Kyle Dwyer

EDU 280 – 1001

Professor Christensen

July 1st, 2021

Multicultural Activity

Lesson Objective:

1. Standard: One of the core standards for English students in the 11th and 12th grades is

that students can, “Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and

analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and

build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of

the text.”

2. Observable Objective: 

a. SWBAT assess the meaning and theme of a particular work

b. SWBAT determine the dangers of stereotyping 

c. WBAT examine cultural differences

3. Multicultural Goal:

a. “Build social relationships to promote interest in differences and include others in

school and social activities.”

b. “Respect for human dignity and universal human rights.”

All Lesson Materials:

- “All Quiet on The Western Front”

- Piece of paper
 - Pen or pencil

Instruction-Learning Process:

a. Do First – Briefly review Chapter 9 of “All Quiet on The Western Front”, which was

completed as homework. Begin to discuss the definition of stereotypes.

b. Mini-lesson – Review specific quote from the text:

i. “But now, for the first time, I see you are a man like me. I thought

of your hand-grenades, of your bayonet, of your rifle; now I see

your wife and your face and our fellowship. Forgive me, comrade.

We always see it too late. Why do they never tell us that you are

poor devils like us, that your mothers are just as anxious as ours,

and that we have the same fear of death, and the same dying and

the same agony--Forgive me, comrade; how could you be my

enemy?”

ii. Discuss the effects of stereotyping in All Quiet on The Western

Front. Do you think stereotypes contributed to Paul’s decision to

join the Army? Do you think stereotypes benefitted Paul? What are

the consequences of stereotypes in All Quiet on The Western

Front? How do you think those consequences are going to affect

Paul moving forward?

c. Guided Practice – Discuss the current dangers of stereotypes and how they can

affect people today.

 d. Independent Practice – Interview a classmate and write down their responses.

Write down their favorite food, movie, music, sport, and hobby. Ask them what

their favorite subject in school is. What’s their favorite fun fact about themselves?

Find out where their family is from, where they were born, etc. How have they

been affected by stereotypes?

e. Exit Slip – Ask students if anybody would like to share anything new they learned

about a classmate. Ask students if anybody would like to share their own

experiences that have been affected by stereotypes of pre-judgements. Ask

students to turn in the transcript of their interview.

Resources:

Northwestern University. (n.d.). REVISED Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs. Retrieved December

10, 2020, from http://www.northeastern.edu/nuolirc/wp-

content/uploads/2018/01/Blooms-Taxonomy-Handout.pdf

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (n.d.). Common Core State Standards. Retrieved from

https://www.washoeschools.net/cms/lib/NV01912265/Centricity/Domain/253/ELA

%20K-6/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf

Manning, L. M., Baruth, L. G., & Lee, L. G. (2017). Multicultural Education of Children and

Adolescents (6th ed.). Routledge.

Remarque, E. M. (2021). All Quiet on the Western Front 1ST Us Edition [Hardcover] (First

Edition). Little, Brown.

5. Reflection: I’d be excited to deliver a lesson like this. I remember doing something

similar in my high school debate class early in that particular school year as a sort of “get
to know you” activity. We each had to interview a classmate and then stand in front of

the room and introduce our partner to the class. In that class, it worked great! A lot of

students had really interesting, funny responses and we all got to learn things about

classmates that we never would’ve known otherwise. To tie an activity like that to a

powerful book like All Quiet on the Western Front would be a great learning

opportunity. Reading the book and seeing how a lack of exposure to other cultures hurt

the characters, and how sensationalized nationalism and stereotypes have devastating

consequences, and then turning around and saying “With that in mind, get to know a

classmate” could be interesting, especially for students who end up working with

students from other nationalities or cultures. With an activity like this, you could build

appreciation for others and help craft an environment that is built upon respect. I think

the weaknesses of this activity are the same as the strengths. In an activity like this, you

really turn the keys over to the students which works great when it works but

unfortunately, with large groups of sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds you can also lose

control quickly and lose sight of the lesson’s message, it’s definitely a fine line to walk

and something that requires a good amount of classroom management.