PREVIEW ACTIVITY (I) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2020. For use only with license.

What Discrimination in America Looks Like (B2)

Work with a partner or group. Do the activities below about discrimination and racism.

PART I Do you know what the words mean below? Explain them in your own words.

social justice | protests | racism | discrimination

PART II Discuss the questions below about discrimination and racism.

1 What might be some concrete examples of discrimination?

2 Describe racism and discrimination in the country you live in.
3 Why is racism wrong? What are the effects of racism on society?

PART III Discuss what you know about the two men below.

1 2

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. NELSON MANDELA

Discuss what you’ve heard, read, or seen about the protests in the USA in response
PART IV
to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the end of May, 2020.

Discuss and/or write a few things people may do during protests.

1 3

2 4

Do you think protests are a good and effective way to make societal changes?

PART V Statistics show that black people in the USA are at a disadvantage in a variety of
ways in comparison with white people. Discuss and/or write a few ways specifically
that black people may be at a disadvantange.

2
PREVIEW ACTIVITY (II) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2020. For use only with license.
What Discrimination in America Looks Like (B2)

PART I Match the nouns with their definitions below the context examples.

1 Giving a job to a white applicant who is less qualified than a black applicant is
an example of racial bias.
2 While driving on busy city streets, you should be careful of pedestrians.
3 Jen will apply for a small business loan from her local bank.
4 Police used force against the protesters who were throwing objects at them.
5 If Mr. Williams is convicted of murder he will have a very long prison sentence.
6 There are some caveats behind the statistics that are important to know.

1 bias a. a person walking on the street; traveling on foot

2 pedestrian b. an important thing to point out or warn someone of
3 loan c. the use of physical power or strength to do something
4 force d. the unfair preference of someone / something over another
5 sentence e. the borrowing of money that will be repaid
6 caveats f. a period or amount of time that someone spends in prison

PART II Choose the correct definition for the phrasal verbs below

1 When I got pulled over, the officer asked to see my license and registration.
to get pulled over means... a. to do something wrong but not illegal
b. to be found guilty of a crime
c. to be stopped by police while driving
2 In the USA, black people run into a lot of bias in the workplace and in school.
to run into [smt] means... a. to get, receive, or gain something valuable
b. to experience a problem or difficult situation
c. to calm somebody who is really angry
3 My headache feels terrible, but I will tough it out anyway and go to work.
to tough [smt] out means... a. to become mad; lose control over your emotions
b. to tolerate something despite pain or difficulty
c. to release or publish information secretly

Bonus Word + Idiom...

idiosyncratic = unique to a specific situation, person, or group of people

EXAMPLE The African American struggle for equal rights is an idiosyncratic struggle.

The deck is stacked against you. = You have a low chance of success due to some barriers.
EXAMPLE My physical disability in combination with my mental disability means the
deck is stacked against me for job opportunities.
WHAT DISCRIMINATION LOOKS
LIKE IN AMERICA Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2020. For use only with license.
What Discrimination in America Looks Like (B2)

PREVIEW DISCUSSION QUESTION

What do you know about racism and discrimi-

nation in the USA? How severe is it?

VIEWING ACTIVITY

PART I Read the quote below that you heard in the beginning
of the video. Choose the correct meaning of it below.

“
If you’re black and you misbehave in school, you might be punished more harshly
than your white classmate, even if you break the same rule.” = strictly

What does this sentence mean in a simpler way? Choose the correct answer.

a. White students generally receive stricter punishments in school for bad behavior.
b. Black students generally receive less strict punishments in school for bad behavior.
c. White students generally receive less strict punishments in school for bad behavior.

PART II Match the conditional clauses about the disadvantages minorities face in the USA.

0:39 1 If you try to cross the street… a. ...you’re less likely to get a job offer.

0:59 2 If you have a black-sounding name… b. ...you might have a harsher sentence.

1:44 3 If you’re convicted of a crime... c. ...drivers might make you wait longer.

1:49 4 If you get sick and go to the doctor... d. ...you might face similar biases to the
ones that black people face.
2:24 5 If you’re Hispanic or Asian...
e. ...it might be harder to get a prescription.

PART III What does the narrator say about the following situations as a black person in the US?

1:20 1 Buying a house as a black person

1:31 2 Getting pulled over as a black person

 POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY (I) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2020. For use only with license.
What Discrimination in America Looks Like (B2)

PART I Choose the correct preposition that was used in the video. One is not used!

of against along out over into

1 Discrimination in America is the idea that if you’re not white,

then the deck is somehow stacked you.
2 Black people tend to run bias in a lot of situations.
3 If you’re black in the USA, it’s more likely that you’ll get pulled
while driving.
4 Black people who are convicted crimes are more likely to have
harsher prison sentences.
5 If you’re black and get sick, you might have to tough it . Doctors
prescribe medications less frequently to black patients than to white patients.

PART II Study the example of the past modal in the video.

The narrator makes a speculation about minorities’ experience with bias in the USA:

“ If you’re not white, you might have faced a lot of this bias already.

The construction might + have + [PAST PARTICIPLE] shows that we are not 100% sure if something
happened in the past. We are speculating about what possibly happened in the past.

MORE EXAMPLES You might have already heard about how hard life can be as a black American.
I’m not sure where Jon went. He might have gone to the protests.

PART III Write a speculation using might + have + past participle based on the situations.

1 SITUATION: Ron was scheduled to work last Friday but he didn’t come.
SPECULATION: He might have forgotten that he was scheduled for a shift.

2 SITUATION: I looked everywhere, and I can’t find my wallet.

SPECULATION:

3 SITUATION: That man had huge smile on his face when he walked out of the bank.
SPECULATION:

4 SITUATION: My son was crying when he came home from school, but I’m not sure why.
SPECULATION:

5 SITUATION: Kim seemed to be in a bad mood yesterday, which is strange of her.

SPECULATION:
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY (II) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2020. For use only with license.
What Discrimination in America Looks Like (B2)

SPEAKING TASK 1:

Your teacher will choose a few of the speaking topics below to discuss. Discuss the topics
with your teacher or partner. In your discussion, explain your ideas in detail.

1 What do you think are the causes of racism? How does a

person develop racist attitudes, opinions, or behaviors?
What factors might lead to people becoming racist?

2 Imagine you’re teaching a group of children about racism.

What do you tell the children about it? What do you think
is important for children to know about racism?

3 In the video, they talk mainly about the systemic discrimi-

nation and/or racism in America against black people. What
are some other examples in history of long-term systemic
discrimination and/or racism?

Do you think solutions exist to end systemic racism in

society? What do you think would need to happen? Explain.

4 In the video, it’s mentioned that police are more likely to

use force against black people in the USA, which is an
example of bias, discrimination, and/or racism.

What kind of cases or situations do you think police are

justified in using force against people? Should the police
be able to use force against people during a protest?

5 What do you think it would be like to be a police officer in

the USA when there are protests going on against you?

SPEAKING TASK 2:

Discuss if you’ve had any recent experience with the following situations. If so,
describe the experience and what happened.

• Getting pulled over while driving

• Toughing out a hard situation or experience
QUIZ & REVIEW ACTIVITY Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2020. For use only with license.
What Discrimination in America Looks Like (B2)

Work with a partner. Complete the quiz and review activities below.

PART I What does the narrator say about the following situations as a black person in the US?

1. Punishments in school 4. Buying a house

2. Finding a job 5. Going to the doctor
3. Getting pulled over 6. Being convicted of a crime

PART II Vocabulary: Discuss what each term means. Write how it was used in the video.

1. bias

2. force

3. loan

4. sentence

What does it mean if the deck is stacked against you?

PART III Grammar: Explain when we use might + have + past participle in English. The write a
speculation using might + have + past participle in response to the situations below.

1 SITUATION: I called Nia a few times yesterday, but she didn’t answer any of my calls.
SPECULATION:

2 SITUATION: Did you see the huge house Anna and Don just bought? I thought they
didn’t have much money.
SPECULATION:

3 SITUATION: James looked really upset and sad today. I wonder what happened.
SPECULATION:

Bonus: Imagine you participated in protests going on in the USA against racism. Write
PART IV
a social media post about your experience as a protester and what you saw.