Social roles and power in current history
6th Grade – History – Swedish Education System

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Materials for the class

Phase 2. 52-Cards.

Layout of the classroom

Phase 1,2,3 and 4. The room setting is empty to move freely

Phase 5. Normal classroom settings.

Phase 1

The teacher lets students to walk freely in the classroom. Whenever the students meet each other they should greet each other. The greetings can be different each time such as handshaking, hand waving, hugging and a high five.

Then the teacher gives another order to the students to greet each other as they meet a friend, a teacher, the mother or the father, grandfather, a man, a woman, a child, a sister, a younger brother etc…

Phase 2

The teacher brings 52-card and explains that cards are a metaphor for social roles. Higher numbers and figures are the most powerful people. Jokers are the outsiders.

The teacher gives each participant a playing card to put on his or her forehead without looking.They start walking in the room, looking at others cards. They greet and interact according to the roleothers’ have and to the role they think they have.

They have to guess which is their own cardaccording to others’ reactions.E.g what happens when a person who presumes they are a“2” meets a king? or when two queensget together?

Phase 3

When the given time is over, students have to stand in a line in order of power. They cannotlook at their cards but they can verify their own perceptions.

The teacher asks why they stand in that order? After short reflections the students can look at their cards.

Phase 4

For the second round the teacher gives card again but this time each participant has to look at justtheir own card and not show to anyone else. In a concrete situation, the students have to act according to their card and try to discover who the others are.

When the given time is over, the students have to stand in a line in order of power, showingtheir card.

Phase 5

The important part of this workshop is reflection. The teacher should ask questions about current issues such as

–        Migration and refugees. How we behave against these people?

–        How is this activity related with women and man? Who is king and who is 1?

–        In history how different countries were in different powerful situations? Can we compare Europe and Africa?