Band geeks, jocks, preppies; every school has its groups. Middle and high schoolers identify the various friendship groups and cliques in their school and consider these groups' positive and negative traits. After completing a Clique Survey, participants consider ways they can integrate these groups into the school community.

Concepts

social classes, social-emotional learning, bullying, bias, discrimination, friendship, social awareness, relationship skills, Social & Emotional Learning

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Instructional Ideas

• Before the lesson, have class members create a graphic that indicates their various relationships with their classmates
• Use Teaching Tolerance's "Mix It Up Day" to launch a school-wide program to integrate cliques

Classroom Considerations

• Presumes that rules are established to permit a safe, respectful discussion of the various cliques on campus
• Requires copies of the Clique Survey

Pros

• The activity encourages individuals to get involved in breaking down the barriers between groups

Cons

• None