ARTs INTEgrated Education...SLAVERY SYLabus

Slavery Syllabus

Dominique Gallo
copywrite: Fall 2006


Created for:
Fontbonne University
EDU 541: Framework for Learning




“Education is not filling the bowl with information,
It is making the bowl bigger.”
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi




Contents:
3-7 Lesson Plan
8-11 The Research
12 Bibliography
Supplemental turned in previously




The Lesson
Grade Level: 11th grade
Time: One month
Students: average urban public school

OBJECTIVES
Students will gain an understanding and appreciation for Shakespeare
Students will study the concept of slavery and see how it relates to them.
Students will collate two books for the library.
PLAN
1. A large piece of butcher paper will be laid out on the floor. In the center is a the word “slavery” with a circle around it. The students will be asked to do a word association with the word on the butcher paper using markers. They can draw or write other words. Then, we will reconvene and discuss our piece of butcher paper. I will engage them in a discussion on what slavery is and is not. Whether or not there is slavery today. The students will then draw a picture and write a paragraph on what slavery means to them-- Any personal stories of slavery. Because most of the children will have some knowledge of slavery in the United States, we will break into five small groups and discuss what we know about slavery. They will come up with five points on slavery which will be presented to the class. I will introduce a community journal where any students may write any question or comment to be addressed or not during the next class period.
2. I will tell them the story of the Tempest by W. Shakespeare in a story telling fashion. They can ask questions and make statements regarding the story. I will assign them to read as much of the first act as they can.
3. Today, we can discuss the language of the play. I will choose a section of each act and walk through how to read it. They will then break up into their groups again and each tackles their own act of the play.
4. Tackling the act includes rewriting it in their own words and manner. They will rewrite the play in a play format in modern times. The final quarter of each period will be another writing assignment to be completed at home. One day, we will write song lyrics inspired by the action of the play. Another day we will write a poem. Still others, paint or write a short story.
5. During this time, in our social sciences period, we will also be studying institutional and culture slavery around the world. We will look critically at the practices of cultures towards woman, and those of other races as it pertains to slavery. The students will be keeping both a personal journal and a newsprint journal of things they thought about and found in the media.
6. I will invite a representative from the United Nations, St. Louis office to come and speak on global slavery as well as regional slavery. This will be followed be a question and answer period and journal period. The students will then be given a disposable camera. Their task is to use the film to shoot photographs of things that remind them of or exemplify slavery for them.
7. At about this point, each group will be about ready to present their section of the play. We will then view Julie Taymor’s production. We will discuss the play and in what ways it relates to slavery. And in what ways it relates to us. We will then place another large piece of butcher paper on the floor and write the word “slavery” in the center. The students will do a new word and picture association on the new sheet. We will place the two sheets next to each other and discuss followed by journaling.
8. The social studies aspect will then produce a proposal or request to end an aspect of slavery. This is being delivered to or presented to the parties the students decide are appropriate.
9. The performance literature aspect will then perform their version of the Tempest. We will have a party.
10. The new Tempest inspired by W. Shakespeare will be printed and bound. The supplemental stories, drawing, song lyrics, photographs etc… will also be bound into a second book. One copy of each will be placed into the library and each student will receive a copy.
11. Each student will bind their own work: photographs, stories, journal etc.
12. We will present the play that we write along with prepared hand out material for the parents, special friends and fellow classmates.





EVALUATION
1. Evaluate each student’s conceptual understand of slavery.
2. Evaluate each student’s mastery of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
3. Evaluate a growth in each student’s civic understanding.

1. The books, performances and class participation will be used to evaluate each student’s success with the subject matter.
2. A personal session with each student will take place two weeks into the program as well as complete the program.





The Research


The Slavery Syllabus is intended for students in high School. This is due to the graphic nature of the information that will be obtained when discussing current slavery topics. I feel that this is a lesson that any average urban school could handle; however, they may or may not be able to complete the lesson within the one month time frame. This time frame was decided based on daily contact with the students in blocks of one and a hours to two hours. As an urban district, the demographic would be mixed. I think the ideal demographic contains a magnet school’s level of diversity.

The Learning challenges posed in the classrooms would be varied. As I do not have a classroom, I did not design this based on a particular class. Rather, I designed this based on a combination of classrooms I have been a part of. I am certain that in the urban school, there will be behavioral as well as emotional disorders. I do feel that the variety and types of activities presented throughout the class are meant to retain attention as well as provide a meaningful learning experience. The art-integrated education studies show a marked improvement in lower achieving students in an art integrated learning environment. (DeMoss)

The Learning challenges in the lesson itself are many. Slavery is a deeply emotional and culturally charged subject. The truthful introduction of this type of topic is difficult. However, I think that the benefits of completing the program exceed the challenges. The benefits, as I see them, include but are not limited to the following. First, each student will leave this program with experience and knowledge that is current, historic, literary and metaphoric. They will take the physical books that they have made. Second, because of the deeply associative nature of the project, they will build a huge association net. They will experience intense transfer in between subjects and in their lives. They can take this into their other subjects or interests. Third, whether the learner is more motivated by visuals, sounds or reading; whether they prefer working as a class, in groups or alone there is a great deal in the lesson plan for each leaning preference.

The student’s previous learning and understanding is explored on the very first day. Instead of having the students write or discuss what they understand, I have them on the floor in hands on activity. I want to start the class with an ice breaker of sorts. The material the will be covered can be difficult to discuss. The environment must feel safe. Having the students leave their comfort zones to get on the floor and fill out a group brain storm will pull some of the fear out.

I use many forms of instruction that support brain compatible learning. In the literature section, the students are in groups. I am using a Vygotsky style scaffolding system to introduce and teach the language of Shakespeare. Through the group’s repetition and increased rehearsal of the language, they will no longer need me. They will run their own groups. The majority of the literature side of this lesson plan is in a “practice by doing” and an “immediate use of knowledge” format. This will ensure retention of 75-90% of the information after twenty-four hours. The social science/history section of the lesson is using mostly discussion groups and teaching other. Their retention rate is more like 50%-90%.

Let us not forget that the students are constantly using one class to experience the other class. This means that the retrieval and rehearsal processes are receiving a whole host of new associations. The student will become a more efficient learner as a by product. This allows the memory to be stronger and in the information within it more easily retrievable in the future. I think that this is a tremendous motivator to work hard and bring new information to the class.

This type of instruction opens the student to experience transfer in everyday life. I hope that at some point the student will look for the transfer. I hope that they search out how things relate to each other and to them.



“You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.”
Galileo Galilei




Ormrod, Jeanette (2004) Human Learning Upper Saddle River, NJ
Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall
How Arts Integration Supports Student Learning: Students Shed Light on the
Connections. (2006) Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education: www.capeweb.org Author: Karen DeMoss