Hooked on NFB

In the past I have been forwarded links and videos from the Canadian National Film Board (NFB) website, but it wasn't until recently that I really began to snoop through some of their educational resources. Now I am completely hooked! This would be an excellent resource for any educator, but especially those who teach language arts, literacy, media studies, social studies and history.

Be warned, you can spend hours shuffling through the films, and resources on this website! When I began, I was in search of something to use in my Individuals and Society class, and more specifically on the topic of racism. I stumbled upon a short mocumentary which illsutrates the presence of systemic racism in the work place. This mocumentary is part of a series called "Work For All" done by the NFB, which could be used to discuss institutions, work opportunities, racism, and equality rights in the work force.  The mocumentary "Jaded", features Jade Stone, a caucasian office assistant who is considered a "vismin" or visible minority in her workplace. The mocumentary plays on the idea of visibility and invisibility, the "problem" of accents, role reversal, and racial stereotypes to address the presence of systemic racism.

I think this mocumentary would be an excellent text for tackling issues of racism and inequality - topics which students feel are overdone or "common sense". In order to prepare students for watching this film I would want to:

•  Discuss the creation and construction of documentaries and their purpose
•  The differences between a documentary and mocumentary
•  The strategies that each media text uses
• What strategies does a mocumentary use, and why do we understand them to be funny? How does comedy initiate our learning?
• Have a title discussion beforehand. Why is this mocumentary titled "Jaded"?
• Discuss storeotypes, specifically gender and racial stereotypes

Here is the link to "Jaded".

http://www.nfb.ca/film/jaded/

Poetry Slams: Bringing Student and Cultural Commentaries to the Classroom

A few weeks ago, a friend sent me a youtube video of a poetry slam contestant. This participant was a member of Team Nuyorican and took second place at the National Poetry Slam of 2011. The slam took place at the Bowery Poetry Club in Boston. Here is a clip of Marshal Soulful Jones performing his poem "Touchscreen".

After watching the clip a few times I was still mesmerized by his performance - the body language, gesture, expression, tone, language, emphasis, intensity and layers of meaning. I knew that I wanted to share this with my friends and colleagues, and if I had my own English class, them too! Jones' performance could be used to discuss poetry, public speaking, media literacy, technology, online identities and communities - the possibilities were endless! Primarily I think I would use this video to address public speaking, performance and poetry. I developed some pre, during and post viewing activities to accompany the clip.

Pre-Viewing

• Ask Students: How do we define poetry? What forms can it take? What is the purpose of poetry?
• "Show and Tell": Have students bring in some poetry they are familiar with, and practice reading it aloud in small groups. (Children's books/poems, song lyrics, poetry they have written)
• Have students identify elements of poetry that they "like", "dislike" or "find confusing" and record it in a table/graphic organizer.

First Viewing - Watch and listen.

Second Viewing - Describe

• Ask Students: What does this poet want to tell us? What ideas are important? What is concered about?
• How does the poet communicate his message?

Third Viewing - Evaluate

• What is the purpose of this poem?
• Is the poet an effective speaker? Why or why not?
• What makes him an impressive performer? (make a list)
• Do you agree with his message?

Post-Viewing - Our Own Poetry Slam

• Have students consider performing a poem of their own.
• In groups or individually have students begin developing spoken-word pieces of their own.
• Have another group of students (senior or drama) perform their slam for the class.

Depending on the students in your class, carrying out the poetry slam may or may not be for you. However, I feel that if activities were properly scaffolded, most students could become comfortable with the performance element. Begin by having students read aloud comical children's literature or poems to lessen the pressure of the performance.

Enjoy!

Multimedia Macbeth

A fellow teacher candidate shared a "5 Minute Macbeth" with me the other day. I managed to incorporate this animated clip into my lesson redesign. Here is the trailer for the Cliffs Notes Shakespeare video series. They cover a variety of Shakespeare's plays including Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth, and are absolutely hilarious to boot! The website also includes notes on characters and quizzes too - a great resource for any English or Drama teacher.

http://www.cambio.com/2011/10/03/macbeth/

Lesson Redesign: The Scottish Tragedy!

Here is my lesson plan redesign for one lesson of my ENG 3U1 Macbeth Unit.

Author Reading: Shraya's "God Loves Hair"

For all those interested in Shraya's God Loves Hair, I found a reading of the text by the author himself. This clip covers the first few stories of the book - have a listen! This could also be an interesting way to present the text to your class if you didn't have the funds to buy the book, although I find that the vibrant illustrations bring another level of meaning to the text.  To those who are considering using the book in your classroom I would love to share any activities, lessons, or discussion ideas. Suggestions are most welcome.

Here is the link to the reading:

http://www.kqed.org/arts/programs/writersblock/episode.jsp?essid=43344

Teaching Out - LGBTQ Identities in the English Classroom

Over the past week I have had the opportunity to attend two different seminars on LGBTQ issues in education. The first seminar, "Teaching Out!", called professionals, teachers, students, advocates and supporters from boards all around the area to speak of the triumphs and challenges of the LGBTQ community in education. Discussion focused on the barriers and harassment that queer educators and students face on a regular basis, and how as teachers and allies we can help to improve the safety and acceptance of these students. Topics such as gender, bullying, suicide, as well as advocacy and GSAs made their way into the conversation. In the end, those who attended gained the perspective of two local high school students and GSA members. These students were able to share their story, as well as shed light on issues of gender based violence and homophobia which strongly affected their school community.

Within these seminars teachers and students shared their experience of how they brought LGBTQ perspectives into the classroom, and into the school community. In this discussion, much attention was brought to the English classroom and its potential for inclusion. Because of the flexibility of content and texts in an English class, these teachers felt a responsibility to make sure these perspectives made their way the classroom, into student writing and student discussion. Afterwords, I found myself hunting for texts that presented LGBTQ perspectives in a meaningful way. I needed the text to be appropriate, authentic, and compelling for students to read. In doing so I stumbled across Vivek Shraya's book "God Loves Hair".
 

*Illustrations by artist Juliana Neufeld*

Shraya is a Toronto based author and musician. His award winning book "God Loves Hair" includes 20 short stories and illustrations by Juliana Neufeld. The stories and artworks explore gender, sexuality and religion through the perspective of a young man whose family moves from India to Canada. I thought this graphic novel of sorts would be an interesting way to bring LGBTQ perspectives and the "coming out narrative" into the classroom. Being made up of short stories, the book is very accessible, as you could choose to use only a few excerpts or the entire book depending on time, desired topic or student maturity level. Keeping in mind the maturity level and interests of your classes, if I were to use this book, it would most likely be with a senior level class. Here is a trailer for the book! Enjoy!