The first day of school is right around the corner, and I’m still deciding what I want to do with my students. As one of my colleagues reminded me today, it's imperative my students feel comfortable in my classroom, particularly due to the unique topics the course covers. So, my goals for the first few days are 1) establishing norms & routines 2) establishing a culture of trust and respect 3) learning about my students I’ve segmented my ideas into each of these 3 categories, but they often fall under more than 1 category Again, I would love additional suggestions!
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This unit and the next (and final unit) go together. This unit touches on the history of the feminist movement with a focus on activist strategies that have been effective (or haven't). The next unit will focus more on the students actually being activists and creating a social change project. We will study several strategies in that unit as well, as they will serve as models and idea-generators for the students as they think about what they want to do for a final project. Estimated Time of Unit: 5 weeks EQ: What activist strategies have been historically effective? Project: Analytical research paper on one activist strategy (used over several movements) OR one movement (detailing the variety of activist strategies used) - discuss what achievements the group demanded and what was accomplished (e.g. legislation) DAY 1: Hook Lesson
DAY 2: Review of what students already know
DAY 3: Overview of content in unit
DAY 4: Primary Sources
DAY 5: Discussion - "Herstory"
DAY 6: "First Wave"
DAYS 7-9: Film - Iron Jawed Angels
DAY 10: "Second Wave"
DAY 11: "Third Wave"
DAY 12: Social Media & Feminism
DAY 13: Discussion - Answer the Essential Question
DAY 14: Introduce Project - Analytical Research Paper
DAYS 15-17: Students work on project - conducting additional research
DAY 18: Students work on project - outlining ideas DAYS 19-21: Students work on project - write paper DAY 22: Students work on project - Works Cited page DAY 23: Students work on project - edits DAY 24: Students present projects
While I am teaching Gender Studies content, my class also serves as a literacy course. I attended a Professional Development this summer that was extremely helpful in offering concrete strategies that can be used with the whole class! (They also offered great resources for individual and small groups. I'll probably create a post for these ideas too.) Here are some of the ideas I plan to use in my classroom this year:
*Same note: This is a very rough outline of possible resources. Suggestions for change, additions, guest speakers, and/or CBO (community-based organization) partnerships are welcome! **This unit is a larger unit that encompasses the following mini units: 1) Gendered Violence, 2) Reproductive Issues, 3) Global Issues, 4) Job Equality Estimated Time of Unit: 8 weeks EQ: What is the root cause(s) of gendered issues? (taking suggestions for a better EQ) Project: Analytical research paper on one gendered issue (including statistics on the issue, a gendered analysis of the issue, and possible solutions) DAY 1: Hook Lesson (I posted these under last unit's violence & masculinity lesson, but I think they might be better here)
DAY 2: Review of what students already know
DAY 3: Overview of content in unit
DAY 4: Texts - Poetry
DAY 5: Discussion - Gendered Issues Across the Globe
MINI UNIT: Gendered Violence DAYS 6 & 7: Abusive relationships
DAY 8: Rape Culture
DAYS 9 & 10: Sexual Assault
DAY 11: What is Healthy Sexuality?
DAY 12: Bystander Intervention & Dismantling Rape Culture
DAY 13: Street Harassment, Stalking
DAY 14: Police Brutality against Young People of Color
DAY 15: Mini Project - Narrative/Poem
DAY 16: Read-Around (students share pieces)
MINI UNIT - Reproduction DAY 17: Sex Education
DAY 18: Taboos of Female Sexuality
DAYS 19-20: Motherhood
DAYS 21-22: Vagina Monologues
DAYS 23 & 24: Mini Project - Sex Ed Curriculum Proposals
MINI UNIT - Global Issues (general global issue resources here & here) DAY 25: Female Education
DAY 26: Human Trafficking
DAY 27: Marriage
DAY 28: Female Genital Mutilation
DAY 29: Gendercide
DAY 30: Voluntourism DAY 31: Militarism
DAY 32: Mini Project - Infographics
DAY 33: Mini Project - Infographics
MINI UNIT - Job Equity DAY 34: Pay Gap
DAY 35: Gendered Jobs
DAY 36: Migrant Workers
DAY 37: Mini Project - Historical Fiction Writing - Life of a Worker
DAY 38: Discussion - Answer the EQ
DAY 39: Introduce Unit Project - Analytical research paper on one gendered issue
DAYS 40-42: Students work on project with guidance DAYS 43-45: Students work on project independently DAY 46: Students present projects
I just finished reading a wonderful book published by Rethinking Schools, called Reading, Writing, and Rising Up by Linda Christensen. It mirrors many of the topics I want to cover and offers explicit assignments, teacher strategies, and several student models. Below, I outline some of the ideas I feel will fit best in my course. However, this is just a quick overview. I highly recommend purchasing this book, as it includes many concrete ideas and thoughtful reflections on teaching literacy through social justice. IDENTITY UNIT:
Ideas for Student Writing Assignments - (encourage students to use and/or mix home language & use models that do this)
Considering Language -
MEDIA UNIT: Ideas for Student Writing Assignments -
WRITING STRATEGIES: 1. Read-around
2. Elements of Fiction worksheet (used to analyze models and as a checklist when writing)
3. Dialogue Journal (quotes/observations & pg. # on left side, reflection on right)
5. Essay Criteria (she has a great checklist/reflection sheet & uses student models to teach components)
MOTIVATION: Tea Party - (before a novel or unit with important historical figures)
Presenting Information:
Products:
Group Work:
Teaching Language in Content:
*Same note as my last post: This is a very rough outline of possible resources. Suggestions for change and/or additions are welcome! Also, I would love to include more guest speakers, so if you know of anyone (or you are interested) please let me know! Estimated Time of Unit: 6 weeks EQ: What impact does the media's portrayal of gender have on consumers? Project: Argumentative paper - critique of media (film, song, or ad campaign) DAY 1: Hook Lesson - Sexism in Print Media
DAY 2: Review of what students already know DAY 3: Primary Source Text
DAY 4: Discussion - Ads Across Nations
DAY 5: Overview of content in MINI UNIT 1: Females in the Media
DAY 6: Statistics
DAY 7: Growing Up
DAY 8: Modeling Industry
DAY 9: Effects of the Media's Obsession with "Beauty"
DAY 10: Females of Color in the Media
DAY 11: Women in Politics
DAY 12: Overview of content in MINI UNIT 2: Males in the Media
DAY 13: Discussion - Masculinity Across Nations
DAY 14: Hip Hop
DAY 15: Violence & Masculinity
DAY 17: "Muscular Men" in Athletics & the Military
DAY 18: Gay Men
DAY 19: Men Who Step Out of the Box
DAY 20: Discussion - Answer the EQ
DAY 21: Introduce Project
DAYS 22-24: Students begin work on projects with guided assistance DAYS 25-29: Students work on projects independently (as they are able) DAY 30: Students present their projects!
Below are the resources, topics, & general overview for my identity unit, which will be my first unit in my year-long Gender Studies class, starting this fall! *Just to note, this is a very rough outline of all possible ideas. I plan to post what resources I do use in the classroom along with details of how I taught lessons and how students responded. Particularly because unearned privilege accompanies many axes of my identity, I am not an expert in many of these areas. Therefore, additional resources, comments, etc. (especially those who are speaking from lived experiences) are greatly appreciated. I'm hoping this will be a space for sharing resources and pedagogical ideas as well as thoughtful, feminist discussion. All too often, teachers keep their brilliant ideas quiet, but if we ever want a high school gender studies course to be the norm and not the exception, we have to begin sharing our stuff! Also, I have accumulated these videos, texts, and discussion questions over the last few years from various places - personal conversations, Facebook posts, other teacher sites - so in sharing things I do not intend to claim resources as my own. Estimated Time of Unit: 6 weeks EQ: How does a person's identity impact the way s(he) experiences the world? Project: "Who Am I?" art piece & intersectional identity paper DAY 1: Hook Lesson (possible resources below) - Text: If the World Were a Village - Interactive Site: 100 People - Site: Hungry Planet Family Food Portraits - Site: Where Children Sleep (excerpts from the book) - Map activity: 40 maps that explain the world - Activity: journal response/recipe of identity (pre-assessment) - VOCAB to teach: identity DAY 2: Review of what students already know - Mind map: free-associate words for each axis of identity (stereotypes, societal expectations) - Story frames (I haven't been able to find one, but I'm thinking of creating one): sentences with blanks, story has different meanings depending on words chosen (identify biases, starting point to shift thinking) - Personal bias lesson (see file at bottom of post, created by 2 AMAZING former colleagues & educators, David Blais and Luke Goodwin under the BISCEP - Bronx Initiates Small Schools Character Education Program - this multi-year collaboration resulted in a Promising Practice in Character Education Award from the Character Education Partnership in Washington DC!) - Chart: When Is It Okay to Say "Retard?" - VOCAB: stereotype DAY 3: Overview of Content in Unit - Mercator vs. Gall-Peters maps: article & West Wing clip Discussion Question: Just because we've always done it this way, does that make it right? - Orange is the New Black clips - I haven't chosen any yet, but this show addresses so many aspects of identity and accompanying stereotypes & discrimination - Peggy McIntosh's "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" - full length article & shorter excerpt - VOCAB: subordinate, dominant, inequality, privilege - Possible HW: Identity matrix worksheet (I can't find one, but I had a professor with a great worksheet in which students identified whether their identity for each axis was dominant or subordinate in our culture, if anyone has one, I would love to use it!) Questions to consider/answer: How do you fix on the matrix? How are your life experiences impacted by your identity? DAY 4: Primary Source Texts - Debrief HW (identity matrix worksheet) & introduce concept of intersectionality - Text: Eve Ensler's I am an Emotional Creature has a ton of great pieces! Here, I was thinking about using, "What Don't You Like About Being a Girl?" (you can see this one-page poem on p. 16 of her Google books preview) and a more positive, "I am an Emotional Creature," excerpted here - Sandra Cisnero's "My Name" from House on Mango Street - students write their own? - Willie Perdomo's "Where I'm From" - students write their own using template - VOCAB: axes, intersectionality, emotions (poster of descriptive emotions like here) DAY 5: Discussion - Identity Across Nations - How have my life experiences shaped my values and/or perceptions of others? - What is the status of women (and religious & racial minorities, members of the LGBTQI community, people with dis/abilities & other oppressed groups) in my home country? - What language is acceptable (and unacceptable) to use? - Is each identity monolithic? (i.e. are all middle-class, white, Christian women the same?) Why is it problematic to treat groups as if they were all the same? How do we stop this from happening? - Are all stereotypes bad? (e.g. "All Asians are smart" or "All Black men are athletic) How are "positive" stereotypes problematic? - What is subtle, or everyday racism? Why are small "micro-agressions" a big deal? - VOCAB: -isms (sexism, racism, classism, ableism, ageism), -phobias (transphobia, homophobia) [*I think this is a problematic suffix & I support alternative terms - like the suggestion for changing the suffix to "misia" meaning hatred] DAYS 6 & 7: Gender (*Note: I have tentatively scheduled each axis of identity to be 2 days, but this may change due to the amount of resources I find for each topic) - Define term (gender), categories (male, female, trans) & issues with categories, gender-based issues in US & global society, students share experiences - Text: "Gender v. Sex" from A Guys' Guide to Feminism (weekly excerpts of this book are featured here) - Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" music video & the response to Miley twerking to it *Article: "How to Talk With Your Sons About Robin Thicke" (as HW?) *Slam Poem: "The History of Twerking" - Article: "Reporting Around R. Kelly's Child Shows Depth of Trans Ignorance" - Video: Debi Jackson, Mother of Transgender Child, Gives Moving Speech - Interview with Janet Mock on "Alicia Mendez Tonight," she asks the interviewer common questions she is asked as a transgendered person - Article & Videos: "7 young feminist role models you should know" - Video: #LikeaGirl DAYS 8 & 9: Race & Ethnicity (*I'm in need of a variety of resources on various races & ethnicities, please share if you have any!) - Define terms (race & ethnicity), categories & issues with categories (e.g. what if you don't fit into the boxes on the form?), race/ethnicity-based issues in US & global society, students share experiences - Video: Rashid Polo videos store employees following him - Video: Subconscious racial bias in children - Video: "Columbusing" by Thomas Hill & Malachi Byrd - Police Brutality against young black men (this topic will be revisited in our gendered violence mini-unit) - this great lesson was posted on ReThinking Schools & this series of posts on their blog was also helpful - Infographic: "Is This Justice?" highlights the racism in prison sentences - Video: MSNBC's "a conversation about race" DAYS 10 & 11: Nationality & Immigration Status - Define term (nationality), nationality & migration-based issues in US & global society, students share experiences - Site: Country Comparisons - gives a brief overview of countries compared to other countries - Text: Martín Espada's "Jorge the Church Janitor Finally Quits" - Video: Maryam Srouji's poem "Tick, Tock" about life in Gaza - Video: One Day on Earth is an interesting view of people's lives around the world - the full video is on Netflix DAYS 12 & 13: Class - Define term & related terms (class, socioeconomics status, social class), categories & issues with categories (e.g. large range in "middle-class"), class-based issues in US & global society, students share experiences - Video: Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story (currently on Youtube) - Video: excerpt from Michael Moore's The Big One, "What is Terrorism?" - Video: Rethink Homelessness made this video of testimonials DAYS 14 & 15: Sexuality - Define term & related terms (sexuality, LGBTQIA, heterosexism, sex positive), categories & issues with categories (e.g. continuum), sexuality-based issues in US & global society, students share experiences - Video/textThomas Hill's "Pray the Gay Away" at Capturing Fire: A Queer Spoken Word Summit and Slam - Video: Straight People Answer A Question Gay People Have Been Asked for Years - Video: Love is All You Need? short film, an incredible piece that imagines a world in which being gay is the norm DAYS 16 & 17: Ability & Health - Define terms & related terms (ability, dis/ability, temporary) & issues with terms, categories (13 categories under IDEA), specific dis/abilities & health concerns, ability-based issues in US & global society, students share experiences - Video: Call Me Crazy on Netflix gives insight into life with 4 psychiatric disorders - Article/video: Miss Idaho inspires fellow diabetes patients by wearing insulin pump on her bikini - Article: "Let's stop saying 'mental illness'!" by David Oaks - Fact sheet: NAMI's "Criminalization Facts" shows how criminalizing people with psychiatric disorders is problematic DAYS 18 & 19: Religion - Define term & related terms (religion, agnostic, atheist), specific religions & differences within religion (i.e. sects), religion-based issues in US & global society, students share experiences - Text: excerpts from Elaine Pagel's "What Became of God the Mother?" (I use my Feminist Theory reader from college) - Site: BBC Religions gives an overview of many religions, including atheism DAYS 20 & 21: Age - Define term & related terms (age, ageism, generation), categories & issues with categories (e.g. at what age are you an adult?), age-based issues in US & global society, students share experiences DAY 22: Discussion - Answer the EQ - EQ: How does a person's identity impact the way s(he) experiences the world? - Discuss: multiple oppressions, matrix of domination - Question: How do your personal experiences connect with larger social and political realities? - VOCAB: "the personal is political" - HW: Answer the EQ in writing DAY 23: Introduce Project - "Who Am I?" art piece & intersectional identity paper - Communicate expectations (more specific details forthcoming): integrate theory, facts, discussion points into your pieces - Model: I'll use pieces from several literary journals featuring work from my former students, put together by the wonderful people at Educational Alchemy - they work in several schools throughout the city & are continuing to expand! DAY 24: Students work on projects - Guided DAYS 25-28: Students work on projects - Independent DAYS 29-30: Students present projects! - As noted, I'll post rubrics, etc. as I complete the unit, but suggestions are welcome!
UNIT ONE: Identity
EQ: How does a person's identity impact the way s(he) experiences the world? Project: "Who Am I?" art piece UNIT TWO: Media Critique EQ: How does the media's portrayal of gender impact gender in American society? Project: Media critique paper (film, song, ad campaign) UNIT THREE: Gendered Issues EQ: What is the root cause of gendered issues? Project: Research paper (Pick an issue, provide data and analysis, pose possible solutions) Mini Unit: Gendered Violence EQ: Who is responsible for gendered violence? Project: Critical analysis of reading OR narrative/poem Mini Unit: Reproductive Issues EQ: How should we teach sexual education in high schools? Project: Debate/Discussion Mini Unit: Global Issues EQ: What’s the relationship between societal norms and gendered issues across the globe? Project: Interactive map (using technology) Mini Unit: Job Equality/Women in the Workforce EQ: To what extent does job inequality exist in American society? Project: Infographic UNIT FOUR: Studying Activism: The History of Feminism EQ: What activist strategies have been historically effective? Project: Research paper (select activist strategy(s) & discuss effects - achievements, legislation) UNIT FIVE: Implementing Activism EQ: What is the best way to create social change? Project: Activist project (Student choice - Examples: socially conscious children's book, educational video, letter writing campaign, civil disobedience, street theater) Before I begin sharing the resources I have used or plan to use in my course, I wanted to take a moment to address how my units are currently structured. As curriculum maps are constantly evolving, this will most likely change. However, I have used this format before in my US History and Global units last year, and it worked beautifully. It's a slightly adapted version of a template my Teachers College Coach, Janice shared with me. (She is phenomenal and made curriculum planning significantly easier to wrap my head around.) Below is the format I plan to follow throughout each of my units. I greatly welcome additional suggestions!
DAY 1: Hook Lesson (I like to include a personal connection to the students, often using art, thought-provoking images, videos, or relevant current events) DAY 2: Review what students already know about topic (I use mind maps, story frames, brainstorming lists, discussions surrounding the essential question/images/popular phrase or song lyric, pre-assessments (like the Adolescent Social Norms Regarding Violence and Gender - go here for similar assessments) DAY 3: Overview of content in unit (this could be a timeline, map work, an article, infographics - whatever you use, it's here students construct the overarching idea for the unit) DAY 4: Primary Source Texts (quote interpretation/categorization, a speech, poem, song - I like to keep the texts here short so struggling readers are not overwhelmed) DAY 5: Discussion (since I'm teaching at an international school, I want to focus these discussions on how to situate the topic of the unit in a global context - e.g. What are society's expectations of men in my home country? - these discussions could be more broad - e.g. How is does our use of language affect society?) DAYS 6-?: Case Studies (I have no set amount of case study days - my larger units might have 15 case study days, a shorter one might have 6 - these days focus on one particular subtopic of the unit e.g. Identity Unit Case Studies: Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Nationality, Social Class, Sexuality, Ability, Religion, Age) DAY 14 (or whatever day this is for you): Discussion: Answer the EQ (in class students apply intersectional analysis & cite textual evidence to answer the EQ orally - I want to provide sentence starters & scaffolding questions and focus on connections to self, text, & world; for homework, students answer the EQ independently, in writing) DAY 15: Introduce Project (give directions, show model, provide scaffolding outlines/ sentence starters- my project ideas are: an artistic representation of a student's intersectional identity, media critique, research paper, debate, map creation, infographic, activist project) DAY 16 -?: Students Work on Project (no set amount of days here - depends on your project & your students - I like to have the first few days be guided for those who need additional support & then gradually release responsibility as needed) DAY 20 (or whatever day this will be): Present Projects (this may need to be more than one day - you could also have a wrap up day following this for reflection or make a current events connection to the unit) |
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June 2018
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