NICK NEWS
SPECIAL EDITION:
WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT?
NICK NEWS
SPECIAL EDITION:
WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT?
Objective
To learn about the issues of disability: lifestyle, rights,
history, and personal
stories; and to commit to an action that facilitates interaction between
the
abled and disabled.
Students will:
Learn about diversity
Learn about the challenges and feelings of the disabled
Discover the history of the disabled rights movements in the United States
Explore communication strategies between the abled and the disabled
Standards
NCSS #V (b.) Analyze group and institutional influences on
people,
events, and elements of culture.
Materials
Worksheet for Nick News Special Edition: What Are You Staring At?
Telephones, phone books, and Internet access
Special Olympics
http://www.specialolympics.org/
The Special Olympics provides sports training and athletic competition
for children and adults with mental disabilities. The site includes
information on volunteering for the organization.
Steps
1.Before viewing the episode, have students answer the Before
Viewing
questions. You may need to help them think of well-known people, or
people in the school or community who are disabled.
2.Go over the During Viewing questions to be sure students understand
any new terms. If necessary, help them take notes by pausing the
video at key points during viewing.
3.After viewing the episode, help students select an action and find
partners to work with. If students select Action #1, give them ample
time to use phone books and the Web to locate organizations they
might be interested in working with. If they are having difficulty
choosing an organization, steer them to ones that reflect their
interests. For example, students interested in sports might enjoy
working with the Special Olympics.
4.If students select Action #2, help them locate and organize the
equipment or supplies they might need. For example, students may
need help getting parents' to drive, buying food, or acquiring tools or
sports equipment. Make sure students have at least one disabled
advisor to help them select ability-appropriate events or activities.
5.If students select Action #3, have them prepare and present a
well-thought out plan of action before starting. Have all students
present their ideas to the class for input before beginning.
6.As a wrap-up, have each group, pair, or individual report to the class
on how the action went. Have them consider how successful it was and
what, if anything, they might do differently next time. Have students
propose ways to continue actions that facilitate interaction between the
abled and disabled.
Assessment
4-5 points: Student can identify all the laws passed in the
U.S. to protect the
rights of the disabled, including the years in which they were passed.
Student
can accurately describe the challenges the disabled face and have faced
in
both the present and the past. Student actively participates in an action
designed to facilitate interaction between the abled and disabled.
2-3 points: Student can identify one or two of the laws passed in the U.S.
to
protect the rights of the disabled, including the years in which they were
passed. Student can describe with some accuracy the challenges the
disabled face and have faced in both the present and the past. Student
participates to some extent in an action designed to facilitate interaction
between the abled and disabled.
0-1 point: Student cannot identify the laws passed in the U.S. to protect
the
rights of the disabled. Student cannot describe accurately the challenges
the
disabled face. Student participates minimally in an action designed to
facilitate interaction between the abled and disabled.
Worksheet
Before Viewing Activity
Answer the following questions in small groups before you view the Nick
News Special Edition: What Are You Staring At?
1.Are you disabled in some way, or do you know someone who is? Can
you think of someone famous who is disabled?
2.Talk about the daily life of the disabled people you know: Do they go
to
school? Work? What do they do for fun? What challenges do they face
on a day-to-day basis? Think about how they study, do their work, get
around, or do the same sports and hobbies as abled people.
3.How do you think abled people regard the disabled people you know?
During Viewing Activities
As you watch the Nick News Special Edition: What Are You Staring At?,
answer these questions.
What does Shannon like to do for fun?
Can an abled person make a mistake in interacting with a disabled
person? What does Christopher Reeve say about this?
How is CJ's life as a student different from the experience Judy
Heumann had as a student?
When did the U.S. pass the first law to protect the rights of the
disabled? What laws followed, and what was their purpose?
What recommendations do the program participants make to facilitate
understanding between the abled and the disabled?
After Viewing Activities
For this After Viewing Activity, you are going to commit to an action that
facilitates interaction between the abled and disabled. You can choose
one of the following suggestions, or think of your own. You can do your
action in pairs, small groups, or individually. Present your plan to the
class for their input before you start to get their suggestions. Then
report back to the class on your action after you have completed it.
Actions:
Use the phone books and web resources to find out about services
and organizations for the disabled in your community. Call them up
and request information. Study the information you receive and then
choose an organization that interests you. Call the organization of your
choice and ask how students such as yourselves might volunteer for
them. Then, with your parents' permission, make a commitment to
offer your time and expertise to the organization.
Plan an event at your school or in your community that will bring
disabled and abled students together. The event can be for fun, such
as a picnic with competitive events or it can focus on doing a service
such as a community or school clean-up day. Make sure you include at
least one disabled person in your planning committee to advise on
ability-appropriate activities.
Plan your own action. Write up your plan, show it to your teacher, and
get his or her input before you act.