Introduction
The goal of this one hour warm-up is to provide students with an opportunity to explore the feelings of people who are considered outsiders in society. The alienation of individuals and groups within a school community is often a common, yet hidden problem. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to experience the feelings of outsiders, and use their experience to practice the skills of active listening, empathy, compassion, and problem solution.

1. Poem, Noy Chou, "You Have To Live In Somebody Else's Country To Understand"
2. Translations of poem, Spanish provided
3. Homework reading and assignment

1.  Arrange ahead of time for an adult who is literate in a second language to read the poem in this language to the class. For the purpose of this lesson, be sure that the language spoken is one that most of the students do not understand. It's even better if just a few students understand. They will provide an interesting contrast to the experience of the majority. Tell the class that they will be having a guest speaker who will be sharing a poem with them. Have the adult introduce him or herself briefly in the second language, without speaking any English.  Expect students to feel mildly uncomfortable not understanding the speaker. 

2.  Instruct the class that they will be listening to the poem with their eyes closed so that they can fully appreciate the experience without distractions. They should also be instructed to listen quietly without talking or making comments. Have the guest read the poem to the class.

3.  After the poem is read, have the guest give the following instructions in the second language to the class:
"Please take out a piece of paper and complete this journal assignment in five minutes.  Describe a time when you felt like an outsider, or when someone made a judgment about you based on things over which you had no control." 

Repeat the instructions in English. Start by saying something like, "For those of you who are  non-native speakers, here are the instructions in your language." 

4.  Hand out copies of the poem in English and read the poem to the class. (You may want to ask the guest to read the poem in English to the students as they follow along. Do not have the guest stay much past this point in the lesson; the students should focus on their own feelings and not those of the guest.) 

5.  After the poem is read, have the students write a second journal entry. Students should review the text of the poem and select phrases, lines, or passages that have meaning for them and copy them. Have them give examples from their own life experiences to explain each of  their choices. Allow five to ten minutes. 

6.  Have students share their journal entries with each other in pairs or groups of 3. 

7.  Debriefing: You can use an overhead for the debriefing and cluster their ideas as they  speak. Ask students to share how they felt while the poem was being read, and the following are some typical responses. Label the cluster, "Feelings of Outsiders." Typical comments: (Bored, interested at first, later felt disconnected, uncomfortable, left out, frustrated, confused,
felt like leaving, angry, acted like it was funny to avoid feeling stupid, tried to listen to tone and inflection to try to figure out what was being said.) 

Continue the debriefing discussion with the these additional questions:

• For the students who did understand the poem, how did you feel? About yourself?  About the other students who couldn't understand the poem? 
• Who do you think are treated like "outsiders" in America today? Individuals? Groups? 
• What are the possible results or consequences when people feel like outsiders in their surroundings? For themselves? For others? In school, for example, how might these feelings interfere with a student's ability to learn or collaborate with other students in a group?
• What did you learn from this experience and the poem that might help you to better understand the feelings of outsiders in the future? 
• How might you act differently toward someone when you recognize that s/he might be feeling like an outsider?

8.  Homework reading and assignment.

What is it like to be an outsider?
What is it like to sit in the class where everyone has blond hair and you have black hair?
What is it like when the teacher says, "Whoever wasn't born here raise your hand."
And you are the only one.
Then, when you raise your hand, everybody looks at you and makes fun of you.
You have to live in somebody else's country to understand.
What is it like when the teacher treats you like you've been here all your life?
What is it like when the teacher speaks too fast and you are the only one who can't understand what he or she is saving, and you try to tell him or her to slow down.
Then when you do, everybody says, "If you don't understand, go to a lower class or get lost."
You have to live in somebody else's country to understand.
What is it like when you are an opposite?
When you wear the clothes of your country and they think you are crazy to wear these clothes and you think they are pretty.
You have to live in somebody else's country to understand.
What is it like when you are always a loser.
What is it like when somebody bothers you when you do nothing to them?
You tell them to stop but they tell you that they didn't do anything to you.
Then, when they keep doing it until you can't stand it any longer, you go up to the teacher and tell him or her to tell them to stop bothering you.
They say that they didn't do anything to bother you.
Then the teacher asks the person sitting next to you.
He says, "Yes, she didn't do anything to her" and you have no witness to turn to.
So the teacher thinks you are a liar.
You have to live in somebody else's country to understand.
What is it like when you try to talk and you don't pronounce the words right?
They don't understand you.
They laugh at you but you don't know that they are laughing at you, and you start to laugh with them.
They say, "Are you crazy, laughing at yourself? Go get lost, girl."
You have to live in somebody else's country without a language to understand.
What is it like when you walk in the street and everybody turns around to look at you and you don't know that they are looking at you.
Then, when you find out, you want to hide your face but you don't know where to hide because they are everywhere.
You have to live in somebody else's country to feel it.

Published in 1986 by the Anti-Defamation League in the "A World of Difference" project.

Como se siente ser un extrano.
Como se siente sentarse en la clase donde todo el mundo tiene El cabello rubio y tu cabello es negro? 
Como se siente cuando El maestro pregunta, "Levanten la mano los que no hayan nacido aqui."
Y tu eres El unico.
Luego, cuando tu levantas la mano, todos te miran y se burlan de ti. 
Tienes que vivir en otro pais para comprenderlo!
Como se siente cuando El maestro te trata como si tu hubieras estado aqui toda tu vida?
Como se siente cuando El maestro habla muy rapido y tu eres El unico que no entiende lo que ella o El esta diciendo, y tratas de decirle que hable mas despacio.
Luego cuaiido lo haces, El resto de la clase dice, "Si no entiendes ve a UN nivel mas bajo o desaparece."
Tienes que vivir en otro pais para comprender esto.
Como se siente cuando tu eres lo opuesto?
Cuando tu vistes prendas de tu pais, y Los demas piensan que estas loca por vestir asi y tu piensas que la ropa que vistes Es bonita. 
Tienes que vivir en otro pais para entender esto. 
Como se siente cuando tu eres siempre UN perdedor?
Como se siente cuando alguien te molesta y tu no hicistes nada para molestar a esa persona?
Tu les dices que dejen de molestarte, pero ellos te responden que ellos no te han hecho nada.
Luego cuando ellos continuan molestandote hasta que tu no lo soportas mas, vas con El maestro y le dices que les digan a ellos que te dejen de molestar.
Ellos responden que no han hecho nada para molestarte.
Luego El maestro le pregunta a la persona que se sienta a la par tuya El dice, "Es sierto, ellos no le han hecho nada a ella" y tu no tienes testigos que te apoyen.
Entonces El maestro piensa que estas mintiendo.
Tienes que vivir en otro pais para entenderlo.
Como se siente cuando tratas de hablar y no pronuncias las palabras correctamente?
Los demas no te entienden.
Se rien de ti pero tu no sabes porque, y tu empiezas a reir con ellos. 
Ellos te dicen, " A caso estas loca, te ries de ti misma?"
Desaparece mujer!!
Tienes que vivir en otro pais sin entender El idioma para comprender esto. 
Como se siente cuando caminas por la calle y todo El mundo voltea para verte y tu no te das cuanta que Los demas te estan observando. 
Luego cuando te DAs cuenta, tu quisieras esconder El rostro pero no sabes donde esconderte porque la gente esta por todas partes.
Tienes que vivir en otro pais para sentirlo!!

Student Instructions: This letter was written by a first-generation immigrant student. After you finish the reading below, write a friendly letter to the author in response. Address the question that the writer asks: why are things so different inside and outside school? Why do teenagers seem to be more likely to treat others as outsiders? Discuss you own feelings and experiences. How do you think outsiders should be treated? How can people who understand the situation help? What can you do? Minimum length is one page. 

"You know, when you walk on Main Street or walk through a group of American students, and you hear them say something, or pick on you, or you see them throw something at you and do everything they want to do because they think you don't understand English or speak English, how do you feel about that? Is that hurting you or not?

How do you feel when you go to school without friends? I really don't know what some people think about my friends and me. Are we animals or something?

Sometimes we tried to talk to them to learn more English. Some of them helped us, and some of them just laughed and made fun of us.

Sometimes when you have an American friend talk to you and be friendly and nice to you, you feel really happy.

Then, the second year, it was still the same thing. . . I don't know why outside school it is very different from inside the school. I say that because I have been working in a restaurant. I have a lot of friends, and they are all American.

I asked them why it was different between outside and inside school. They said because in school most American students are teenagers, so they don't understand about how hard conditions are for foreign people living in America.

I think that's true because most of my friends in the restaurant are older than I am.

I really didn't want to write this letter. I didn't feel like it. But I had to because some people want to understand, and maybe they should help or do something. I don't know.

But you know something? I just want to be friendly with people. I don't want to be an enemy with anybody-just to keep cool and be nice. That's all I wish."