Date: Week 2/Thursday
Period/Class Title: US History
Name: Alicia Vosberg
# of students: 30
OBJECTIVE:
Introduction of Broadcast from the Past project. Instead of a traditional essay exam at the end of the unit, students will be responsible for presenting (either performing live or videotaping and playing) a newscast dealing with an aspect of the Civil Rights Movement that connects to the unit topic of media and social justice. During the presentation, which will be performed in week four, students must apply the main ideas about the media's role in social justice put forth throughout the unit, displaying their understanding of objectivity, subjectivity, and media bias.
MATERIALS:
30 assignment handouts, list of topics written on the board, list of groups, film clip video
NOTES:
Assign students to groups and be careful to mix groups up so the same students are not always working together. Make sure to pair non-native English speakers with native English speakers, and shy students with outgoing students.
STEPS:
Anticipatory set: 5 minutes: Teacher will show a 2 minute newscast project clip from a previous class who also did the newscast project (although on a different topic) in order to introduce the students to the idea visually before it is explained with handout. The anticipatory set will visually display an example, showing students it is possible to successfully complete this project.
1. 15 minutes - Introduction of Broadcast from the Past project. Students will all receive a handout detailing the specific requirements of the assignment and expectations of the teacher. Class will read handout orally all the way through. Then the teacher will answer any questions that come up that are not covered in instruction handout.
2. 20 minutes - students will be assigned to their groups and they will brainstorm together about what topic they would like to cover.
3. 15 minutes - as a group students will create a written topic proposal addressing the following:
-What is our topic?
-Why do we believe it is relevant to our unit on the media and social justice?
4. 5 minutes - students will ask any questions that arose while working with groups on proposals.
5. Students will turn in written proposals at the end of period
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY:
homework: Students will continue to work on their culminating project (contribution to the collective 'zine) using the writing tools available at the Hip Hop Circuit website http://online.sfsu.edu/~jcooks/hiphopcircuit/frontup.html in Resources section.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION:
Students will be evaluated on group participation, which is an important part of the class participation grade, as well as on the their written topic proposal which is worth 10 points of newscast project grade. Their final project will be performed the last two days of the unit and will be evaluated by the class as well as the teacher for historical accuracy, originality, application of main ideas of unit, and effort. The project is worth 20% of overall grade.
LITERACY ASPECT:
Groups will brainstorm about what topic they would like to perform a newscast on and the strategy they will implement. As a group, students turn in a written topic proposal at the end of the period.
REFLECTION/RESPONSE:
Students may not like group choices, or may be generally resistant to the project. Try to be enthusiastic about it and tell about how well it has gone in past years.