Government Module

Unit 1: Taking a Closer Look at our Community

Lesson 1:  Looking at Diversity in Our Community

Materials Needed:          

• Flip chart or board and markers/chalk

• Computers with Internet access

• Website:  http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/

• Handout 1 Fairfax County Demographics, Handout 2, Information Quest Instructions, and Handout 3, Diversity Problem Solving.

Word Bank:

Diversity, race, mixed race, class, culture, hate crimes, estimate, data, census, survey, White, Black, Asian,  Pacific Islander, Hispanic

Introductory Activity:  Whole group discussion

•  Today we're going to explore diversity in your communities. What does the term 'diversity' mean to you?

Elicit different explanations of diversity and write them on the board.

• Is the neighborhood where you live diverse?  What different groups are there?  (You can raise the issue that diversity is not just about ethnicity, as it is often perceived, but also refers to other features like age, physical and mental health, gender, socioeconomic status, etc.)

Debrief and have class share ideas, which you can record on the board. 

Activity 1:  Pre-quiz on Fairfax County Ethnic Diversity

• Let’s take a quiz to see how much you know about diversity in Fairfax County.
• Look at the pie chart on the handout "Fairfax County Demographics." You'll see percentages that represent the Fairfax County population of each ethnic group. 
• Guess which of the following ethnic groups goes with each number, and write this on your handout:
• Take a minute and compare your estimates with another learner's. Are your guesses similar?

The following are the ethnic groups listed on the pie chart:

Asian/Pacific Islander

Black 

Hispanic 

Other

White

You might want to go over the different racial and ethnic categories and elicit definitions from learners, offering clarification as needed.  Ask if they fit easily into one of the categories or not.  How do they feel about the catchall "other"?

Activity 2: Information Quest

Instruct your learners that now they are going to search for the information they filled in on the pie chart.

This activity is intended to help the learner discover the truths about diversity, specifically in our county.

·        Go to the computer.

·        Get the "Information Quest" handout. Follow each of the steps on it.

• How do your guesses compare with the U.S. Census data for Fairfax County? Did anything surprise you?  Why do you think your guesses were different?

Activity 3:  What’s your experience?

• Have you ever had an experience in this country where cultural diversity created a problem for you?  Did your cultural difference from other people ever create a misunderstanding?  What happened, and how did you fix the situation?
• I’m going to give you a handout now so we can look at problems that some people had because of cultural diversity, and you’re going to find some solutions for their problems. 

Distribute Handout 3 (Diversity Problem Solving).

Go over as whole group after learners problem-solve in small groups.

Activity 4: Writing

• If you and your classmates could make diversity laws for Fairfax County, what laws would you make?  Discuss this in a small group first, then write a few paragraphs proposing laws and the consequences for breaking them. To help you get started, think of these issues: language diversity, getting access to public services, crimes based on discrimination (hate crimes), and getting housing.

Or

• What are the benefits and challenges of diversity?  What positive things does diversity bring to your community?  What are some difficulties that are faced by a community adjusting to diversity?  Discuss this in a small group first, then write a few paragraphs about it.

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