a great opportunity to make self connections to the real world- have you ever had times you felt like you were at the “back of the line” in a situation? Do you think there have been times when you feel like you are more at the “front of the line?” I have also had students make connections to what they have learned in history class and considering who would have fit where in our simulation considering society at the time (my mind was blown when a grade 4 aged-student brought this up -but if we provide the space for the conversation I find (so far) every time the students rise to the occasion and often exceed expectations.
This will be a good simulation to refer back to as we expand conversations later and as learning continues and world events occur. If you have a school that looks at migration it’s a great thing to reflect back upon as you think about refugees and immigrants. US history thinking about who maybe had more of an experience being close to the basket and why? Who would we say was further back and why?
I find the simulation can lend itself to many scenarios and also allows us as teachers to think about our own class. Which students are coming into my room at the front of the line and who is at the end of the line? Who is coming to my room with a full tummy and a good night’s sleep? Who has parents that read every night and take them to museums? Does a student have learning differences that I am not meeting with the right accommodations to make them feel closer to the basket?
