Boys are twice as likely to drop out of school and four times as likely to be expelled, in comparison to girls. As early as elementary school, boys confront messages about masculinity (what it means to be a man) that lead them to suppress their emotions, deny their need for close friendships, objectify and degrade women, and resolve conflicts through violence.
The Representation Project’s The Mask You Live In curriculum encourages students from kindergarten through university levels to think critically about ways in which gender stereotypes manifest in their lives – in the media and elsewhere – and intersect with race, class, and circumstance to influence people’s attitudes, behaviors, and options. Through classroom activities designed to engage students in thoughtful discussions that are relevant and meaningful to them, students will learn to question and critique gender norms that are inaccurate and/or incomplete and to become savvy consumers of media.
The goal of this curriculum is to foster and support students’ healthy resistance against societal messages and pressures that undermine their sense of integrity, hinder their interpersonal relationships, and limit their opportunities. With an emphasis on creating participatory experiences that will impact students’ views and ways of being in the world, this curriculum strives to inform and more importantly to empower students to acknowledge and honor the full range of their humanity, and to define success in terms of their ability to feel whole, connected, and valued.
Educators and mentors use our films and curricula in classrooms, after-school programs, athletic teams, and community education events. The Mask You Live In Curriculum is available with the purchase of a Single Classroom License, Whole School License, Community License, or for FREE HERE. The curriculum can be used with or without the film.
• Grades K – 5: PDF Curriculum with lesson plans, activities, resources, and age-appropriate film clips
• Middle & High School: PDF Curriculum with lesson plans, activities, resources, and age-appropriate film clips
• Colleges & University (and Workshop Use): PDF Discussion Guide with lesson plans, activities, and resources (no film clips)
See our curriculum overview here.