Summary
In this lesson, students will explore the history and societal impact of fraternities and sororities. Students will explore new vocabulary and read about the history behind multicultural Greek organizations. They will then watch interviews with members of Greek organizations who share their personal experiences about how Greek life has impacted their lives. Students will then reflect on how their perspectives on the topic may have changed.
Essential Question
What role do social organizations play in fostering a sense of community and belonging for their members?
Learning Goals
Explore the history and structure of fraternities and sororities, recognizing their value in education and society.
Investigate how organizations contribute to creating supportive communities.
Snapshot
Engage
Students participate in a Fiction in the Facts activity to sort out fictional and factual claim statements.
Explore
Students use “terms to know” to participate in a Card Sort to match terms to their definitions.
Explain
Students read about the history of fraternities and sororities and respond using the Sentence-Phrase-Word strategy.
Extend
Students watch interviews with Greek life members and use the S-I-T strategy to record their takeaways.
Evaluate
Students respond to a prompt using the I Used to Think . . . But Now I Know strategy and discuss their responses.
Materials List
Lesson Slides (attached)
Greek Letters handout (optional; attached)
Card Sort (attached; one set per group)
Fraternities and Sororities Article (attached; class set, one per student)
Explain and Extend Handout (attached; one per student)
Paper
Pen/Pencil
Engage
10 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to guide the lesson. Display slides 2 and 3 to introduce the lesson’s title and learning objectives. Transition to slide 4 and take some time to review the information on the slide as a class. Take time to make sure the class has a shared understanding of the term “Greek life” as it will be used in the next activity.
Move to slide 5 and let students know that they will be using the instructional strategy Fiction in the Facts. Begin by telling them that this activity is similar to the game “Two Truths and a Lie.” Display slide 6. Instruct students to follow along as you read out the three statements presented on the slide. As you read, students should be trying to decide which statement they feel is false.
Once everyone is familiar with the statements, poll the class to see which statement they believe is false. This can be done by raising hands. Invite a few to share their rationale. Use slides 7–9 to share the correct answers, and provide further explanation for each statement.
Move to slide 10 and share the essential question with the class to transition to the next activity.
What role do social organizations play in fostering a sense of community and belonging for their members?
Explore
15 Minute(s)
Move to slide 11 and introduce the students to the Card Sort instructional strategy. Inform the students that they will be sorting cards on “terms to know” in reference to Greek life. Divide the students into groups of 3–4 and pass out a Card Sort Set to each group. Instruct students to try and match the term with the provided definitions and ask them to be prepared to explain their reasoning. A 10-minute timer can be found on slide 11.
Once students have finished sorting the cards to their best ability, have students set them aside as they will be revisiting the card sort later in the lesson.
Explain
15 Minute(s)
Display slide 13, and pass out copies of the Fraternities and Sororities Article and the Explain and Extend Handout. Explain to students that they will only be using the top portion of the handout for now. Instruct students to use the Sentence-Phrase-Word strategy to identify the following and jot those responses on their handout:
Sentence: Share one sentence that expresses the main idea or was meaningful to you.
Phrase: Share one phrase that evokes your curiosity or stands out to you.
Word: Select one word that captures your answer to the question, What role do social organizations play in fostering a sense of community and belonging for their members?
Once students have completed the reading and identified their sentence, phrase, and word, facilitate a short discussion. Ask them to share out what they selected and explain the reasoning for their choices.
Extend
15 Minute(s)
Transition to slide 14 with the video “Chapter by Chapter: Exploring Greek Life.” Students will be using the same Explain and Extend Handout but will be focusing on the bottom half of the handout.
Explain to students that they will be watching interviews with different professionals from various Greek organizations who share their personal experiences about how Greek life has impacted their lives. As students watch the video, they will be using a modified version of the S-I-T strategy and identifying the following:
Surprising: One surprising fact or idea.
Interesting: One interesting fact or idea.
Takeaway: Overall takeaway from the interview.
Allow time for students to wrap up their thoughts following the video and invite a few to share out their S-I-T responses.
Evaluate
10 Minute(s)
Display slide 15. Have students return to their original card sort groups and explain that they will now be revisiting the card sort and using the new information they have learned to make any changes, if applicable. Allow for a few minutes to make changes, then review the terms as a class.
Move to slide 16 and have students reflect on their perspectives on Greek life using the strategy I Used To Think... But Now I Know by answering the following prompt:
I used to think Greek life meant…
But now I know…
Students can use the back of their Explain and Extend handout to respond and turn this in.
Follow-Up Activities
This resource can be used along with the series Road Trip to the Future: Exploring Minority-Serving Institutions in preparation for college visits.
Resources
Allison, Keith. (Photographer). (2007, February 28). Shaquille O'Neal at the Washington Wizards v/s Miami Heat game on 02/28/07 [Photograph]. Flickr. Accessed April 24, 2024, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shaq_Heat.jpg
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Brown, T. L., Parks, G. S., & Phillips, C. M. (Eds.). (2012). African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision (2nd ed.). University Press of Kentucky. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2jcq14
Chaumont, E. (2015, March 19). Fraternity, sorority, diversity: The college’s minority-focused Greek organizations. The Flat Hat. https://flathatnews.com/2015/03/19/fraternity-sorority-diversity-the-colleges-minority-focused-greek-organizations/
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Graham, C. (2023, September 8). Greek life on HBCU campuses. BestColleges. https://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/hbcu/greek-life/
Hunter, J. S. (2010). Navigating the multicultural imperative: The case of a multicultural Greek council [PhD dissertation, Florida State University]. (Order No. 3415226). ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (734608933). https://www.proquest.com
K20 Center. (2021, September 21). 10 Minute timer [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/9gy-1Z2Sa-c?si=DSoZUylRUJeT1mmx
K20 Center. (n.d.). Card Sort. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/147
K20 Center. (2024, April 17). Chapter by chapter: Exploring Greek life [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/bfrgyuXmVrM?si=cBD__zMxGyodtyt0
K20 Center. (n.d.). Fiction in the facts. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/60
K20 Center. (n.d.). Sentence-phrase-word. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/54
K20 Center. (n.d.). S-I-T (Surprising-interesting-troubling). Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/926
K20 Center. (n.d.). I used to think…but now I know. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/137
Lipofsky, Steve. (Photographer). (1997). Michael Jordan, guard with the Chicago Bulls at the free throw line during an NBA game in 1997 [Photograph]. Basketballphoto.com, Chicago. Accessed April, 24, 2024, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jordan_Lipofsky.jpg
National Pan-Hellenic Council. (2023, February 9). About the NPHC. https://www.nphchq.com/about
Petteway, Steve. (Photographer). (2010, September 15). Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States [Photograph]. The Oyez Project. Accessed April 24, 2024, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg,_official_SCOTUS_portrait,_crop.jpg
Portrait of Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing mission in his space suit, with his helmet on the table in front of him. Behind him is a large photograph of the lunar surface [Photograph]. (1969, July 1). NASA Photos. Accessed April 24, 2024, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neil_Armstrong_pose.jpg
Schilling, Fred. (Photographer). (2022, June 24). Official photograph of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson [Photograph]. The Oyez Project. Accessed April 24, 2024, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KBJackson.jpg
