A. Literacy Connections and Applications / C. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts · Understanding and Responding to TextsPerspectives, Bias and Inclusion: Reading Texts Critically and Making Connections
C3.5 C3.6 C2.5 A1.1About 50 minutes
Learning goals- I can explain explicit and implicit perspectives in texts, including narrative texts.
- I can point to evidence that could suggest bias and suggest ways to avoid it.
- I can explain how a text addresses topics such as diversity, inclusion and accessibility, analyze its message, and identify different positions.
- I can connect ideas in texts to my own knowledge and lived experience, to other texts and to the world.
- I can use communication and critical thinking skills respectfully when people's experiences differ from mine.
Words to know
perspective
The way someone sees an issue, shaped by their experiences, background, values and position.
explicit perspective
A viewpoint the writer or narrator states openly.
implicit perspective
A viewpoint that shows through word choice, assumptions and what is included or left out, without being stated.
bias
An unfair leaning for or against a person, group or idea, often based on assumptions rather than evidence.
assumption
Something a person believes is true without checking.
inclusion
Making sure everyone can take part fully and feels they belong.
accessibility
Designing places, events, information and activities so that people with disabilities can use and enjoy them.
position
The side or view a person takes on an issue.
Remember from Grade 6
In Grade 6 you found bias in a sentence about empty land, compared biased texts about a phone ban, and analyzed texts about accessibility and different positions.
In Grade 7 you'll look for implicit perspectives inside a narrative (a story told by a character), name the evidence that could suggest bias, and suggest how to avoid it. You'll also analyze the message of a text about inclusion and connect it to your life, other texts and the world.
Hook: Everybody?
Have you ever heard someone say "Everybody has one!" or "Everybody's going!"? Was it really everybody? Who might have been left out of that everybody, and why might they not have been noticed?
The Trip (a story written for this website, told by a character named Liam)
The best news of Grade 7: the overnight trip to Pine Point Outdoor Centre is back! Three days of canoeing, hiking and campfires, all for $350. My parents said yes before I even finished asking.
Honestly, everybody's going. Well, except maybe Jamal, since he uses a wheelchair and the trails are pretty rough. He'll probably just stay back and do a project in the library. He likes the library anyway.
And Sofia said her mom has to "think about it," which is weird, because it's only three days.
Anyway, the real question is who's sharing a cabin with who.
Worked exampleLet's find the implicit perspective and evidence of bias
Liam never says I think some people don't matter. What is his implicit perspective, and what evidence could suggest bias?
- Explicit perspective: Liam is excited about the trip (The best news of Grade 7!). He says that openly.
- Implicit perspective: Liam assumes that everyone's situation is like his. His parents said yes quickly, so he thinks $350 is easy and that Sofia's mom is being weird.
- Evidence 1, generalization: everybody's going. That's not true, and it erases students who can't go.
- Evidence 2, an assumption about someone else: He'll probably just stay back... He likes the library anyway. Liam decides for Jamal without asking him. The word just makes Jamal's exclusion sound unimportant.
- Evidence 3, a judgment word: weird. Sofia's family may have reasons (cost, work schedules, other children, culture, health), but Liam judges instead of wondering.
- Evidence 4, missing voices: we never hear from Jamal or Sofia themselves.
- Note: Liam isn't trying to be mean. Bias often comes from not noticing other people's situations.
Liam's implicit perspective is that everyone's situation is like his. Evidence that could suggest bias: the generalization everybody, the assumption about Jamal, the judgment weird and the missing voices of Jamal and Sofia.
How could Liam avoid bias?
- Use accurate words: Most of my friends are going instead of everybody's going.
- Ask instead of assuming: I wonder if Jamal wants to come. Maybe the school could find accessible trails.
- Wonder instead of judging: Sofia's family might have reasons I don't know about.
- Include missing voices: talk to the people affected.
Here's Liam's paragraph rewritten without bias: Most of my friends are going. I hope Jamal can come too. I asked him, and he really wants to canoe, so I hope the school finds accessible trails. Sofia's mom is still deciding. $350 is a lot for some families.
Grade 7 Trip: What Should We Do? (a school newsletter article written for this website)
Cedar Bend Public School is deciding how to plan this year's Grade 7 trip. The newsletter asked people for their views.
- Principal Ms. Grant: "Every Grade 7 student should be able to take part in a school trip. We are looking at options before we decide."
- Jamal, a Grade 7 student who uses a wheelchair: "I don't want to stay behind and do a project. I want to canoe like everyone else. Some outdoor centres have accessible trails and adapted canoe seating. Please ask me before deciding for me."
- A parent of three children: "$350 is a lot for one child, and I have three. A day trip would be fairer, or the school could fundraise."
- Mr. Fontaine, Grade 7 teacher: "Overnight trips build independence and friendships that last. I think we should keep the overnight trip, choose an accessible centre and raise money so cost isn't a barrier."
- Student council representative: "Let's give students and families two or three choices and vote."
| Person | Position | Main reason |
|---|
| Ms. Grant | Every student must be able to take part | Fairness for all students |
| Jamal | Keep canoeing; choose an accessible centre; ask him | He wants to take part fully and to be asked, not decided for |
| Parent of three | A day trip or fundraising | Cost is a barrier for some families |
| Mr. Fontaine | Keep the overnight trip, make it accessible and fundraise | Overnight trips build independence and friendships |
| Student council | Let students and families vote on choices | Everyone affected should have a say |
Worked exampleLet's analyze how the article addresses inclusion
How does the newsletter article address diversity, inclusion and accessibility? What message does it send?
- Topics addressed: accessibility (Jamal's needs), economic diversity (families who can't easily afford $350) and inclusion (every student taking part).
- Whose voices are included? The people affected: Jamal himself, a parent who worries about cost, a teacher, the principal and students. This is very different from The Trip, where Jamal and Sofia had no voice.
- How people are shown: Jamal is shown as a full person with his own wishes (I want to canoe like everyone else), not as a problem to solve.
- Different positions: some want to keep the overnight trip and change it; one prefers a day trip; one wants a vote. All share the goal of including everyone.
- Message: Inclusion means planning so everyone can take part, and asking the people affected instead of deciding for them.
The article addresses accessibility, cost and inclusion by letting affected people speak for themselves and showing several positions. Its message: real inclusion means asking and planning ahead so no one is left out.
Just for funWord history: Liam calls Sofia's mom weird, but in Old English the word wyrd meant fate or destiny. That's why the three witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth are called the Weird Sisters. Words change, so choose them carefully!
Making connections
Connections deepen understanding when they help you explain the text, not just when they remind you of something.
- To my knowledge and lived experience: I once couldn't go on a hockey tournament trip because of the cost. I know how Sofia might feel when people call it weird.
- To other texts: In Second Chair (Lesson 6), Mateo was new and struggling, and one person noticing made all the difference. Here, Jamal needs people to notice and ask, too.
- To the world: Ontario has a law, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005), which set a goal of making Ontario accessible. Planning an accessible trip connects to that bigger goal.
Remember: your connections come from your experiences. Other people's lived experiences may be very different, and listening to them is part of reading critically.
Questions that uncover perspective and bias
**Who is telling this? What do they assume? Which words judge or generalize (everybody, always, weird, just)? Whose voices are missing? Who is affected, and were they asked? How could this be said more fairly?**
Hands-on activityBias detective and respectful discussion
You need: a news article, ad, or a chapter of a novel; a pencil; a family member.
- Choose a text with a narrator or a writer who has a clear viewpoint. Write its explicit perspective and its implicit perspective.
- Highlight any generalizations, assumptions, judgment words or missing voices.
- Rewrite one biased sentence so it's fair and accurate.
- Discuss with a family member: choose an issue in your school or community (for example, a new rule or an event). Each of you states a position and a reason. Then each of you must restate the other's position fairly before responding. Talk about how this listening skill could help in other subjects or at home.
- Write one connection to your lived experience, one to another text and one to the world.
Your turn
1What is Liam's explicit perspective?
He is excited about the trip (The best news of Grade 7!).
2What is Liam's implicit perspective?
He assumes everyone's situation is like his: that $350 is easy for everyone and that everyone can do the same activities.
3Find one generalization in The Trip.
Honestly, everybody's going.
4Why is He likes the library anyway evidence that could suggest bias?
Liam assumes what Jamal wants without asking, which makes leaving Jamal out seem okay. Jamal's own voice is missing.
5Rewrite which is weird, because it's only three days to avoid bias.
Sample: Her family might have reasons I don't know about, like cost or schedules.
6Name two different positions from the newsletter article.
Any two: keep the overnight trip but make it accessible and fundraise (Mr. Fontaine); a day trip or fundraising (parent of three); let students and families vote (student council); every student must be able to take part (Ms. Grant); ask Jamal and choose an accessible centre (Jamal).
7What is the message of the newsletter article?
Inclusion means planning so everyone can take part and asking the people affected instead of deciding for them.
More practice: warm-up
The way someone sees an issue, shaped by their experiences and background.
2Is everybody often a sign of a generalization?
3Who is the narrator of The Trip?
4What does accessibility mean?
Designing things so people with disabilities can use and enjoy them.
5Name the three kinds of connections in this lesson.
To my knowledge and lived experience, to other texts, to the world.
More practice: on your own
1Why is it important that Jamal speaks for himself in the newsletter?
He is the expert on his own needs and wishes. When others decide for him, they may be wrong (Liam thought he'd prefer the library; he actually wants to canoe).
2How is the newsletter article less biased than The Trip?
It includes several voices, including the people affected, presents different positions fairly, and doesn't use judgment words or generalizations.
3Liam isn't trying to be unkind. Why is it still important to notice his bias?
Bias that comes from not noticing can still exclude and hurt people. Noticing it helps readers (and Liam) think more fairly and include everyone.
4Make a connection between the newsletter article and the world beyond school.
Sample: Many public events (concerts, festivals, sports) have to think about accessible entrances and ticket costs so everyone can attend. Or: Ontario's accessibility law sets a goal of making the province accessible.
5Why might two students make different connections to The Trip?
Their lived experiences differ: one may have been left out because of cost or a disability, another may never have thought about it. Each brings different knowledge to the text.
Challenge
1Rewrite the second paragraph of The Trip from Jamal's first-person point of view. What new perspective does it reveal?
Sample: Everybody's talking about the Pine Point trip. Liam told me I'd probably just stay back and do a project. He didn't ask. I've been canoeing with my uncle's adapted seat since I was nine, and I'm better at it than Liam. It reveals that Jamal has skills and wishes Liam didn't know about, and how it feels to be decided for.
2Which position in the newsletter do you agree with most? Explain your reasons and respond fairly to one position you disagree with.
Sample: I agree with Mr. Fontaine: keep the overnight trip, choose an accessible centre and fundraise, because it includes everyone without losing what makes the trip special. I understand the parent of three's point that cost is a real barrier, and that's why fundraising is essential, but I think a day trip would lose the independence overnight trips build. (Look for a clear position, reasons and a respectful response to another position.)
3Explain how bias can come from what a text leaves out, not just from what it says. Use an example from this lesson.
Bias can come from missing voices or facts. In The Trip, we never hear from Jamal or Sofia, so readers only get Liam's assumptions; a reader might believe Jamal prefers the library. Leaving people out makes one perspective seem like the whole truth.
Quiz
1. Which phrase from The Trip is a generalization?
2. Liam's sentence He likes the library anyway shows...
3. Which is the best way to avoid bias when writing about someone else's situation?
4. What is the message of the newsletter article?
5. Which is a connection to the world?
6. An implicit perspective is...
What this lesson teaches: Grade 7 students explain explicit and implicit perspectives in texts, including narrative texts, identify evidence that could suggest bias and suggest ways to avoid it (C3.5). They explain how texts address topics such as diversity, inclusion and accessibility, analyze the messages conveyed and identify different positions (C3.6). They connect ideas in texts to their knowledges and lived experiences, other texts and the world (C2.5), and apply transferable skills such as communication and critical thinking in social contexts (A1.1).
How to help at home:
- When you hear everybody, always or never, play "Is that really true?"
- Watch for whose voices are missing in news stories and ads.
- Practise the "restate before you respond" rule in family discussions.
Common difficulties:
- Thinking bias always means someone is mean. Often it comes from not noticing other people's situations.
- Assuming others' experiences match their own. Connections are personal, and that's a strength, as long as we listen to others too.
- Talking about disability respectfully: use the words people use for themselves (a student who uses a wheelchair), and show people as full individuals with their own wishes.
About the texts: The Trip and the newsletter article were written for this site; Pine Point Outdoor Centre is invented. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act was passed in 2005 with the goal of an accessible Ontario. Some outdoor centres offer accessible trails and adapted paddling equipment; families should check with a specific centre.