Lesson Plan: Social Justice and Equity

Objectives

● Students will understand the concept of social justice and its importance in society.
● Students will learn how to use a social justice lens to analyze and evaluate social issues.
● Students will develop empathy and understanding for marginalized communities.

Materials

● Whiteboard and markers

● Handouts with discussion questions
● Art supplies (optional)

Procedure

Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Begin by asking students what they know about social justice. Write their responses on
the board.
2. Explain that social justice is about fairness and equity in society. It is about ensuring that
everyone has access to the same opportunities and resources.
3. Ask students why they think social justice is important.

Privilege Walk (20 minutes)

1. Explain that privilege is an advantage or benefit that some people have over others
based on their identity.
2. Ask students to stand in a line.
3. Read a series of statements that relate to privilege, such as “Take one step forward if
you have never been discriminated against based on your race.”
4. Ask students to take a step forward or backward based on their response to each
statement.
5. After the activity, facilitate a discussion on privilege and how it affects different groups of
people.

Role Play (20 minutes)

1. Divide students into small groups.

2. Assign each group a scenario where they are discriminated against based on their race,
gender, or sexual orientation.
3. Ask students to role-play the scenario and discuss how it made them feel.
4. After the activity, facilitate a discussion on empathy and understanding.
Community Mapping (20 minutes)

1. Explain that community mapping involves identifying the resources and services
available in a community.
2. Ask students to work in pairs or small groups to create a map of their community.
3. Encourage students to identify gaps in services and resources that affect marginalized
communities.
4. After the activity, facilitate a discussion on the impact of social issues on different groups
of people.

Debate (20 minutes)

1. Divide students into two groups.

2. Assign each group a side of a debate topic, such as “Affirmative action policies are
necessary for achieving social justice.”
3. Ask students to research their assigned topic and prepare arguments for the debate.
4. Facilitate a respectful debate between the two groups.

Art Project (20 minutes)

1. Explain that art projects can be used to explore social justice issues in a creative way.
2. Ask students to create a mural that represents the experiences of marginalized
communities.
3. Provide art supplies and encourage creativity.
4. After the activity, facilitate a discussion on self-expression and creativity.

Conclusion (10 minutes)

1. Review the key concepts covered in the lesson.

2. Ask students what they learned about social justice and equity.
3. Encourage students to continue exploring these topics outside of class.

Here are some resources that can help you create more social justice lesson plans:

● WeAreTeachers provides free social justice lesson plans and classroom resources1.
● Learning for Justice offers a social justice lesson plan2.
● Education World provides 10 social justice activities for students3.