• Investigate a global community that does not respect the rights of minorities, contact Amnesty International to determine what can be done to petition the government of the country.
• Investigate anti-bullying and related diversity strategies with the result being the development of a plan for the school community.

Teacher notes: Prior to beginning this lesson, students should have seen a movie about the story of Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas. They should be familiar with the relationship between these two scientists, as well as a good understanding of segregation in American society.

Anticipatory Set: 

Ask the total group to think of a time that they were in an unfamiliar setting- a new class, a new school, a new neighborhood, and they felt that someone didn't like them without even knowing them? How did they respond? Did they ever make friends with those people? Have students write their responses individually and then share their answers with a partner. The pairs can share their responses with the total group.

• As a total group, generate a list of the words that students associate with discrimination utilizing the Discrimination Graphic Organizer (Attachment One). The list can be written on the chalkboard, chart paper, or on a blank overhead transparency. Ask students to explain unfamiliar terms that have been listed. The teacher can ask the students to explain the terms or the teacher can explain the terms.
• Following the listing and discussion, ask students to write their own definition of discrimination based on the discussion.
• Provide students with reading about the lives of Vivien Thomas and Hamilton Naki or if you have access to a computer direct students to websites that feature on-line for biographies about Hamilton Naki and Vivien Thomas.  After the student have read about the discrimination they faced in the lives and work of each of these men, ask the students to write a new definition of discrimination.
• Review incidents in the film and from the on-line biographies that showed discrimination and have the students respond to the Questions of Courage (Attachment Two).
• Examine the perseverance of these two individuals in the face of discrimination. Ask the students to write a reflection or journal entry about why they think these two men continued to do this work without recognition to help promote the common good.
• Ask the students to also respond to this question in their journals, "If a philanthropist is someone who gives of his/her time, talent, and/or treasure to promote the common good, might these two men (Hamilton Naki and Vivien Thomas) also be considered philanthropists?" "Why? or Why not?"
• Distribute a sheet of white construction paper to each student and have them divide their sheet into six equal squares.
• Instruct the students as to what a storyboard is and how to construction one. Often a storyboard is a sequencing of still pictures (usually with captions) that are arranged in such a manner that they represent the important events of a story that is being told or one that is being retold.
• Instruct the students that they are to draw a picture in each square that represents the selected sequence of events, along with captions, that retells the story of either Vivien Thomas or Hamilton Naki and that they are to keep in mind that these storyboards will be shared shown and read to younger students.
• Distribute copies of the Picture Book Research Paper Rubric http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson306/frame-rubric.pdf  and review the rubric.

• Vivien Thomas-United States.Partners of the Heart: Vivien Thomas ad His Work with Alfred Blalock ISBN: 0812216342
• http://www.medicalarchives.jhmi.edu/vthomas.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivien_Thomas
• PBS Video: Partners of the Heart(2002)
• HBO Films: Something the Lord Made (2003)
• (2003) Stefan Timmermans, " A Black Technician and Blue Babies", Social Studies of Science. 33:2 (April 2003), pp.197-229.
• http://www.economist.com/people/displayStory.cfm?Story_id=4054912
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Naki
• For related topics see also www.learningtogive.org