- Grade Focus
- Grade 10
- Age Level
- 15
- Subject
- Literature, Social Studies
- Technology Integration Activity
- Discovering the Internet, Imaging, PowerPoint Presentations, Video Productions
- Estimated Time of Completion
- 3 Weeks
Introduction
In the English 10 Honors classes, students must learn about the representation and influence of culture in literature. Many of the works included in this unit provide students with an opportunity to learn about a particular culture and/or a particular time period. While they have all completed traditional evaluations of the assigned texts, I want students to take a look at their own culture and answer the question “Who are we?” I created this project to give students an opportunity to make connections with the literature we have read and their own lives and culture. They were asked to create a theme to unify their projects. Research via the personal interviews, personal experiences, and the internet were encouraged in answering this question. Some ideas from previous video essays include “We are addicted,” “We are athletes,” and “We are confused.”Prerequisite Experience
Students will have completed the following activities prior to beginning this project:
1. defined the term culture
2. given examples of what defines a culture
3. read at least three works from other cultures during the course of the semester
4. practiced analyzing a culture based on the concepts outlined in the "iceberg of culture" (An entire lesson presented via Power Point will introduce students to this concept and the significance of the concept.) Here is a link to a good model for the iceberg of culture.
Teacher Prep Time
30 - 45 minutes
The time will be used to create materials that define culture and give examples of what creates a culture. The teacher will also need to create a Power Point, or some other form of instruction, to explain the concepts associated with the iceberg of culture.
Project
Who Are We? Assignment:
You are to design a self-running two minute video or PowerPoint presentation that answers, or at least at addresses, this question. The minimum time is 1:50 and the maximum time is 2:10. Points will be deducted for presentations that are too long or too short.
Format:
· Suggested formats include Windows Movie Maker, Microsoft’s Photo Story, and PowerPoint. Please make sure that the multimedia projector that we use in class the day of the presentations plays your project. Know how to operate the equipment before coming to class.
· There should be a title screen that includes your name and a title for your presentation.
· There should also be a works cited page at the end of the presentation that includes acknowledgements for copyrighted material. Use MLA format for this page.
The title page and the works cited page(s) do NOT count as part of your two-minute presentation.
Content:
· What you include in the presentation is clearly up to you as long as the visuals, the music, and the narration answer the question.
· Make sure that your presentation has a theme that is carried throughout the video.
· Think about the areas of the “iceberg of culture” that we have discussed in class. Remember that your presentation should be more than a surface assessment of the question.
· Be as creative as possible with your analysis and presentation. Feel free to include labels with your visuals. Make it easy for your reader to follow your presentation. Music and/or narration should accompany your presentation.
· A one-page, grammatically correct written report (double spaced) that provides an overview of the project should also accompany the presentation. This written report addresses the inspiration for the work and an analysis of the theme that the student chose for the presentation.
Assessment/Grading
A rubric will be distributed to the students to guide them in creating the presentation. The rubric contains the following general criteria: 1) theme, 2) visual elements, 3) auditory elements, 4) directions/time 5) continuity, and 6) written reportTime Management Tips
Students will be given three weeks to complete the assignment. (Less time can be used if necessary. I've done this in two weeks before.)
Week # 1 should be devoted to selecting a theme and creating a storyboard for the project.
Week # 2 should be devoted to finding images, videos, and music for the project.
Week # 3 should be devoted to putting together the final project.
Lesson Plan Details
Engage
Present a Power Point of images that I have collected that address the question “who are we.” Ask students what these images say about who we are. Remind students to address the images at multiple levels, using their knowledge of the iceberg of culture. Share responses orally in class.Explore
Have students collect five images via the Internet, their own video cameras, their flip cameras, or even their digital cameras that answer the question who are we. Have students share these images with the class.
Prior to the actual creation of the video, I would recommend some tutorials for the assignment.
So many of my students prefer to use PowerPoint to Windows MovieMaker or PhotoStory for this project, so I searched for some video clips to help them add the narration to the project, which appears to be the hardest part of the presentation for them in Power Point. I was able to locate the following tutorial for them:
http://edu.LearniT-TeachiT.org/LearniT/technology/PowerPoint_Presentations/voice_flash
While I was searching for the voice add ons to Power Point, I came across this tutorial that would make the inclusion of pictures in the slide presentations so much easier and interesting:
Explain
In small groups, have students respond to the following questions: What criteria or basis did you use in deciding who we are? Why were there differences in the criteria used in answering the question?Elaborate
Re-introduce elements of culture discussed at the beginning of the unit. Ask students to share how the differences in their cultures had an impact on how they answered the question of who we are. Ask the students to think of a theme that unifies their answers to the question of who we are.Evaluate
Have students complete the actual assignment for this unit - to create a self-moving video that answers the question. Make sure that the students are aware of the rubric and the requirements of this assignment. Post these items and others related to the assignment on SchoolNet. Furthermore, I would assign students a short reflection piece that requires them to address the following: 1) What made this assignment so difficult? (They always think it’s hard because they are asked to create a unifying theme to their work!) and 2) What did you learn about yourself and the cultures around you in creating this project?Extend
Pose these questions to students after they have viewed the projects of their peers:
- What lessons could be learned from the images presented in these videos?
- How are these lessons applicable to our lives?
- What criteria do we use to define who we are?