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Prompt: “I’m going to tell you a pretend story. I want you to close your eyes and listen to my voice. One day, Erin the nurse was on their way home from the hospital. They were almost home when all of a sudden there was a huge gust of wind and Erin was blown up, up, into the sky. Erin was blown so far that they were over top of the Lake Ontario. Luckily, when Erin floated down to the water, Erin was rescued by a mermaid. Unluckily, the mermaid was a people eater and took Erin to a dark cave. Luckily, Erin put the mermaid to sleep with a soothing song. Unluckily, Erin was still underwater. Luckily, Erin could hold their breath for a long time and was able to swim to the surface. Unluckily, Erin was far away from shore.”
Tell students that they will have a chance to keep telling the story with a partner or to come up with a new one, but that you are going to talk about Erin as a class first.
Questions:
What do we know about Erin? How do you know?
If a student says Erin is a girl, ask them how they know. Let them know that people of any gender can be nurses and that people of any gender can be named Erin. Read the story again and ask them if they know Erin’s gender from the story.
What are some words that we use of different genders?
He, she, they, person, man, woman, girl, child, boy, Mr., Ms., Mx, Mrs.
If students introduce words that reference non-binary gender, you can discuss now or postpone until the end of the activity.
Tell the students that you are going to tell a bit more of the story and to yell “Try again!” if you use words that reveal gender.
Prompt:
Teacher: Unluckily, Erin was far away from shore. Luckily, he knew how to talk to birds.
Students: Try again!
Teacher: Luckily, Erin knew how to talk to birds. Unluckily, there were no birds nearby. Luckily, Erin knew how to make bird calls and called as loud as she could.
Students: Try again!
Teacher: Luckily, Erin knew how to make bird calls and called as loud as Erin could. Unluckily, they didn’t see any birds coming. Luckily, Erin is a smart boy.
Students: Try again!
Teacher: Luckily, Erin is a smart person. That’s why everyone calls Erin Mrs. Know It All.
Students: Try again!
Teacher: That’s why everyone calls Erin a Big Know It All.
Tell students to find a partner and continue Erin’s story or invent a new one. Instruct them to shout “Try again!” if their partner makes a mistake. This should be a fun activity or game - create a space where failure is welcome.
Questions
Was it easy, hard to avoid gendered language?
Are there times when it comes naturally?
When you are talking about situation when the person/people could be of many genders. E.g. The student will complete the following pages. They will then hand them into the classroom teacher.
How do we know what words to use when we talk to or about someone?
After discussion, see prompt below.
Prompt: “We usually make assumptions based on the way that person looks, but those assumptions aren’t always true. The best way is to ask the person. That’s what we’re going to practice now.”
Teacher section only:
Tell students to find a partner and to tell a story about something that they have done with a friend recently without revealing the gender of that friend. This means that they should avoid gendered pronouns (he, she, his, her). Instruct the listening partner to shout “Try again!” if their partner makes a mistake. This should be a fun activity or game - create a space where failure is welcome.
Questions
Was it easy, hard to avoid gendered language?
Are there times when it comes naturally?
When you are talking about situation when the person/people could be of many genders. E.g. The student will complete the following pages. They will then hand them into the classroom teacher.
How do we know what words to use when we talk to or about someone?
After discussion, see prompt below.
Prompt: “We usually make assumptions based on the way that person looks, but those assumptions aren’t always true. The best way is to ask the person. That’s what we’re going to practice now.”
Arrange students in a circle. Model an introduction for students that includes pronouns and give them the opportunity to share theirs (see prompts below). Be sure to mention that people often change how they would like to be addressed. A person who has attained a new qualification or position (e.g. academic degree, political office) may wish to be addressed in a certain way in certain situations (Doctor, Honourable, Professor, etc.). People may also decide they’d like to be addressed with different pronouns (they, zie, he, she). See attached guide for less common pronouns and how they are used.
Prompt: “My name is [teacher name] and my pronouns are ____ and ____.”
E.g. “My name is Vivek and my pronouns are she and her.”
“I’m Alejandro and I use they, them pronouns.”
“My name is Omoye and I use he, him pronouns.”
“I’m Martin and my pronouns are zie, and hir.”
After everyone has had a change to introduce themselves, end with a class discussion.
Discuss
Why might it be hurtful to gender someone incorrectly?
Connect the relevance of this topic to transgender folk.
Can we tell a person’s gender just by looking at them?
How can we find out how to talk about someone in a way that feels right for them?