Today marks the start of a new PBL investigation for these sweet 5th graders and it could not have started at a more appropriate time-just after the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March. in 1965. All of the units I have designed or collaborated to develop have been meaningful, but this one speaks to my heart.
I will never fully know and understand the struggles that African Americans faced for centuries and even face today. I know that issues of discrimination for African Americans and other Americans, still exist today. As an advocate for all of my students, I am excited to raise awareness of this significant era in our history that created opportunities for my students that didn't exist 50 years ago. I hope that through this investigation and related experiences that they will feel empowered by the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement to know they can make a difference, develop empathy for others that are different than themselves, and make connections between current related issues of civil rights.
I started off the investigation by showing them the music video, "Glory", co-written by Common and John Legend for the movie, Selma. Before watching, I asked students to take notes on how the lyrics and images make them feel, any connections they could make to what they see and here, and what they think "Glory" is. Before you read about how the children responded, take a moment to watch the video for yourself.
I will never fully know and understand the struggles that African Americans faced for centuries and even face today. I know that issues of discrimination for African Americans and other Americans, still exist today. As an advocate for all of my students, I am excited to raise awareness of this significant era in our history that created opportunities for my students that didn't exist 50 years ago. I hope that through this investigation and related experiences that they will feel empowered by the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement to know they can make a difference, develop empathy for others that are different than themselves, and make connections between current related issues of civil rights.
I started off the investigation by showing them the music video, "Glory", co-written by Common and John Legend for the movie, Selma. Before watching, I asked students to take notes on how the lyrics and images make them feel, any connections they could make to what they see and here, and what they think "Glory" is. Before you read about how the children responded, take a moment to watch the video for yourself.
Following the video (watched twice, per student request), we discussed the video. Students made connections to the images they saw, expressed their sadness over the violent ways the people were being treated, and questioned the actions made by the protesters. Surprisingly, some students commented that they felt "motivated" because they felt like they "could do anything" because of the way the marchers persevered towards victory.
After the discussion, I told the students about the project and the debate they will prepare for on March 27. (You can find a description and supporting resources for this project on the "Social Studies Resources" page) They were so excited! Then they told me what they felt they needed to know in order to successfully prepare the podcast and for the debate. (Pictures of these questions to come!) I was blown away by the thoughtful questions these kiddos have and I am excited to see the final products.
Following the entry event, I had students listened to a few podcasts to get familiar with the various formats and purposes of a broadcast (Brains On!). Then I reviewed the support resources and asked them to choose from a set of events they would like to teach others about. The topic selections allowed for me to differentiate the groups based on their interest, which worked out nicely. Once they were in their interest-alike groups, they elected a project manager and established group norms. This was the first time they have done this without my guidance and I was so impressed with the norms they developed. Check them out!
After the discussion, I told the students about the project and the debate they will prepare for on March 27. (You can find a description and supporting resources for this project on the "Social Studies Resources" page) They were so excited! Then they told me what they felt they needed to know in order to successfully prepare the podcast and for the debate. (Pictures of these questions to come!) I was blown away by the thoughtful questions these kiddos have and I am excited to see the final products.
Following the entry event, I had students listened to a few podcasts to get familiar with the various formats and purposes of a broadcast (Brains On!). Then I reviewed the support resources and asked them to choose from a set of events they would like to teach others about. The topic selections allowed for me to differentiate the groups based on their interest, which worked out nicely. Once they were in their interest-alike groups, they elected a project manager and established group norms. This was the first time they have done this without my guidance and I was so impressed with the norms they developed. Check them out!
As you can tell from the norms above, there will be "no slacking" going on in 5th grade! ha! My favorite is "give feedback." YES. YES. YES.
Check back with us periodically to ready about what's happening with these sweet and eager learners!
Check back with us periodically to ready about what's happening with these sweet and eager learners!