Social Action Collective - Recently Updated Pages

Social Action Collective

jwoollven — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:40:23 CDT

SAC is a collection of powerful lessons, resources, and strategies for middle school teachers who wish to challenge their students to analyze the media, literature, pop culture, politics, business, and society at large. SAC provides an academic framework for 6-8th grader teachers to connect a variety of expressive and persuasive writing formats such as slam poetry, speeches and essays that explore topics of social justice. SAC is a guide for teaching voice, compiling student anthologies, and publishing critical responses about injustices in their communities and in the world.

WHAT'S THE POINT?

SAC gives middle school teachers lesson plans, examples, and links for presenting the middle school Language Arts curriculum in a powerful way. This allows middle school teachers to explore how poetry functions as a vehicle for social change with their students. SAC is proof that poetry moves students to take a deeper look at the issues facing their communities.

HOW DO TEACHERS USE IT?

- audio/video (watch)

- lesson plans (organize)

- poetry/essays (read)

- teaching links (connect)

- student examples (share)

WHAT WORKED?

Why I Write, performed
Show this to your students: 3 minute video featuring Tim Swain performing "Why I Write" at Martin Middle School.

is the focal piece of this project.Themes includeinjustices, struggle, hope through writing, and diversity.
Swain’s passionatedelivery will inspire you and your students.

Why Do You Write Documentary
Show this to your students: 10 minute video on the purpose of Swain's writing

highlights the spiritual side of his inspiration. Themes include self-identity through writing, social action, and courage.

"Education means
questioning reality in order to transform it." (Paulo Freire)

Teaching Links

alinagasolina — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 07:46:15 CDT

Here's what you need to start your own community projects.

Check out these sites to inspire and challenge your students:

Donate rice to hungry people while playing a vocabulary game! Free Rice lets your students earn 20 rice grains at a time. The rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), working with over 1,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. In addition to providing food, the World Food Program helps hungry people to become self-reliant so that they escape hunger for good.

Visit the United Nations World Food Program to learn more about their successful approach to ending world hunger. Features humanitarian crisis updates, press releases from around the world, photo galleries, and educational video games to teach about the needs of starving nations.

Connect with like-minded educators from across the nation!The New York Times Learning Network provides news summaries for kids, lesson plans for teachers; all based on national and international current events.

The MAGIC Teacher has links, tutorials, and examples of media training projects around the world that enable children to get involved in media production. Students can read and explore links like Know Your Rights, Have Your Say, and Make Your Way in the Media. This is a goldmine of connections - BBC World Service and UNICEF to name a few.

Teachers Talking About Learning, an educational branch of UNICEF, links teachers to games around the world and interactive reflections sites. You'll find many opportunities to explore ideas, discuss issues, and take action with your students. All created in response to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Millenium Development Goals is an incredible UNICEF site which explains poverty, education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, disease, environment, and development. Provides videos, news feeds, articles, and photo galleries to get your students' eyes wide open concerning the state of the world.

New Tools for Digital Learning includes step-by-step instructions on blogs, wikis, podcasting, etc. Empower yourself by learning to use the latest tech tools.

WITNESS is a site devoted to featuring online technologies that open people's eyes to human rights violations. This links to The Hub which organizes world-wide "Every human being has rights" projects. This is a powerful international campaign will raise awareness in your students and encourage them to understand and speak out about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Safely connect, collaborate and teach using leading protected email and blog solutions for schools and districts by joining a global community of connected classrooms through ePals.

Voices of Youth allows your students access to games, digital diaries, and international social action discussions. Full of links and resources to inspire and amaze kids.

TED features a video archive of inspired talks by the world's greatest thinkers. This site is perfect for teachers needing motivation on any given social topic. Search engine themes include technology, science, culture, arts, and global issues such as poverty and education.

Freedom School
is a public middle schoolcreated in the honor of Paulo Freire. With it's focus on social justice and environmental sustainability, every student's differences are honored and celebrated and learning
is deep, powerful, and transformative. Be inspired by and collaborate with this powerful community of learners.

Learn about a first grade boy who took interest in a social issue on the continent of Africa, did his research and took action at Ryan's Well Foundation.

Watch and read Texas youth find voice and power through their poetry at the Texas Youth Word Collective.

Get tons of ideas, lessons and inspiration for empowering students to think more critically about media at the Center for Media Literacy.

Fight hate and prmote tolerance in your classroom with the help of Tolerance.org.

Poems For Students

alinagasolina — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:19:39 CDT

Student Examples

alinagasolina — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:41:20 CDT

"Your poem was so inspiring."
(Pamela, MMS, 8th grade)

"I really want to publish a book. Now that I saw you perform I think that I could accomplish that."
(Haroldo, MMS, 8th grade)

"I though your poem was very considerate of other people and races. Not just anybody can write a poem about how it is in anothe person's shoes."
(Roxanne, MMS, 8th grade)

"You make me want to write poems that interv.. into mine and other people's lives and find what we've all been going through, so I can help others write their own poems."
(Joe, MMS, 8th grade)

"While you were screaming to the crowd I was watching how their eyes were fixed on you. i saw some people laugh because they thought it was funny at the beginning, but I watched as you went on...their smiles whiped off their faces and then looked astonished, as if they had never seen anything this amazing in their lives before. You are a great poet. Keep at this and you might become the next Shakespeare."
(Angel, MMS, 8th grade)

"I liked how you could relate to being handicapped. A certain phrase stuck in my mind. 'I don't consider it a handicap, only an obstacle to overcome.' People who have hard lives can teach us a lot."
(Jesus. MMS, 8th grade)

"I loved your poem. In fact, I was so inspired by your work that right when I got home, I wrote something o my own. I love the piece that I produced and I owe it all to you...thank you for reminding me of my pride and my dignity. Never stop what you're doing. Never stop doing what you love. Pleased to meet you."
(Victoria, MMS, 8th grade)

"I used to think poetry was boring but you changed my mind, now I think poetry is fun, it's a great way to express your feelings."
(Lizbeth, MMS, 8th grade)

"Your poem was awesome, it inspired me to write my poem. Not just because my teacher was making me, but I got very interested in your kind of poetry."
(Samantah, MMS, 8th grade)

"Your poem inspires me; it makes me think of things in a different way; of people in a different perspective."
(Stephanie, MMS, 8th grade)

Painted on Public Walls

(DT)Art is important right now because the existence of art preserves our individuality, self-expression and creates another median for people to be able to communicate ideas and messages to each other. Art has been a huge influence in my own life; now, in retrospect, a lot of how I am and what I know has been passed down to me by artists expressing themselves through the various art forms. (JL) Ever since I was born I was around art. My dad was a really really good artist and he would draw me pictures when I was little. I remember when I was 6, my cousin started drawing and I saw how my dad and my cousin could draw. I wanted to draw also. So as time went by, I would get better and then all I would do was draw. Everyone in my family would buy me sketch and drawing books. Around 5th grade is when I really started drawing graffiti. My cousin showed me and I though it was one of the coolest things ever. I want to draw like all the other big graffiti artists. (JD) I basically grew up doing art. Even though there’s not a lot of art in New Orleans, I still love to do it. It makes me feel empowered. It’s empowering because it comes from nothing and we made it “school appropriate.” When you do it, either way, you’ll be respected. (JF) The artists take time out and put effort and creativity in their artwork. (JD)When I started doing art, I wasn’t too good. But now, art has grown on me and it’s who I am. The art that I see everyday is just bombing and tagging. It’s still good because I like the colors. (DT)Music is a huge part of my culture. So much history is not written down or included in history books we study. But history lessons and lessons of culture have been delivered to me through music, poetry, short stories, essays, cinema, theater, fiction and non-fiction literature, paintings, and even through fashion. Hip-Hop culture and graffiti are intertwined. Since the beginning of Hip-Hip, graffiti has reflected visually what the music has expressed through its sound and lyrics. The four elements of Hip-Hop include DJing, MCing, break dancing, and graffiti. These elements have been a product from the concrete jungle from marginalized people that have to double and triple the perseverance because they are not accepted by the mainstream and those that hold power to create and enforce laws. (JF) Every work of art has some kind of meaning to someone; or a message to anyone that sees it. (DT) All of these forms have self-expression in common; they all have something to say and they say it.

(CC) Art is everywhere not only in paintings. (DT) It is part of our everyday lives but it isn't until we take not it that we can really begin to appreciate it. Even the cars we drive and ride in have been drawn in sketchbooks before even hitting the assembly line. They are drawn by creative people that express themselves through designs. (CC) I feel that art is very important because people express themselves and get relaxed making art. (JL)I love drawing because when I get in trouble and have to stay inside, when I remember my dad and him not being around anymore, or when I’m around my family and have get-togethers; I just draw on a paper and change my feelings into art. (CC) The world without art just wouldn't be the same. (CC) Art is only one way people to express yourself and what you feel. There is music, dance, and fashion. If these didn't exist, people wouldn't be able to express themselves. For example, in music, the lyrics express what the artist has to say. It would be as if we couldn't talk. (CC)Art is a very cool and fun way for people to express themselves;( DT) without it, (JF) the world would be dull or have no real expression or meaning.

(DT) With the mural I express myself by sharing ideas with the artists. I drop the creative responsibility on the shoulders of the artists who picked the colors, messages, designs, and other pieces of their work. (JD) I express myself a lot because doing the mural makes me feel wide-open, like a door. It has got me some hook-ups to do other murals too. I first felt like it probably wasn’t going to be all that good but then, when we started to come up with ideas, so many of them popped in my head. (JL) I thought it was something cool to do. I drew up the letters but it was really hard to come up with; ever since I did drew “Rangers”, it helped me make my own style; my own graffiti style. I'm still working on my style. The mural shows so much life and effort to show people that not all graffiti or tagging is bad. The “bad” in which I'm talking about is how people go and just put up anything. Like, it's not all negative. Most graffiti and tagging is great art. (JF) I want people to know what I do and how I use this ability, and, if people don’t see that this mural represents us and our feeling towards the school, then I don’t know what this is for.

(DT) Working on the mural is empowering. For me, the feeling of accomplishment is different than that of the artists. I facilitate self-expression and value being able to share time and knowledge with hungry and determined young minds. So much is learned through plain and simple relevance. We come together producing art out of curious exploration and creative expression. It shows how we work together and achieve things we agree on as being relevant to our lives.
(DT) We experienced the reward of completing a work of art by sharing ourselves, in essence. We all come from different backgrounds and have very different histories; each of us carries our own experience. Yet, we all work together by using things that connect us rather than detach us from each other and ourselves. (CC) I think since all four of us put our talents to use it came out the way it did. In the mural, we showed what we do and also showed who we are.

(DT) Tagging is a form of graffiti. The problem is that the word “tagging” has been used to describe any junk, doodle, or waste of ink and space that are found anywhere. Instead of “tagging” they could have called it doodling or simply not having paper to waste. Generic messages on bathrooms or other public places do graffiti no justice and confuses the unaware public into thinking that that graffiti is any thing less than high art. The same way that classes of students get in trouble and have to pay for the actions of one or two goofs, graffiti artists have to accept being called vandals and public enemies because some feel that it is alright to write and draw non-sense where it becomes a nuisance for some. It is too bad that we see more doodles and shallow messages than actual graffiti art. (JF) Graffiti is art to express yourself or kind of send a message to inspire anyone that that needs to be inspired.

(JD) The difference between graffiti and tagging is that tagging is like bombing; you’re going to a wall or a bridge or something, and you’re putting up a ‘throw-up’, which means you’re tagging fast before the cops come. Graffiti is when you think about what you’re going to do and you draw down all the details. So when you do the piece, it’s big like a mural. I actually like both of them because the letters and colors are good. (JF) Just because that’s the world we live in today. I like graffiti a lot because it actually means something and represents itself and what artists feel or believe in. (CC) that’s why I felt good working on the school mural. We made some good art expressing our own style. (JF) Graffiti is a higher art that brings out what people really feel inside about where they live, the world, or even themselves. (JD) Well I will tell you this: graffiti started because people wanted their artwork to be known and they didn’t want it to be small.

(JL) When I was drawing the letters, I thought how cool it would be if they put the mural up in the school. And they did. It was so cool to know that everyone will see the artwork. I think that the mural was an awesome project. (DT) Our mural represents unity. Josh D., Josh F., Jamie, and Carlos have left Wallace by leaving behind a symbol of creativity and opportunity. (JF) I really felt good about doing something for the school that I enjoyed doing and I hope that this mural inspires young people to follow their dreams and be whatever they want to be. (DT) Dreams are reachable no matter who tries to make you believe that they are not. (JF) Find your dream; find what you need for that dream, then go to work. (JL) I can’t wait until the next thing I do!
Daniel Torres, MA Sociology, Texas State University, AmeriCorps Volunteer CC, JL, JD, & JF: 8th Graders @ Wallace MS 2008.

Lesson Plans

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:33:31 CDT

Unit Title:The Power of Language,How Words Change Our World

Level: Grades 6-8

Teacher Objectives:
Define and explore transformative literacy
Provide critical framework for integrating new and diverse literacies in secondary classrooms
Promote community, national, global, digital citizenship
Turn the writing over to students
Publish/share student writing in an anthology
Extend colleague collaboration,connect to other schools/teachers around the country & allow students to sharework

Student Objectives:
Write expressively and develope unique voice
Raise awareness by setting social change in motion
Write about problems inschool/neighborhood
Explore political power of the written word
Research topics such as racism, poverty, segregation, and human rights violations

Guiding Question:How does poetry function as a vehicle for social change?

Final Product: Poem & pamphlet

Teacher Profiles

alinagasolina — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:54:34 CDT

'question reality in order to transform it.'

Who are we?

Jennifer Woolven, language arts teacher, martin middle school, austin, tx

Alina Adonyi, master teacher, wallace middle school, kyle, tx

James Jupp, curriculum coordinator, martin middle school, austin, tx

What are our responsibilites?

- maintaining digital dialogues

- bridging the digital devide

- promoting community service-based education

- bringing slam poetry and hip hop into classrooms

Our goal is to challenge adolescents to explore and investigate their roles, identities, and responsibilities in their communities and in the world.

We want to encourage, transform, relate, challenge, and share voices,talent, and creativity

Join us as we present at the 2008 NCTE Annual Convention

'Power of Language' Jan.25, 08

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:04:35 CST

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