About This Lesson
Symbols are all around us. We see symbols as we are walking and driving, on buildings and billboards, in schools, outdoors, and in restaurants and stores. Symbols fill our digital devices and online spaces and we use symbols to communicate with each other. Unfortunately, we also see hate symbols all around us—in those same places and spaces. Hate symbols can be very powerful in how they convey or express messages of hate, bias, prejudice and injustice and instill a threatening and unsafe environment. Because bias incidents in schools often include hate symbols, discussing hate symbols is an important conversation to have in schools and classrooms.
This lesson provides an opportunity for students to understand what symbols are and their importance in society, reflect on hate symbols and the harm they cause, and consider and start to plan actions they can take to address hate symbols.
