Friday, December 20, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 15 - Class Recap


Monet's Garden in Giverney, France. I will be heading to France again over Winter Break, to spend time with my wife's family!

Dear class,

Welcome to your Winter Break from Westview and the end of the Civil Rights unit in class! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 2: I can manage my responsibilities as a student.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: "Alors on danse" by Stromae. Selected for today because it has been a popular song in France (it translates to: "so we dance", and I am going over Winter Break with my wife! Lyrics (in French) here.

AGENDA 12/20/19:
News Brief – Kate
Gallery Walk
Unfinished Business
Next Steps

Homework: Read the blog. Know your grade (updated on StudentVUE) and improve it, if possible! Have a great break! Next news brief: Mr. Fritz.

News Brief: Kate had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: NYTimes.com - Congress Approves Raising Age to 21 for E-Cigarette and Tobacco Sales.

After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class over Winter Break (and students asked me a million questions).

We also (obviously) talked about this story, and the next steps going forward with impeachment: 

NYTimes.com - Impeachment Results: How Democrats and Republicans Voted.

I will have the next news brief, as it is after break.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Gallery Walk: Next, students showcased their Activism Projects by putting them on their desks as the class walked around and looked at them. Here's the assignment sheet for the project, which was due today:


I am always so impressed by the thought and effort put into these! It is inspiring to see how students are wanting to change the world through action. I look forward to grading these and getting them back to everyone!

Unfinished Business: Of course, our unit on Civil Rights could not end without taking a hard look at what is going on today. As such, I wanted to showcase a few stories from our country in the past few years. Here's the presentation that we went through as a class:


The articles that we went through (the first three intentionally withheld information about dates and places) are here:


Finally, I passed out a class set of readings about social media fueling hate to talk about together:


Thank you for the discussion and conversations here!

Next Steps: At the end of class, I showed students a list of what my Diversity and Social Justice students brainstormed (a few years ago) for ways they could impact our community and world right now. That list is here:

Write a Letter/Email/Call (List of Elected Officials)

Talk with Family and Friends

Register to Vote (if you are 16 or older and eligible)

Call it Out: Be a Consistent Ally

Read the News (know biased sources)

Identify Actions to Take

Contribute to Charities

Be Educated and Help Educate Others

Write About Your Own Experience/Read Books/Articles



Stay Woke (Don't Close Your Eyes)

Love Your Peers With Reason (Don't Go To The Sunken Place)
---
I hope that throughout this unit, students have learned that change is possible and that there are plenty of means to do so available. Thank you for all of your hard work in 2019! When we come back in January, we will do a shorter unit on Immigration in the lead up to finals. Take care and see you next year, everyone!
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Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 14 - Class Recap


Something I care a lot about in our local community is supporting the Portland Thorns women's professional soccer team, to help sustain a professional league for women in the United States. I helped paint this banner for the start of a season! Photo taken in 2015.

Hello everyone,

As promised, today was a work day on the Activism Project, which I assigned at the start of the month and will be due next class, on Friday. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 2: I can manage my responsibilities as a student.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan. Selected for today because of our work trying to identify what we want to change in the world via the activism project. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/18/19:
News Brief – Rubi
Activism Project
Work Time
Grade Check

Homework: Read the blog. The Activism Project is due next class, on Friday! Next news brief: Kate.

News Brief: Rubi had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: WhiteHouse.gov - Letter from President Donald J. Trump to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class over the weekend.

Kate was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Activism Project/Work Time: The rest of class was dedicated to working on  the Activism Project, which is where students choose to identify a cause that they care about and create a poster or brochure explaining why and how people could be involved. Here's the assignment sheet that I passed out earlier this month:


This assignment will be due the last day we meet before break, which is next class, on December 20th. If you are leaving before that day for break, you will need to turn it in before.

Generally, students can choose almost anything that they want to, but I do want to hear about the issue before embarking on too much work. We will set aside a fair amount of class time before the break to do this, and I will provide large sheets of paper, but if a student wants to go above and beyond in working on the project at home or with a poster board, that is obviously great as well.

Some examples of student choices are:

Climate Change
Animal Rights
Gun Issues
Immigration/Border Issues
Human Trafficking
College Tuition

Thanks for your continued work and engagement with the Civil Rights unit! We will keep at it next class. Here's our schedule for our next classes until break:

December 18 (above): Activism Project Work Time (final day)

December 20: Activism Project presentations/gallery walk/Unfinished Business with Civil Rights

Grade Check: As students were working on the Activism Project posters, I went around and checked in with everyone about their grade in class and what, if anything, could be done to improve it as we approach Semester 1 finals after the break. I look forward to seeing everyone next class, for one last time before 2020!
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Monday, December 16, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 13 - Class Recap


The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC. Photo taken in 2011.

Dear class,

I intentionally waited until far into our Civil Rights unit to discuss Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X in depth, as we did today. It's important that students know there is WAY more to the Civil Rights Movement than these two men, and also, their ideas and lives are incredibly important to understand. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 3: I can communicate and work effectively within a team or group.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: "A Dream" by Common. Selected for today because of the obvious connection to learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/16/19:
News Brief – Laura
MLK and Malcolm X
Compare and Contrast
Project Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on your Activism Project assignment! Bring supplies for the work day, next class! Next news brief: Rubi.

News Brief: Laura had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - House panel approves articles of impeachment against Trump. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class over the weekend.

Rubi was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


MLK and Malcolm X: To begin the next section of class, I showed this video introducing two of the key people in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States:



Next, we read a background essay about who Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were, before I split the class up into halves - one side learning about MLK's ideas and philosophy, and one side learning about Malcolm X and his ideas and philosophy. All of those documents are available to view here, online:


After each side learned about their assigned person through the reading, we then partnered up with the opposing side, so each student pairing could discuss what they found.

Compare and Contrast: Next, students completed the compare and contrast to try and understand the ideas of both people. We talked about this as a class, and then went through this PowerPoint to understand a bit more of the context around who MLK and Malcolm X were:


As we went though the PowerPoint, student were taking notes and filling out information on this assignment sheet (both sides were due today in class):


This was all done in the hopes that students would have more depth of understanding around two of the most crucial figures in 20th century American history. I encourage everyone to continue to research on your own, as well!

Project Work Time: The rest of class (if we had time) was dedicated to working on  the Activism Project, which is where students choose to identify a cause that they care about and create a poster or brochure explaining why and how people could be involved. Here's the assignment sheet that I passed out:


This assignment will be due the last day we meet before break, December 20th. If you are leaving before that day for break, you will need to turn it in before.

Generally, students can choose almost anything that they want to, but I do want to hear about the issue before embarking on too much work. We will set aside a fair amount of class time before the break to do this, and I will provide large sheets of paper, but if a student wants to go above and beyond in working on the project at home or with a poster board, that is obviously great as well.

Some examples of student choices are:

Climate Change
Animal Rights
Gun Issues
Immigration/Border Issues
Human Trafficking 

Thanks for your continued work and engagement with the Civil Rights unit! We will keep at it next class. Here's our schedule for our next few classes until break:

December 16 (above): MLK vs. Malcolm X – Whose Ideas Were Best?

December 18: Activism Project Work Time (final day)

December 20: Activism Project presentations/gallery walk/Unfinished Business with Civil Rights
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Thursday, December 12, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 12 - Class Recap


Musicians often have messages in songs that relate to protest and/or activism. Here's Jay Z at London's Wireless Festival in 2013. Probably the best concert photo I've ever taken!

Hi everyone,

I enjoyed getting to listen to some great music with you today! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 3: I can communicate and work effectively within a team or group.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: "Born this Way" by Lady Gaga. Selected for today because it is a song that advocates for a cause: namely, LGBTQ recognition and empowerment. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/12/19:
News Brief – Grace
Songs for Activism
Share Out
Activism Project Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on your Activism Project assignment! Next news brief: Laura.

News Brief: Grace had the news brief today and selected an article about a story about this article to talk about: CNN.com - Trump again mocks teen climate activist Greta Thunberg. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Laura was assigned to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Songs for Activism: This was the assignment that I passed out last class, after we looked at and listened to some examples of songs about a particular issue or event:


The idea here was to have some fun in listening to music (which almost everyone enjoys!) and see how music as an art form can be used to further a cause (like the one you are working on for your project)! Please make sure that this assignment is turned in - everyone had to do their own copy, even if students were working with a partner.

Listen to the Music: Next, students presented their songs to the class as we looked at the lyrics and listened to the songs (if a school appropriate version was able to be found). I enjoyed listening to the music with everyone and getting to know a bit more about what students enjoy in songs!

Work Time: The rest of class (if we had time) was dedicated to working on  the Activism Project, which is where students choose to identify a cause that they care about and create a poster or brochure explaining why and how people could be involved. Here's the assignment sheet that I passed out:


This assignment will be due the last day we meet before break, December 20th. If you are leaving before that day for break, you will need to turn it in before.

Generally, students can choose almost anything that they want to, but I do want to hear about the issue before embarking on too much work. We will set aside a fair amount of class time before the break to do this, and I will provide large sheets of paper, but if a student wants to go above and beyond in working on the project at home or with a poster board, that is obviously great as well.

Some examples of student choices are:

Climate Change
Animal Rights
Gun Issues
Immigration/Border Issues
Human Trafficking 

Thanks for your continued work and engagement with the Civil Rights unit! We will keep at it next class. Here's our tentative schedule for our next few classes until break:

December 12: Share Music/Work time on Activism Project

December 16: MLK vs. Malcolm X – Whose Ideas Were Best?

December 18: Activism Project Work Time (final day)

December 20: Activism Project presentations/gallery walk/Unfinished Business with Civil Rights
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Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 11 - Class Recap


The Rocky statue outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I will bet you probably know the theme song!

Dear class,

It was great to be back with everyone today! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 1: I can self direct my learning.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: "Rocky Theme" from Rocky. Selected for today because of our work today regarding music and activism! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/10/19:
News Brief – Riley
Songs for Activism
Activism Project
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Check your grade (updated on StudentVUE) and see if you can improve it! Continue working on your Activism Project and Songs for Activism assignment! Next news brief: Grace.

News Brief: Riley had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Rapper Juice WRLD is dead at 21. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class over the weekend.

Grace was selected to do the next news brief.

I also made sure to update students (and take questions) on the latest developments with the impeachment process involving President Trump. Here's an article about what is going on: NYTimes.com - Trump ‘Ignored and Injured’ the National Interest, Democrats Charge in Impeachment Articles.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Songs for Activism: Next, I introduced what I think will be a pretty fun assignment - listening to music with a partner (if students chose to), and identifying events and/or issues that the song is about. To start, we went through some examples a class, here:


We analyzed the lyrics as I played the songs in the presentation. Then, I gave students this assignment to work on in class:


The idea here was to have some fun in listening to music (which almost everyone enjoys!) and see how music as an art form can be used to further a cause (like the one you are working on for your project)!

Work Time: The rest of class was dedicated to working on the music for activism assignment above, along with the Activism Project, which is where students choose to identify a cause that they care about and create a poster or brochure explaining why and how people could be involved. Here's the assignment sheet that I passed out:


This assignment will be due the last day we meet before break, December 20th. If you are leaving before that day for break, you will need to turn it in before.

Generally, students can choose almost anything that they want to, but I do want to hear about the issue before embarking on too much work. We will set aside a fair amount of class time before the break to do this, and I will provide large sheets of paper, but if a student wants to go above and beyond in working on the project at home or with a poster board, that is obviously great as well.

Some examples of student choices are:

Climate Change
Animal Rights
Gun Issues
Immigration/Border Issues
Human Trafficking 

Thanks for your continued work and engagement with the Civil Rights unit! We will keep at it next week. Here's our tentative schedule for our next few classes until break:

December 10: Music as Activism (graded) – partner assignment

12: Share Music/Work time on Activism Project

16: MLK vs. Malcolm X – Whose Ideas Were Best?

18: Activism Project Work Time (final day)

20: Activism Project presentations/gallery walk/Unfinished Business with Civil Rights
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Friday, December 6, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 10 - Class Recap


One of the quotes at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington DC.

Hi everyone,

It was the end of a short week together in class today! Here's what we did:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 1: I can self direct my learning.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

AGENDA 12/6/19:
News Brief – Henry
Children's March
Debrief
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on your Activism Project! Next news brief: Riley.

News Brief: Henry had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: NBCNews.com - Shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola; 3 dead, multiple injured. We discussed this story for a bit, and then moved on.

Riley was selected to do the next news brief.

We also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class, or if students had anything they wanted to talk about, before moving on.

As part of the news brief, we usually watch the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day:


Children's March: To begin the next part of class, the following document was passed out:


I wanted to see how much students knew about Birmingham, Alabama and non-violent activism before we watched the video below as a class, and noted how parts of non-violent activism related to actions taken:



Hopefully students found this interesting and engaging! It is definitely powerful to see how children made a different during the Civil Rights Movement.

Debrief: After the film, students completed the back side of the assignment sheet. I am certainly curious as to if there is anything you would be willing to go to jail for!

Work Time: Last week, I introduced the main project for the Civil Rights unit, which is where students choose to identify a cause that they care about and create a poster or brochure explaining why and how people could be involved. Here's the assignment sheet that I passed out in class:


This assignment will be due the last day we meet before break, December 20th. If you are leaving before that day for break, you will need to turn it in before.

Generally, students can choose almost anything that they want to, but I do want to hear about the issue before embarking on too much work. We will set aside a fair amount of class time before the break to do this, and I will provide large sheets of paper, but if a student wants to go above and beyond in working on the project at home or with a poster board, that is obviously great as well.

Some examples of student choices are:

Climate Change
Animal Rights
Gun Issues
Immigration/Border Issues
Human Trafficking 

Thanks for your continued work and engagement with the Civil Rights unit! We will keep at it next week. Here's our tentative schedule for our next few classes until break:

December 6: Children’s March (What Would You Do?) / Work Time on Activism Project

10: Music as Activism (graded) – partner assignment

12: Share Music/Work time on Activism Project

16: MLK vs. Malcolm X – Whose Ideas Were Best?

18: Activism Project Work Time (final day)

20: Activism Project presentations/gallery walk/Unfinished Business with Civil Rights
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Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 9 - Class Recap


These are all of the 9th grade students on their first day at Westview last year (current students are likely in this photo!). Imagine how different it would be to enter high school as one of the Little Rock Nine?

Dear class,

Welcome back from Thanksgiving break! As such, we continuing looking at civil rights issues, including school integration after the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 1: I can self direct my learning.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: "Blackbird" by The Beatles. Selected for today because the song was partially inspired by the Little Rock Nine. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/4/19:
News Brief – Bopi
Finish Lift Ev'ry Voice
Little Rock Nine
Activism Project
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Complete and turn in the Little Rock Nine response on Google Classroom. Continue working on your Activism Project! Next news brief: Henry.

News Brief: Bopi had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - North Korea warns US to prepare for 'Christmas gift,' but no one's sure what to expect. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class over the weekend.

Henry was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


 Finish Lift Ev'ry Voice: Due to the unexpected fire drill right before Thanksgiving break, we still had about 6 minutes left in this documentary about Portland's Civil Rights history. We finished watching the documentary and went through the questions on the worksheet together, before students turned it in for a behavior target grade.

Little Rock Nine: To begin this part of class, I showed students where Little Rock, Arkansas is, and then we went through this lesson:


As a part of this, we watched this introductory video:


We then read some of the accounts from history texts about the Little Rock Nine, which are linked to here:


After the readings, students worked on the following response, which is graded (also available on Google Classroom to submit there):


If you did not finish this in class today, please turn it in ASAP!

Poster Slogans: After going through the Little Rock Nine readings, we started looking at the Activism Project in more depth.


Hopefully this helped a bit in thinking about what you might do as your Activism Project!

Work Time: Last week, I introduced the main project for the Civil Rights unit, which is where students choose to identify a cause that they care about and create a poster or brochure explaining why and how people could be involved. Here's the assignment sheet that I passed out in class:


This assignment will be due the last day we meet before break, December 20th. If you are leaving before that day for break, you will need to turn it in before.

Generally, students can choose almost anything that they want to, but I do want to hear about the issue before embarking on too much work. We will set aside a fair amount of class time before the break to do this, and I will provide large sheets of paper, but if a student wants to go above and beyond in working on the project at home or with a poster board, that is obviously great as well.

Some examples of student choices are:

Climate Change
Animal Rights
Gun Issues
Immigration/Border Issues
Human Trafficking 

Thanks for your continued work and engagement with the Civil Rights unit! We will keep at it next week. Here's our tentative schedule for our next few classes until break:

December 4: Little Rock Nine (graded) / Work Time on Activism Project (poster analysis activity)

6: Children’s March (What Would You Do?) / Work Time on Activism Project

10: Music as Activism (graded) – partner assignment

12: Share Music/Work time on Activism Project

16: MLK vs. Malcolm X – Whose Ideas Were Best?

18: Activism Project Work Time (final day)

20: Activism Project presentations/gallery walk/Unfinished Business with Civil Rights
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Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 8 - Class Recap


Me and my friends Scott and Clarke, in 2009 at a Portland Trail Blazers Playoff game. The Moda Center (then the Rose Garden) was built on land that was formerly part of the Albina neighborhood.

Hi everyone,

Today in class we wrapped up our viewing of Lift Ev'ry Voice and I introduced the Activism Project, before students headed off to Thanksgiving Break. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 1: I can self direct my learning.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: "We Shall Overcome" by Pete Seeger. Selected for today because it became a song that rallied many people together during the Civil Rights Movement. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/25/19:
News Brief – Brandon
Finish Lift Ev'ry Voice
Discussion
Activism Project

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on your Activism Project! Next news brief: Bopi.

News Brief: Brandon had the news brief today, but was absent from the start of class, so I filled in and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Judge tells Trump he's not a king -- the President is not so sure. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class over the weekend.

Bopi was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Lift Ev'ry Voice: Next, we finished watching an excellent documentary from OPB, called Lift Ev'ry Voice. If you want to watch again, share, or get caught up, it is here:


Here is the worksheet that goes along with the documentary:


As students were watching, I tried to pause and explain more of what was going on with maps and background information. I hope this was helpful in understanding!

Discussion: Due to the unexpected Fire Drill in the middle of class, we did not finish the film today (we are 1:16:50 in), so we will do so after the weekend.

Activism Project: Finally, I introduced the main project for the Civil Rights unit, which is where students choose to identify a cause that they care about and create a poster or brochure explaining why and how people could be involved. Here's the assignment sheet that I passed out in class:


This assignment will be due the last day we meet before break, which is December 20 for your class. If you are leaving before that day for break, you will need to turn it in before.

Generally, students can choose almost anything that they want to, but I do want to hear about the issue before embarking on too much work. We will set aside a fair amount of class time before the break to do this, and I will provide large sheets of paper, but if a student wants to go above and beyond in working on the project at home or with a poster board, that is obviously great as well.

Thanks for your continued work and engagement with the Civil Rights unit! We will keep at it next week. Here's the schedule for our next few classes until break:

November 26: Finish Lift Ev’ry Voice / Assign Activism Project (graded)

December 4: Little Rock Nine (graded) / Work Time on Activism Project (poster analysis activity)

6: Children’s March (What Would You Do?) / Work Time on Activism Project

10: Music as Activism (graded) – partner assignment

12: Share Music/Work time on Activism Project 

16: MLK vs. Malcolm X – Whose Ideas Were Best?

18: Activism Project Work Time (final day)

20: Activism Project presentations/gallery walk/Unfinished Business with Civil Rights
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Friday, November 22, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 7 - Class Recap


The famous "White Stag" building sign in downtown Portland. Photo taken over Winter Break, 2015.

Hi everyone,

We continued our Civil Rights unit today by investigating and learning about some specifics about how our own city of Portland (and the surrounding area) has been impacted by struggles for civil rights. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 1: I can self-direct my learning.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: "Come Rain or Come Shine" by Billie Holliday. Selected for today because of the rainy weather over recently and the desire to keep a positive attitude about coming to school! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/22/19:
News Brief – Jon
Brown v. Board of Education
Oregon's Racist History
Lift Ev'ry Voice

Homework: Read the blog. Know your grade and how to improve it, if possible! Next news brief: Brandon.

News Brief: Jon had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: ESPN.com - Myles Garrett's indefinite ban upheld; Maurkice Pouncey now suspended 2 games. We talked about this story for a bit in class, before moving on.

We also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class over the weekend.

Brandon was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Brown v. Board of Education: I introduced the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson in the realm of public schools (which was eventually extended to most other areas of public life), Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954). Here's the case:


And here's an overview video that I showed in class to help students understand context and impact:


We spent the first part of class reading through the case and answering the questions on the back side, on your Civil Rights note sheet. We then answered the questions as a class.

Oregon's Racist History: As I tried to point out today, there is a LOT of history in our own community of racism, that I think students do not typically know about. But, there is a reason that Portland is one of the whitest major cities in the United States. A few links for curious students to check out:




I also wanted to be sure that we talked about the laws that prevented people of color from owning property in places like Lake Oswego and throughout Oregon. Here is an example:


We also watched the first 4 minutes or so of this video, to help set the stage for the main documentary I wanted to show in class:



Lift Ev'ry Voice: For the rest of class, we started watching an excellent documentary from OPB, called Lift Ev'ry Voice, and ended class about 22:30 minutes in. If you want to watch again, share, or get caught up, it is here:


Here is the worksheet that goes along with the documentary:


I think it is super important that we understand our own history regarding race in Portland, especially as I think there are some common assumptions that are just not true. As such, I was glad to see that almost everyone was glued to this in class. Thanks for your focus and willingness to learn about our own history! We will continue to watch this next class!
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Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 6 - Class Recap


Part of the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. The inscription at the base of this monument reads "From the Civil War to Civil Rights and Beyond." Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

We continued learning about the history of the Civil Rights movement in the United States and what happened after our initial look at Plessy v. Ferguson. It was more of a reading and work day! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 2: I can manage my responsibilities as a student.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye. Selected for today because it is a song about the struggle for peace, especially as a part of the Civil Rights Movement. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/20/19:
News Brief - Vinny
Courageous Conversations
PowerPoint
Early Struggles

Homework: Read the blog. Your revised Writing for Justice narrative is due today if you did not already turn it in. Complete and submit your Early Struggles response in Google Classroom if you did not today in class.

The next news brief is assigned to: Jon.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Vinny, who selected an article about this story: CBSSports.com - Colin Kaepernick workout: Everything you need to know about Saturday's NFL event with most teams expected. We discussed this story for a bit and then moved on.

We also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class over the weekend.

Jon was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Courageous Conversations: Before asking the class if there was anyone who wanted to share their Writing for Justice narrative with everyone, I went over the Courageous Conversations agreements and protocols, which is something the staff at Westview uses in our own work, and I used last year in Diversity and Social Justice a lot. Here's the compass:


With this in mind, I asked if there were any student that felt like they wanted to share their narratives with the class. Thank you for respecting this process, everyone! I am very much looking forward to reading all of these, and I am grateful for your willingness to engage with what some students described as a challenging assignment.

PowerPoint: Next, I wanted to show some more effects of the Plessy v. Ferguson decision by the Supreme Court, which allowed segregation laws (known as "Jim Crow" laws) in states. Here's the PowerPoint we went through in class (only to slide 17 - Brown v. Board of Education) as students took notes and made observations:


Hopefully this was interesting and enlightening! After the Thanksgiving break, we will look and see how separate but equal has been the law in the past in Oregon, as well.

Early Struggles: Next, I showed this video of an overview of the Jim Crow laws (especially in the South of the United States, but also prevalent in Oregon, which we will learn more about soon):



This was to remind students about the laws that made segregation and lack of civil rights a fact. A few classes ago, we analyzed the United States Supreme Court case of Plessy v. Ferguson, which helped to implement these laws.

Then, I passed out a class set of a reading called "Early Struggles" (this is also available on Google Classroom as an electronic document and assessment) from a book called Free At Last. Here is the reading if anyone needs an electronic copy to access:


As a part of understanding the reading, we continued to talk about the idea of a "hierarchy" in society, in terms of different levels. The assessment that goes along with the reading can be found here:


The rest of class was devoted to work time in reading the chapter, understanding it, and writing responses. If we had time in class, we went over the responses together, before turning them in. See you next class!
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Monday, November 18, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 5 - Class Recap


This is one of my favorite ever photos I have taken, at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Dear students,

It was so great to see you all today, as we continue our unit on Civil Rights! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 2: I can manage my responsibilities as a student.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: "You Are My Sunshine" by Ray Charles. Selected for today because of sunny days starting to go away, but of you bringing the sunshine to class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/18/19:
News Brief - Aiden
Narrative Writing/Peer Review
Work Time
Submit Final Draft

Homework: Read the blog. Your revised Writing for Justice narrative is due next class (at the start).

The next news brief is assigned to: Vinny.

News Brief: Today's news brief was assigned to Aiden, who was missing from the start of class, so I filled in and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Ford takes aim at Tesla with electric Mustang SUV. We discussed this story for a bit and then moved on.

We also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class over the weekend.

Vinny was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Narrative Writing/Peer Review: Last week, we did an activity of identifying the roles of Ally, Bystander, Perpetrator, and Victim in a narrative story that had something to do with the idea of justice. The stories that we analyzed are here:


The first page in the linked document is what students were filling out as we read the stories and thought about times in their own lives that they had been one of the roles in the stories. Here was the assignment that students had due today (this is also posted in Google Classroom):


Today in class, we continued working on this narrative writing by looking at a check list that Mr. Puterbaugh has students work with, found here:


I wanted students to see ways to revise their Writing for Justice assignment and had students have their narrative peer reviewed with a partner or group. Please remember that these stories are sometimes challenging to tell and hear, and so confidentiality is very important.

Work Time: The rest of class was devoted to working on revising the Writing for Justice narratives with peers. I must say that I have *really* enjoyed reading these first drafts and I am so proud of the work students have already put into these. 

Submit Final Draft: If students were finished revising in class, I asked that they submit a final copy of the Writing for Justice narrative. Next class, I will provide an opportunity for these to be shared, if students want to, before moving on with the rest of our unit. Thanks, everyone! See you next time!
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Thursday, November 14, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 4 - Class Recap


Inside the Dragonfly Coffee House on NW Thurman in Portland. Photo taken in 2019.

Dear class,

We continued our Civil Rights unit in class today by doing some writing about situations involving social hierarchies in our lives. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 2: I can manage my responsibilities as a student.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: "Glory" by Common and John Legend. Selected for today because of the connection with our civil rights unit (this song was created for the movie "Selma"). Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/14/19:
News Brief - Fabiola
Brainstorm
Writing for Justice
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. The Writing for Justice narrative is due next class at the beginning.

The next news brief is assigned to: Aiden.

News Brief: Today's news brief was supposed to be done by Fabiola, but she was not in class, so I filled in and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Deval Patrick announces presidential campaign. We discussed this story for a bit and then moved on.

We also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class over the weekend.

Aiden was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Brainstorm: At the end of last class, we did an activity of identifying the roles of Ally, Bystander, Perpetrator, and Victim in a story. The stories that we analyzed are here:


The first page in the linked document is what students were filling out as we read the stories and thought about times in their own lives that they had been one of the roles in the stories. Here was the assignment that we ended class with and students were working on in class today (this is also posted in Google Classroom):


To start with this, we brainstormed as a class possible situations involving various aspects of Ally/Perpetrator/Victim/Bystander. I know that it frequently is difficult for students to come up with a topic or story, and my guess is, there are a lot of possibilities out there once you think of hierarchies in society. Here's what the class came up with:

• Bullying in general
• Racism
• Ageism – younger over older, or vice versa
• Homophobia
• Walkouts (against sexual assault, sit in against racism, walkout about school shootings, Climate Change)
• Health in general
• Family issues (especially with family gatherings)
• Political issues
• Peer pressure
• Sports (playing vs. not, coach’s pet, hazing, etc)
• Parental power over kids
• Religion (and no religion)

Writing for Justice/Work Time: The rest of class was devoted to quiet work time on this assignment, which will be due at the start of next class for peer review - so heads up that someone in class will read it, though you will not be asked to share it with the class as a whole. I am looking forward to continuing to work on these with you all!
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Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 3 - Class Recap


Photo posted to the Westview High School Facebook account on March 14, 2018. Taken during a student walkout against gun violence.

Hi everyone,

As we continue the start of the Civil Rights unit, I wanted to talk about race, racism, and activism in modern context, so students could understand a bit more about what happened in history. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 2: I can manage my responsibilities as a student.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: "I Can See Clearly Now" by Jimmy Cliff. Selected for today because of the work we did regarding bias in class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/12/19:
News Brief - Jacob
Debrief Forced Choice
Implicit Bias
Who Do I Belong To?
Bystander Activity

Homework: Read the blog. The Forced Choice reflection is due today (posted on Google Classroom). The Writing for Justice narrative (introduced at the end of class today - we will have a full work day next class) is due next Friday at the start of class.

The next news brief is assigned to: Fabiola.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Jacob, who selected an article about this story: CNN.com - A San Diego State University student died after a fraternity event. The university suspended 14 fraternities. We discussed this story for a bit and then moved on.

We also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class over the weekend.

Fabiola was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Debrief Forced Choice: Last class, we devoted almost our entire time together to a debate about some social issues. I wanted to be sure to ask students how the discussion went, as well as what was interesting and thought provoking. Please be sure to submit your reflections (these will be graded) on Google Classroom by today.

Harvard Implicit Bias: The next part of class was devoted to defining the term "implicit bias" as well as taking the Harvard Implicit Bias test on Race, which can be selected here:


The goal here was to learn a little bit more about our own involuntary personal attitudes and biases, as we continue with this work. Did you find anything especially interesting or surprising about your results?

As a part of delving into how we might be unconsciously biased in one way or another, I showed this overview regarding active and covert racism, which I passed out in class:


The point here is to identify that there are certain socially unacceptable forms of racism, but that there are also all sorts of socially acceptable forms of passive racism. We talked about cultural appropriation during the Native American unit, as well.

Here were the terms we defined in class today as students took notes:

Implicit Bias: Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. 

Not for notetaking: These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control.

Social Hierarchy: any system of persons ranked one above another in society (for example: race, wealth, ability, gender, orientation).

Racism: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.

Overt and Covert Racism: see slide

Ally: a person who is a member of an advantaged social group who takes a stand against oppression, works to eliminate oppressive attitudes and beliefs in themselves and their communities, and works to interrogate and understand their privilege.

Bystander: a person who is present at an event or incident but does not intervene or take part.

Perpetrator: a person who carries out a harmful, illegal, or immoral act.

Victim/Target: a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action.

Who Do I Belong To?: Next, we heard guest speaker (and current Student Supervisor at Westview) Natalie Labossiere (she co-taught Diversity and Social Justice with me as an elective here at Westview two years ago) read from an article she had published (so cool!):


Students were asked to listen and again, write down what they were thinking and any questions that they had.

I then showed this video of Ta-Nehisi Coates talking about why white people should not use the 'n' word, even in the context of singing along with hip-hop songs:



Bystander Activity: At the end of class, we did an activity of identifying the roles of Ally, Bystander, Perpetrator, and Victim in a story. The stories that we analyzed are here:


The first page in the linked document is what students were filling out as we read the stories and thought about times in their own lives that they had been one of the roles in the stories. Here was the assignment that we ended class with and students will be working on next class (this is also posted in Google Classroom):


This assignment will be due in class next Monday, so students have about a week to complete it. Please let me know if you have any questions I can answer - I will definitely be available via blog comments or emails! See you next class!
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Thursday, November 7, 2019

Civil Rights, Day 2 - Class Recap


The Wildcat Way posters up in every classroom at Westview.

Hi everyone,

I really enjoyed our conversation in class today about interesting political issues! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Communication ALT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Behavior LT 1: Recognizes the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world, and acts in ways that are safe, legal, and ethical.
Knowledge LT 18: I can explain the role and impact of social hierarchies.

Soundtrack: “I've Seen All Good People" by Yes. Selected for today because good people can disagree on issues, as well as this being a song played at a memorial for my dad. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/7/19:
News Brief - Savitri
Respect
Forced Choice
Reflection

Homework: Read the blog. Complete the Forced Choice Reflection (assigned on Google Classroom). Turn in any missing/late work ASAP (grades are updated on StudentVUE). The next news brief is assigned to: Jacob.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Savitri, who selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Trump's White House braces for public hearings. We discussed this story for a bit and then moved on.

We also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Jacob was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Respect: Before getting into the debate in class, I wanted to note that one of the ground rules that the class agreed on at the start of the year was to respect each other. I wanted to reinforce that and also say that the discussion in class would be moderated by me.

Forced Choice: The rest of class was spent doing a forced choice debate, which I always enjoy. These were the questions I asked students to answer with a Yes or No, with no in between. We talked about the issues that are starred below:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being searched without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
*2. People in the US should have the right to own guns if they want.*
3. Democracy is always the best form of government, anywhere in the world.
*4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.*
5. Public schools should strictly enforce a standardized dress code.
6. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.
7. I would always support my country, whether it is right or wrong.
8. The motto “In God We Trust” should be removed from our currency.
*9. The death penalty should be an option for convicted murderers.*
10. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

Reflection: This was a graded assignment, posted in Google Classroom, due next class:

Write a one page (double spaced) reflection on the activity. What was the most difficult or controversial question for you to answer? Why? How do these sorts of questions relate to the study of civil rights? What did you think of the activity? What would you have said if you had more time?

Thank you for your active participation here! I also really appreciate the respect and open minds displayed. I hope that you enjoyed this activity as much as I do. Next class, we will talk a little bit more about this, then really get into the Civil Rights unit. See you next time!
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