Questioning Your Own Biases · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Checking Your Own Assumptions

Personal & Social Development · Empathy & Social Awareness · ages 9-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Only unkind people have unconscious biases.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. What is an unconscious bias?

    • An assumption you make without noticing
    • A rule that is written down in a book
    • A fact that is always true about everyone

  3. What should you do before deciding what a new person is like?

    • Trust your first guess and move on
    • Pause and ask a question
    • Wait for someone else to decide for you

  4. Jordan is about to assume that a classmate who talks fast must be bossy. What is the best next step?

    • Get to know the classmate before deciding
    • Decide right away and tell other classmates
    • Avoid the classmate to be safe

  5. Maya sees a boy sitting alone at lunch and assumes he has no friends. She later learns he just likes reading quietly sometimes. What happened?

    • Maya's first assumption was proven correct
    • The boy has no friends after all
    • Maya's first guess was wrong

  6. Questioning your biases means you will never make an assumption again.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. A teacher notices she always calls on boys first without meaning to. What does this show, and what could she do?

    • It shows nothing important, since it happens by accident
    • It shows she doesn't like girls, and nothing can be done
    • An unconscious bias she can notice and check

  8. Sam meets a new student who wears different clothes and doesn't speak much English yet. Sam assumes the student isn't smart. What is wrong with Sam's thinking?

    • Sam is correct because language shows intelligence
    • Sam uses clothes and language, not real evidence
    • Sam should tell the student they seem unintelligent
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Checking Your Own Assumptions W1-mt_cOknxrYhwL-s1

  1. False · Everyone has unconscious biases, even kind and fair people. Noticing them is the first step.
  2. An assumption you make without noticing · Unconscious biases are assumptions that pop into your head automatically, without you choosing them.
  3. Pause and ask a question · Asking a question helps you check whether your first guess is actually true.
  4. Get to know the classmate before deciding · Getting to know someone first checks whether the assumption is actually true.
  5. Maya's first guess was wrong · Maya guessed a reason without checking. The real reason was different from her assumption.
  6. False · You will still make assumptions. Questioning them means checking if they are fair, not stopping them completely.
  7. An unconscious bias she can notice and check · Even careful adults have unconscious biases. Noticing the pattern is the first step to questioning it.
  8. Sam uses clothes and language, not real evidence · Not speaking English yet has nothing to do with how smart someone is. Sam's assumption is an unconscious bias, not a fact.
Worksheet · LightMySky