Standard: 5.D.5.1 - Explain the concepts of digital etiquette, access, and literacy and the personal and societal responsibilities attached to each.
Time Pair Share: Imagine that you are walking into a baby’s bedroom. The room has blue walls. The blankets and pillows have trucks on them. The pictures on the walls have rocket ships.
(1) Do you think this room belongs to a baby boy or a baby girl? Why?
(2) Could girls also like trucks and rocket ships? Could boys like dolls?
Whole Group Conversation: (1) What kinds of questions does Riley ask about the toys around her? (2) Riley says that companies try to “trick the girls into buying pink stuff.” What do you think she means by this?
stereotype: an idea about a group of people that’s not always true
We get messages about these stereotypes from people in our lives, and at toy stores, on television, in magazines, in movies, and more. We also get messages about boys and girls online. One place we get them is from virtual worlds and websites meant for kids. Some of these sites are owned by toy companies.
Whole Group Conversation: (1) Which group – girls or boys – is the LEGO® Hero Factory site aimed at? What kinds of messages does it send about what this group is supposed to like and how they are supposed to act?
(2) Which group is the LEGO® Friends site aimed at? What kinds of messages does it send this group about what they are supposed to like and how they are supposed to act?
Why are these messages stereotypes? While some girls are interested in hanging out with friends, beauty shops, decorating, and cupcakes, others aren’t. Some boys are not interested in fighting, robots, or being strong. You should understand that girls and boys don’t always have to listen to the messages they get from online media, or play only on certain sites. It’s fine for girls and boys to like all kinds of things.
Closure: (1) What is a stereotype? Where do stereotypes about girls and boys come from? (2) What stereotypes of girls did you see on the LEGO® website? Of boys?
(3) How can stereotypes about girls and boys make people feel?