Residential Segregation and Parable of the Polygons

Step by Step Instructions

1. This lesson can be done over two days. To start, I will create four student groups, give out the KWL-CL CHART, and introduce the topic of Residential Segregation by using questions such as What are some of the factors that contribute to residential segregation? What are the consequences of residential segregation? After introducing the topic, give students a couple of minutes and ask them to fill out the first two columns of the chart.
2. After students are done writing, I will ask students to read the article “Attacking the Black–White Opportunity Gap That Comes from Residential Segregation” with their group.
3. Then, students will be given a guided worksheet to fill out as students play the game Parable of the polygons to get a deep lesson about diversity in a fun way. I will quickly model the activity beforehand. This activity makes students consider bias and how it leads to a segregated resident.
4. After all groups are done with their activity as a class, groups will share their answers with the whole class and participate in discussions. Then I will ask students to complete the rest of the KWL-CL CHART.
5. We will also talk about what type of mathematics they have seen during the reading and activity. At this point, I will reintroduce the mathematics used in the article and the gaming activity using Google Slides. During the slides presentation, students are expected to answer the questions in the slides and take notes simultaneously.
6. To conclude our activity, students will write a reflection of a minimum of two sentences on the relationships between percentages and fractions on the back of the KWL-CL CHART. My CDL strategy mini-lesson satisfies the CL dimension of focusing on sociopolitical viewpoints by reasoning how the smallest of biases can push a whole society past the tipping point of residential segregation.