Tapestry of Faith: Windows and Mirrors: A Program about Diversity for Grades 4-5

Activity 4: How Do I See?

Activity time: 5 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Optional: To include a vision-impaired participant, a large object that has a variety of textures/shapes, such as a toddler's toy

Description of Activity

This activity demonstrates "framing" as a visual metaphor for how we selectively take in information. Who we are influences how we frame the world.

Begin by telling participants that how we see things depends on how we are looking. Say something like:

Now we are going to experiment with perspective. We will look at different things around the room and pay attention to what we observe.

Ask participants to look around the room and describe what they see.

Next, ask them to make a frame with their hands. The left hand will make an "L" and the right hand will make a backward "L." Put these together for a square frame. Give participants time to look through their frames. Help the group reflect on this exercise about points of view by asking:

  • What do you see through your frame?
  • What is left out when you look through your frame?
  • Your frame creates a point of view. Do you all have the same point of view? Why or why not?
  • What other frames do we bring to the way we look at things? Do you and your parents have the same point of view? Do you and your classmates frame the world in the same way? Why and why not? (It is likely that participants will identify experiences of both shared and diverse points of view with other people in their lives.)

Including All Participants

If any participants have impaired vision, invite the group to explore framing in a tactile way by providing a large, multi-textured object for all to observe tactilely.