1. Interacting with People who are Different than Us:
Optional start: polleverywhere polls
Interacting with People who are Different than Us:
Why it’s so hard, and what to do about it
The Center for Global Studies

2. What is discrimination? What are some examples of discrimination?
Depending on your start of class routine, this can be done as a writing prompt, think-pair-share, or whole class discussion.

3. Discrimination:
Unfairly treating one person or group of people different than someone else.

4. Other Examples?
Draw students attention to the fact that some of these examples are not “traditional” things we immediately think of as discrimination like the people making fun of someone who is fat or being told you can’t play because you’re a kid. Prompr them again to see if they think of any other examples.

5. Why do We Do That?
Our Brains
Our Culture

6. What's Wrong With His Thinking?
For these examples, have students think-pair-share and then discuss the answers as a class.

7. Another example that could be given for actor-observer bias is: if you fail a test, you blame the teacher for asking impossible questions, your soccer coach for keeping you after practice too long so you couldn't study, or your little sister for not leaving you alone while you were trying to study. However, if you see someone else fail a test, you assume: it's their fault, they're just dumb. 
Actor-Observer Bias
If we do something: it's NOT our fault, it's our CIRCUMSTANCES.
If someone else does something: it is THEIR FAULT, it's because of WHO THEY ARE.
Source:

8. What's Wrong With Her Thinking?
Think-pair-share and discuss the question as a class.

9. The teacher can also connect this to pop culture with the example of Justin Bieber. When you see a celebrity or a product more often, the more you will like it. This is why certain celebrities like Justin Bieber may have such die hard fans: the more they are exposed to their music and their image, the more they like them. 
Mere-exposure Effect
People like other people or things better if they're FAMILIAR
Makes "foreign" cultures uncomfortable and new behaviors seem strange

10. What's Wrong With This Statement?

11. Outgroup Homogeneity Bias
Remind students that the idea of diversity goes far deeper than the idea of looks. You could remark upon the idea that all people from a rival school are rich (or poor, or country, etc.), the idea that all teachers were A students, etc. Be careful in giving examples from cultural groups. If you want to do that, make sure you stress that these ideas are NOT TRUE.
Outgroup Homogeneity Bias
You assume that the group of people you belong to are DIVERSE
You assume that other groups of people are ALL THE SAME or homogeneous.
We compare ourselves with other people groups and assume WE ARE BETTER
Source:

12. What’s wrong with this girl’s view of her blog?
Think-pair-share and discuss this question as a class.

13. You could give the example of only remembering the one negative report card comment instead of the positive ones. To connect to other cultures, you could discuss the amount of negative news stories we see about other cultures in media, and how we lose the positive amongst the negative.
Negativity Bias
We pay more attention to negative information than positive information
So, if we learn something negative about a country, we will remember it MORE than anything positive we learn.

14. Why is the cop wrong?
Think-pair-share and discuss this question as a class.

15. You could give an example of ignoring an example of a person who doesn’t fit your stereotype (ex: a white guy who hates grilling, somebody from your rival school who is really nice, etc.)
Confirmation Bias
We pay attention to information that confirms what we already believe
We IGNORE what contradicts what we already believe.
Source:

16. Which fish is right?
Think-pair-share and discuss as a class

17. Just-world phenomenon
For example the idea that people in poverty are struggling because they didn’t work hard is an example of just work phenomenon, because there are many factors that influence poverty (ex: accident or illness, natural disasters, lack of availability of education, etc.)
Just-world phenomenon
Idea that “the world is just”
Think that “people get what they deserve”
Often, people’s struggles are NOT THEIR FAULT

18. Our brains make it hard to not discriminate, and our culture doesn’t help either

19. Is it true?
Think-pair-share and discuss as a class

20. American Exceptionalism
Acknowledge some of the real differences between the US and some nations, but that the problem with American Excpetionalism is the idea that we’re always better than everyone else.
American Exceptionalism
The Theory that the US is different than other nations
Gives us the idea that we’re better than everyone else
Other countries are proud of themselves too

21. Can give examples here. For example, the idea that wars in the Middle East are because Middle Easterns are angry people. Or that people in Africa are wild, so their instabilities are their fault.
Culturalism
The idea that the problems of other cultures are the fault of their people
Does not recognize that politics may be at fault.
Does not recognize that societal structures may be at fault

22. To Sum it all up . . .
Prejudice – pre-judge someone before you get to know them
When your stereotypes and beliefs about a group of people become INFLEXIBLE
Be sure and read the comment below the picture if it’s too small for your students to see.

23. How we CAN respond: Empathy

24. Another way of clarifying what empathy is
Another way of clarifying what empathy is. Based on your students and the time that’s left in the period, you can briefly discuss the ideas of empathy are sympathy. Ask them what they’ve typically done when relating to people who are struggling: shown empathy or sympathy. Connect to thinking about other countries, particularly in the Third World. For example, if you show sympathy, you feel sorry for them and look down on them but don’t view them as individual people with gifts and talents that could benefit the world.

25. YOUR TASK: Read “Diary of a Teenage Refugee” Write a letter to Amiri
How can you show empathy?