The Doll Case, 1947

Essential questions

• How do graphs represent information?

• What was the Doll Case?

• How did the Doll Case influence ideas about race and segregation in America?

Outcomes and objectives

After the lesson students will…

• Explain psychological studies visually using graphic representations.

• Discuss the relationship between data and its implications.

• Evaluate the significance of the Doll Case.

Preparing to teach

• Students will need experience with research practices, data collection, and graphing. It is also helpful if students have experience with principles of social psychology.

• Teachers will

  • Prep the included video.

  • Share the included link with students.

  • Print a copy of the question list for each student.

Scaffolds and accommodations to support learners

Reading support

Students may need certain terms defined or explained for this lesson. Teachers can also allow students to use language resources like dictionaries or translations to make sense of written information.

Differentiation

Teachers can create a transcript for the included video. Teachers should also consider how partnerships and groupings might need to be manipulated to best support students as they work.

Adjusting for high school grades

Teachers can invite students to make more complex graphs or use additional information from the study in their graphs. Teachers can also edit and elevate the questions for student discussions.

Instructional activities sequence

1. Review any necessary information/history with students to prepare them for the content of the lesson.
2. Start the lesson by showing student this video about the Doll Project: Landmark Cases: Brown v Board Doll Test (C-SPAN).
3. Share this link with students: https://kennethclark.commons.gc.cuny.edu/the-doll-study/. Allow students to read through the link with a partner.
4. With their partner, allow students to select an element of the data from the study and graph it. Students should work with their partner to make a well-developed graph. Students can make their graph electronically or on paper.
   1. Teachers can use the following graph as an example for students, or they can choose to make their own example.
   2. Choices of African American Children with the Black Doll
5. Match each partner group with another and allow each partnership time to share their graph with the other. Students should use the attached question sheet to discuss their graphs and the significance of the Doll Case.

Assessment

Teachers can collect the graphs that students create. Teachers can also observe student conversations, or add a large group discussion at the end of the lesson to discuss the final question on the list collectively.

Materials needed and additional resources for enrichment

• https://kennethclark.commons.gc.cuny.edu/the-doll-study/ 

Questions for sharing

When you are sharing, talk about:

• • What does your graph show?
  • Why did you choose to show this information on your graph?
  • What do you learn from your graph about the Doll Project?

When the other group is sharing, comment on:

• • Something you like about their graph.
  • Something your two graphs have in common.
  • Something you learned from their graph.

Then, as a whole group, talk about:

• • Why do you think this psychological study was important?
  • What does this study teach you about 1940s/1950s America?
  • How did racism change social ideas and behavior in America?