Lesson Plans

PlanningFacilitatingCommunity Lesson Plans

The lesson plans in the URC are based on our experience of talking with students about equity in our science classrooms. The lessons are designed to break down a daunting topic into less daunting instructional steps that other instructors have found to be successful. Depending on the length of your class periods, you can adjust these lesson plans to fit your context. Be sure to read through the planning, facilitation, and community documents before you start.

An imagine of a sample lesson plan. All lesson plans are linked as PDF files below.
What the lesson plans look like

We encourage you to start with Unit 0 – Setting the Stage, a lesson that helps to prepare students for the curriculum and aims to productively frame future discussions .

Unit 1 – Laying the Foundation

Unit 1 – Subjectivity
Unit 1 – Why Does Representation Matter?
Unit 1 – Learning About Scientists’ Lives
Unit 1 – Data Analysis

Unit 2 – Gaining Relevant Knowledge

Unit 2 – Meritocracy
Unit 2 – Stereotype Threat
Unit 2 – Systemic Racism
Unit 2 – Systemic Sexism
Unit 2 – Racial Privilege and Affirmative Action
Unit 2 – Implicit Bias
Unit 2 – Multiple Identities
Unit 2 – Colorism (temporarily offline)
Unit 2 – Myth of the Model Minority (coming soon)
Unit 2 – Political Correctness and Microaggressions (coming soon)
Unit 2 – Overrepresented Groups (coming soon)

Unit 3 – Turning Knowledge into Action

Unit 3 – Brainstorming Actions
Unit 3 – Teacher-Led Action Projects
Unit 3 – Student-Led Actions Projects

Download a zip archive of all these lesson plans here.

Example timelines:

For examples of these lesson plans in action, refer to the example timelines on Planning your Implementation.

PlanningFacilitatingCommunity Lesson Plans