Understanding Prejudice

Overview

This 60-minute lesson is designed for Year 7/8 students in a special school setting, focusing on the PSHE topic of prejudice, explicitly aligned with the National Curriculum for England, ensuring inclusivity and promoting social, moral, spiritual, and cultural development. Through interactive and accessible activities, students will grasp what prejudice means, recognise its effects, and reflect on respectful behaviour.

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National Curriculum Links

PSHE Association Programme of Study (Key Stage 3):

• Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing
• Core Theme 3: Living in the wider world
• Pupils should:
  • Understand what prejudice is and its impact on individuals and communities.
  • Recognise diverse identities and promote respect and equality.
  • Develop empathy and learn strategies to challenge discriminatory behaviour.

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Learning Objectives (LO)

• LO1: Define and identify prejudice in everyday scenarios.
• LO2: Understand how prejudice affects individuals and communities.
• LO3: Develop empathy by exploring perspectives of those who face prejudice.
• LO4: Demonstrate respectful attitudes and suggest ways to challenge prejudice.

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Resources

• Emotive picture cards depicting diverse people (age, ethnicity, disability, gender)
• Scenario cards illustrating different cases of prejudice (age-appropriate and carefully framed)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Large paper for group mind maps
• “Feelings” emotion cards (happy, sad, confused, angry, etc.)
• Video clip (2-3 minutes) illustrating a prejudicial situation in a sensitive, accessible way
• Reflection worksheets with visual prompts

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Starter Activity – What is Prejudice? (10 mins)

• Begin with a simple question: “What does the word ‘prejudice’ mean to you?” Capture initial ideas on the board.
• Show a few picture cards of diverse individuals and ask: “Have you ever seen or heard people treating others unfairly because of these differences?”
• Write a child-friendly definition on the board: “Prejudice means having a unfair opinion about someone before you really know them.”
• Check understanding by asking students to repeat in their own words or draw a quick symbol for prejudice.

2. Exploring Examples – Scenario Role-Play (15 mins)

• Divide students into small groups of 3. Hand out scenario cards showing simple, relatable situations of prejudice (e.g., someone being excluded because of their appearance or background).
• Each group reads and discusses their scenario, then role-plays both the prejudice happening and a positive way to respond.
• Support groups closely, modelling language and actions, especially to meet learning or communication needs in a special school.

3. Video and Discussion – Feelings and Impact (10 mins)

• Show the short video clip demonstrating prejudice and its effect on a young person.
• After watching, use “feelings” cards to help students express how the person in the video might feel (e.g., sad, lonely, angry).
• Facilitate a sensitive discussion on how prejudice can affect people emotionally and socially.

4. Mind Map Activity – Challenging Prejudice (15 mins)

• On large paper, collaboratively create a mind map with the question: “How can we stop prejudice and be kind to everyone?”
• Encourage students to suggest ideas—including speaking up, making friends with different people, and using kind words.
• Use prompts and visual aids to support ideas generation.
• Summarise key strategies and reinforce respect and empathy as community values.

5. Plenary & Reflection (10 mins)

• Give each student a reflection worksheet with sentence starters such as:
  • Today I learnt that prejudice means...
  • If I see prejudice, I will...
  • I feel that everyone deserves... (with space to draw or write)
• Ask volunteers to share if comfortable. Praise all contributions to encourage a supportive atmosphere.
• Finish with a group appreciation round—each student says one nice thing about another.

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Assessment

• Formative assessment throughout via participation in discussions, role-plays, and the mind map.
• Completed reflection worksheets provide evidence of understanding and personal insight.
• Teacher notes anecdotal observations on student empathy, communication, and respectfulness.

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Differentiation & Accessibility

• Use visual aids and simple language to ensure understanding for diverse learners.
• Provide sentence starters and emotion cards to scaffold communication.
• Allow alternative expression modes—drawing, gestures, or technology-assisted speech.
• Adapt scenarios and discussion pace to individual needs.

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Extension Ideas

• Create an “Anti-Prejudice Pledge” poster for the classroom collaboratively.
• Invite a guest speaker (such as a local community advocate) to talk about diversity and kindness.
• Use stories or books that highlight themes of equality and friendship for follow-up lessons.

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This lesson plan not only aligns with the statutory expectations for PSHE in England but promotes a warm, inclusive classroom culture that honours difference and combats prejudice with empathy and action.