Passing Lesson Plan

Discussion: One Drop Rule

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

To give background on the “one drop rule” or the concept of “hypodescent” and how it relates to Larsen’s Passing

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1

Structure:

The video we watched in the Day 1 activity, “Racial Passing,” mentions the “one drop rule.” Today we will discuss this concept more thoroughly.

Ask students to recall the article they read for homework (students should each have a copy). Call on students to ask them to first define “hypodescent” or the “one drop rule.” They should recall that hypodescent is the concept that mixed race individuals are assigned the identity of...