Lesson 1: Men vs. Women

Critical Learning	Guiding Questions
In this lesson, students will use tableau and role play to examine social assumptions about gender and how these assumptions have affected and continue to affect what is considered traditional female and male work. Students will consider how these assumptions have influenced them in their choices for the future.	What is gender? How is gender socially constructed? What qualities are typically associated with different genders? Are these qualities unique to each gender? Do these qualities define what work one can do? What might be considered women's work today? Does society value the "work" of making a home and raising children? How do you feel about these assumptions?
Curriculum Expectations	Learning Goals
A1.1 use a variety of sources as a basis for creating scenes about workplace issues; A1.2 choose appropriate drama forms to explore a variety of perspectives on the world of work and business; A2.2 use a variety of drama conventions to interpret roles and issues in the workplace B1.1 use the critical analysis process to determine the responsibilities attached to different roles within the group and to guide and monitor progress; B1.2 analyse presentations about workplace topics to determine how accurately they depict workplace realities; B2.3 explain how drama activities provide insight into different types of roles, social or occupational hierarchies, and issues they may encounter in the workplace; C1.2 use correct terminology for the styles, components, processes, and techniques of drama in creating and responding to drama works.	At the end of this lesson, students will be able to: connect personal goals to gender issues identify assumptions about gender that limit workplace options for male, female and non-binary people debate gender stereotypes in role write in role from an historical perspective
Instructional Components
Readiness Students should have some experience with role play, characterization, improvisation and possess a willingness to take risks. It is important that a strong sense of community has been created so students will be sensitive to the views of others and respond to the topic matter in a mature manner. Terminology Tableau Thought tracking Gender Non-binary Traditional Roles Role play Debate Stereotype Satire	Materials Paper, pens Sticky notes Chart Paper, markers BLM #1 Character Traits and Interests Computer with Internet connection Projector & Screen Television Video clips from She Works, They're Happy, Weighing in on "Women's Work", or Men Doing More Housework (optional)

Approximately 20 minutes Minds On	Pause and Ponder
Whole Class > Individual Remind students of the importance of acting in a respectful sensitive manner as the class challenges views many have, or had, regarding women in the world of work, and the challenges that women still face today. Males should not be made to feel they "are to blame." Discuss the fact that not everyone identifies as "male" or "female". Many people are non-binary or transgender and may use they/them pronouns. Examining the issue of gender from an historical perspective should not erase the identity of these folx. Invite students to write three personal character traits and three interests/hobbies on cards with their names on the card. Collect the cards to be used later in the lesson. Give out BLM #1 Character Traits and Interests. Instruct students to read the sheet and decide which gender is stereotypically represented by each trait writing an "M" for male, an "F" for female, or a "B" for both. Small Groups > Whole Class Discussion Invite students to work in groups of three or four to compare and discuss their responses. Ask them to come to a consensus on a common ranking. On the board or chart paper, create three columns: Male, Female, and Both. Invite students to fill in the chart with their choices from the BLM. Read the traits and interests from the collected cards without identifying the writers and invite students to add to the columns. Then, facilitate a class discussion based on their responses. Key Questions for Discussion: Do you agree with all of the choices made by your classmates? How do you account for the differences? Do you think that you can assign one gender to any of these traits or interests? How might these stereotypes be harmful to all people, including those who identify as trans or non-binary? How do our assumptions about gender traits and interests affect our choices and behavior in the workplace? Inform the students that the characteristics in BLM #1 Character Traits and Interests are those of a 43 year old female. Invite responses from students to this fact. Are you surprised? What can you learn from this?	Assessment for Learning (AfL) Use the discussions, exercises, and presentations to identify awareness of, and sensitivity to, others and the issues being discussed Collect writing in role pieces and provide formative feedback to students on their writing. Assessment as Learning (AaL) Students can use, and in the future refer to, the reflection to measure their awareness of issues throughout the unit. Differentiation (DI) Students can assume leadership roles to guide group conversations. Furthermore, students may choose alternate roles in the exercises, such as generating ideas, recording, reading, or performing. Quick Tip Move about the room listening to the arguments . Provide alternate debate topics, such as "Can women do men's work?" When students share moments of the debate, inform them that they might debate with the class for a few minutes and that you might return to them so that they are both listening to the other groups and remaining ready to become the debating pair. Look at other moments in the evolution of work history to satirize. Instead of walking around the room during the writing in role, ask students to read their writing aloud at random intervals. Link and Layer Review gender issues as they relate to theatre history, such as the exclusion of female performers in Elizabethan England. Hyperlinks in the Lesson BLM #1 Character Traits and Interests Weighing in on "Women's Work" She Works, They're Happy Men Doing More Housework
Approximately 50 minutes Action!
Whole Class > Response to Statement In letters large enough for all to read, post the following statement in the room: "A woman's place is in the home." Ask the students to think about the statement silently. Invite the students to sit in chairs in a circle and stand if the following responses to the statement feel true for them. Once standing, ask them to exchange chairs with other people standing. I agree with this statement. I disagree with this statement. I don't know. In the future I want to stay home while my partner works. In the future I want my partner to stay home while I work. In the future I want my partner to stay home while we raise children. In the future I want to stay home while we raise children. In the future I don't intend to have children, so I plan to work outside the home Small Group > Tableau with Thought Tracking Invite students to work in groups of five and create a tableau to represent the statement and their feelings about it. Have the groups freeze in their images and thought track some of the students in the tableau as students observe. Pairs > Debating in Role Ask students to imagine they are living in the early 1900s when women were kept out of most workplaces. In pairs, invite students to decide who is A and who is B. Tell students to debate the statement with Student A agreeing with the statement and Student B disagreeing. After a couple of minutes, have the students stand, switch positions and viewpoints and continue the debate. Instruct the students to freeze. Invite pairs randomly and one at a time to continue debating while the other students listen in and observe the debating group. Once the debates have finished, debrief the exercise with a whole class discussion. Key Questions for Discussion: Which debaters felt the most authentic? What arguments were the most compelling? How did it feel to support a position you did not believe in? Are the arguments still valid today? Have things changed for cisgender women? What about transgender women? To generate further discussion, read She Works, They're Happy, or view video clips Weighing in on "Women's Work", or Men Doing More Housework.
Approximately 30 minutes Consolidation
Individual > Writing in Role Instruct the students to imagine they were living 50 years ago or more and choose one of the following scenarios and roles for writing in role: You are a man writing a letter to a close friend about how you can't understand why your wife would want to go out to work. OR You are a woman writing a letter to a close friend about how you can't understand why your husband doesn't want to support you going out to work. Give students 15-20 minutes to write. Whole Class > Reading Aloud When they are finished, explain that you will walk around the room and stand beside different students who will read a section from their writing until you walk away and stand beside a different student. Ask the students to listen to the different voices. Ask them to comment on and share new ideas they heard in the reading that they had not considered.