In this activity students experience being excluded from the dominant group.
Tasks
Ask a group of 8-10 students to form a tight circle and lock arms.
Ask another student to try and break into the circle so that he/she can become a part of the group.
If
the student successfully breaks into the group, ask one of the original
group members to step out of the circle and try to break back in.
Repeat this process a number of times giving each student a turn at
being outside the group.
After the activity, lead a class discussion on how it felt to be kept out of the group.
How did you feel?
Why do you think you were kept out?
How did you act?
How did you want to act?
Extend this discussion to include students' real life experiences of being excluded from a group?
How did you feel?
Should everyone be allowed to be part of every group?
Are there good reasons for keeping someone out of a group?
What sort of reasons may be unacceptable?
Summarise the students' responses on the board or on butcher's paper.
Teacher Notes
An alternative to this activity is musical chairs.
Activity adapted from Outside the in-group in SHIMAN, David A. The Prejudice Book: Activities for the Classroom, Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1988.
