Posted by:
Kwanita Williams
11/30/2008 9:35:30 PM
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Title: |
Design for Social Justice |
Grade Level: |
High School |
Subject Area: |
Arts Language Arts Social Studies
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Lesson Time: |
8 50-minute class periods |
Introduction: |
10 th grade students in the Philadelphia School
District are required to write a research paper. My
students will read the novels To Kill a Mockingbird by
Harper Lee and A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines.
Both novels focus on racial inequalities in our
criminal justice system as a social justice issue.
After reading the novels, my students will identify social
justice issues in Philadelphia and/or their own
neighborhoods/communities. The social justice issues
will be the topics of their research papers.
Moreover, students will develop a physical design and/or
invention as a solution to social justice problems (eg.
posters advertising AIDS/diabetes/breast cancer awareness,
architectural designs for urban development, etc. ) |
Standards: |
Visual Arts Standard 1. Understanding and applying media,
techniques, and processes related to the visual arts.
Language Arts Standard 1. Uses the general skills
and strategies of the writing process. Standard 3.
Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written
compositions Standard 4. Gathers and uses information for
research purposes. Standard 8. Uses listening and speaking
strategies for different purposes. Historical Understanding
Standard 2. Understands the historical perspective.
Thinking and Reasoning Standard 2. Understands and
applies basic principles of logic and reasoning. Standard
5. Applies basic trouble-shooting and problem-solving
techniques. Standard 6. Applies decision-making techniques.
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Objectives: |
Students will: - understand the research process
- identify
community problems
- develop problem solving skills by
offering solutions to issues
- demonstrate artistic abilities
through design
- learn about neighborhoods/communities
through investigation
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Resources: |
Chaperones to take classes on neighborhood tour around
school during 80-minute period. |
Materials: |
- computers with internet access
- sketch/drawing paper
-
disposable digital cameras
- tape
- glue
- poster boards
- popsicle
sticks
- collage materials
- string
- scissors
- stapler
- markers
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Vocabulary: |
Note: Teenagers have very short attention spans.
This lesson is designed as a unit. My high school is
based on the credit system. Students receive a LAP
(Learning Activity Packet) once a month. If a
student completes the requirements for a LAP, a grade of
80% or higher and a credit is earned. This lesson is
designed to be broken up over a number of weeks. DAY 1 As I
teach in Philadelphia, I use as an example the Franklin
Learning Center which is located in a North Philadelphia
neighborhood that is experiencing gentrification.
Low-income homes and houses selling for close to a million
dollars are within blocks of each other. The
neighborhood is also culturally diverse.
Gentrification is both a social justice problem for the
low-income residents and a solution for neighborhoods that
have been ravaged by poverty. I will assign student
groups a specific client group (teenagers, elderly,
cultural groups African American/Latino/Caucasian) to find
neighborhood solutions. Session 1: Give students a handout
including Philadelphia demographical information from the
year 2000 based on US Census data. Read aloud some
statistical information to show students how to read the
document. Session 2: Go online via SmartBoard or
projector with screen. Go to www. census. gov
to look up local statistical/demographic information
as an example. (For example, I will type in Philadelphia
City, go under the category of income and read aloud a
statistic. I will then break students into groups to
look for Philadelphia statistics under the following
categories (crime, education, income, health,
incarceration, gentrification/urban development, racial
demographics, employment, income, family status (single/two
parent), etc. )) DAY 2 and DAY 3 Session 1: If
possible, have a local designer come in to give a lesson on
design and city of neighborhoods. Session 2: Students will
spend the entire period researching local statistics online
in the computer lab. DAY 4 Session 1: Students will conduct
neighborhood investigation on the streets/blocks
surrounding school. Students will work in pairs.
One will take pictures and/or sketches of positive
things, negative things, people, and something that
represents each of the senses (sight, smell, taste, touch,
sound). Another will take notes and find a person
from client group to interview. Students will ask
questions on interview handout.
DAY 5
Session 1: Students will identify a challenge to address.
Encourage identifying the correct
problem. For example, if their challenge is that
low-income teens have no place to socialize, students may
decide to put together a plan or design a free neighborhood
community or recreation center. The elderly who have
limited access to transportation may benefit from a
neighborhood health clinic. Various cultural groups
who wish to promote their heritage may enjoy a diverse
offering of eateries in the neighborhood. In their groups
students should now brainstorm possible solutions to their
identified challenge. Encourage wild ideas, defer
judgment, build on other’ s ideas, allow one
conversation at a time, be visual, and go for quantity.
Session 2: After the students have compiled a
list of ideas, they should work as a team to select and
refine three of the best ideas. Ask them to create
prototypes of these ideas either through modeling, writing,
sketching, etc. As a class, each team should quickly
present their identified challenge and their possible
solutions. Allow time for the students to provide
feedback. If possible, bring these prototypes to a
test group. Session 3: After the students have had a
chance to discuss/test their possible solutions, they
should determine which idea they will produce. Have
your students use this session to produce their final
product or any final presentation materials (if their
solution is a system, service, etc. ). Closure (the
following week): Students can present their designs in
front of the class (group presentations). As a
class, discuss how they addressed their challenge, what
worked best, where they could improve, what they learned
from the process, etc. |
Procedures: |
Teenagers have very short attention spans. This
lesson is designed as a unit. My high school is
based on the credit system. Students receive a LAP
(Learning Activity Packet) once a month. If a
student completes the requirements for a LAP, a grade of
80% or higher and a credit is earned. This lesson is
designed to be broken up over a number of weeks. DAY 1
Session 1: The teacher gives students a handout including
Philadelphia demographical information from the year 2000
based on US Census data. The teacher read aloud some
statistical information to show students how to read the
document. Session 2: The teacher will go online via
whiteboard or projector with screen. The teacher
will go to www. census. gov to look up Philadelphia
statistical/demographic information as an example.
For example, I will type in Philadelphia City, go under the
category of income and read aloud a statistic. I
will then break students into groups to look for
Philadelphia statistics under the following categories
(crime, education, income, health, incarceration,
gentrification/urban development, racial demographics,
employment, income, family status (single/two parent), etc.
) DAY 2 and DAY 3 Session 1: Students will spend the entire
period researching Philadelphia statistics online in the
computer lab. DAY 4 Session 1: Students will conduct
neighborhood investigation on the streets/blocks
surrounding school. Paul Schultz will also accompany
as another adult chaperone. Students will work in
pairs. One will take pictures and/or sketches of
positive things, negative things, people, and something
that represents each of the senses (sight, smell, taste,
touch, sound). Another will take notes. Homework:
Students can conduct this same type of research in their
own neighborhoods and/or choose to focus on the North
Phila. /Art Museum area surrounding the school.
Students will also be required to interview someone from
the neighborhood. DAY 5 Session 1: Students will “
narrow down audience” and decide on a social justice
topic related to Philadelphia and/or neighborhood.
For example, students may decide to focus on the high
dropout rate, school violence, AIDs awareness, diabetes
prevention, abandoned (crack) houses, etc. Once the
student pair decides on the audience, they can begin
designing a solution (advertisement posters, design murals
to cover-up graffiti, redesign abandoned houses, etc. ).
Session 2: Paul Schultz will be present to
give a lesson on design and city of neighborhoods. Closure
(the following week): Students can showcase their designs
in front of the class (group presentations). |
Assessment: |
Tings to observe: - Was the student a risk taker in the
design process?
- Was the student’ s idea imaginative
or strictly functional?
90% or higher-
(showcase material) a student went above and beyond the
basic standards (innovative, creative, sensory detail, and
neat. 0%-90%- a student met or attempted to meet basic
standards (creative and neat) 70%-80%- a student fell below
basic standards (barely creative, not neat Below
70%-failure; student did not attempt project |
Enrichment Extension Activities: |
Students will spend the remaining three weeks of the unit
(LAP 8) completing a research paper based on social justice
and/or community-based issue. Students will complete
the research paper process by finding research (books,
periodicals, internet, newspapers, etc. ). Then students
will write note cards, an outline, a rough draft, and final
3 - 4 page research paper including citations and
bibliography following MLA format. |
Teacher Reflection: |
N/A. |
Related Files: |
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