Nun’s Circle or Modified Fishbowl Activity

Instructions: 1. Students set up the room (according to diagram)

2. Distribute tickets for participation (two per student)

3. Students write their names on each ticket

4. Review Nun’s Circle procedure and Community Agreements

5. Three participants are selected to move into the center circle

6. Teacher restates the prompt and the inner circle begins their

discussion

7. The outer circle listens to the conversation. When one of them

wants to join the discussion, they sit down at the vacant seat, drop

their ticket into the bowl, and enter into the discussion. At this

point, the person who has been in the inner circle the longest

leaves the inner circle.

8. Only three people are allowed in the inner circle at a time

9. The circle can last until every person has had a chance to enter into

the conversation

Community Agreements

Mutual Respect: all people’s values, comments, and questions are valuable and worthy of being discussedAttentive Listening: we will listen with our ears and minds by giving undivided attention to the speakerAppreciation: we will look for opportunities to encourage, compliment, and thank othersNo Putdowns: we will show our consideration of for others through our words and actionsRight to Pass: we will allow ourselves and others the choice to participate or not participate

Prompts for Students

‘In response to…’‘I would like to follow that point with…’‘Going back to _________’s point about…’‘I agree that ... however…’‘I’d like to share…’‘Adding to…’‘I’d like to add…’

Journal QuestionsAnswer one of the following questions:

What are some of the negative stereotypes that you’ve come across in your personal life? How have they affected you?What are some of the consequences of stereotyping other people? Give some examples.Why do we have stereotypes? Where do they come from?How can we put an end to negative stereotypes?

Reflection/Debriefing Questions

1. What have you learned about stereotypes?

2. What are some of the points that you heard from your classmates?

3. How did you contribute to the discussion?

4. What did you like or not like about the discussion?