Tuesday 2/21 Lesson: Introduction to Apartheid (Concept Formation Lesson)

Grade level: 7th

Course: World Cultures and Geography
Length of lesson: 53 minutes

Unit question: To what extent does power or the lack of power affect individuals? What
does power have to do with fairness and justice?
Lesson question: What are the criteria for defining racial segregation? How did apartheid
laws in South Africa align with these criteria?

Key terms/concepts:
Racial Segregation - The separation of one group of people from another based on race. For
example, racial segregation can involve laws or customs that require different groups to use
different facilities and live in separate areas.
Multiracial - Made up of people from several ethnic groups.
Ethnic groups - A group of people sharing a common cultural background.
Apartheid - The former official South African policy of separating people according to race.
Apartheid gave the majority of the political and economic power to whites.
Distribution - The way people or things are spread out over an area or space. Distribution
can also refer to the way resources, power, or goods are divided among people or groups.

Concept Formation Characteristics (Racial Segregation):

Separating groups based on race.
One group has power over another.
Groups have a pre-determined fate.

Objectives:
Students will be able to look at examples of racial segregation and develop criteria for
defining the term.
Students will be able to take the criteria and apply it to examples/non-examples.
Students will be able to explain that the central purpose of apartheid was racial segregation.

List of necessary materials:

-PowerPoint slides
-Handout with examples/nonexamples
-Computers (Peardeck.com)
-Slips of paper for bell work and exit ticket

Connection to prior lesson:

Last Friday we talked about the diverse ethnic groups within Nigeria and the tension that it
created. This aligns well as we will be moving to South Africa and looking at the division
among the many ethnic groups and the racial segregation that was created during the
apartheid era. Racial segregation continues to be a problem throughout the world today but
todays lesson will look at it in South Africa throughout the 20th century.
Connection to future lessons:
This lesson will serve as a concept formation lesson to help students learn about or build
upon their definition of racial segregation. We will then look at racial segregation as it relates
to apartheid and the following day we will dig deeper into apartheid law and the different
political movements.

Assessment plan: Collect the bell work/exit ticket. Pear Deck will allow me to view student
answers so I can go back and see whether students were successful and able to grasp the
concept.

Accommodations: Read aloud, breaking down material as a group.

Instructional Sequence with time estimates:

**Today, we are going to be talking about racial segregation as it relates to people in South
Africa during apartheid. As a class we will look at examples and develop criteria for defining
racial segregation and then we will use the criteria to distinguish between
examples/nonexamples. The purpose of this lesson is to gain a deeper understanding of
racial segregation and to examine the effects that it has had on people and continues to
have to this day all around the world. This lesson connects well with the previous lesson as
we further discuss ethnic tensions within regions. (2 minutes)
**Introduce bell work.
The government has just passed a new law that takes away the rights of all people in your
ethnic group. Some of these rights are: people in your ethnic group can no longer vote, they
must move into poor-quality housing in rural areas, and they cannot go to school with people
of different ethnic groups. Also, you must carry a passport wherever you go and are limited
on where you can travel. How might these new laws change your life? (5 minutes for
writing/discussion)
**Get computers/Get them on Pear Deck (5 minutes)
**Introduce unit/lesson questions (2 minutes)
**Briefly outline agenda (1 minute)
**Concept formation lesson (20-25 minutes)
**Summarize with the students the criteria for defining racial segregation. Ask if there are
any clarifying questions (2 minutes)
**Briefly highlight again the unit/lesson questions and the agenda (1 minute)
**Begin briefly discussing apartheid and the role of racial segregation during that period.
This will be short and continued the next day. (5 minutes)
**Put away computers (5 minutes)
**Exit ticket on bell work sheet..What is the definition of racial segregation? How
does it apply to the story of Apartheid? (3-5 minutes)
(2:05-2:58)
Racial Segregation Concept Formation Name _____________________________

Example Characteristics of racial segregation

#1) In the United States from 1876 to 1965,

southern states followed the Jim Crow laws,
which were a series of policies developed by
some states. These laws separated people
of color from whites in almost all aspects of
society such as: housing, jobs, schools,
education, etc. Whites were considered first
class citizens due to them having the right
to vote and other power over people of
color. Many people of color were unable to
escape this pre-determined fate because it
was based on race.

#2) In 1859, The Chinese School was

created in San Francisco because Chinese
children were not allowed in other public
schools. The city of San Francisco controlled
the school and thus had the power to refuse
funding to the school, which affected the
resources and quality of teachers. As of
1860, the Chinese population in San
Francisco was 3.8%. This event drew
criticism from around the country as
Chinese students had no other options other
than to attend The Chinese School.

#3) Luke is a 17-year-old white male in a

majority white population. He lives with his
parents but because he is Caucasian he is
forced to live in a section of the city where
other white people have to live. The
indigenous people, who are not white,
enforce the rules that the Caucasian
families have to attend different schools,
different shopping centers, and cannot talk
to people of different races. Since Luke
cannot change his race, he is stuck in this
life.

Based on the characteristics you listed above, in the area below list the criteria for defining
racial segregation..

Example or Nonexample?
Using the criteria we developed as a class to define racial segregation, determine whether
the examples below are examples or nonexamples of racial segregation.

Example or nonexample? Why?

#4) Clague Middle School has determined

that they need to change the way that
students are assigned to classes. The
administration has decided to place
students six feet and under on one team of
teachers and students that are taller than 6
feet on another team. This new policy will
go into effect next year and will alter your
final year of classes. The administration has
determined that since height is
predetermined the two teams will be fairly
equal with respect to the number of
students in each class.

#5) The Brown vs. Board of Education case

of 1954 was a decision by the Supreme
Court that overruled the previous case of
Plessy vs. Ferguson. Prior to the Brown vs.
Board decision, schools in the United States
were allowed to be separated based on
race but that the schools must be equal.
While separate but equal seemed like a big
step, African American schools were rarely
equal and funding support was based on
government decisions, usually by powerful
white men that didnt follow the separate
but equal decision.

#6) According to the constitution of

Malaysia, indigenous people, commonly
known as Malays are given special rights
compared to non-Malays. These benefits
include certain economic breaks and job
opportunities for Malays and preferential
treatment in other aspects of the country.
Supporters of this policy claim that
abolishing it could lead to a mass uprising
against the country and lead to a lack of
respect towards the government for
removing this policy in the constitution.