Underground+Railroad+Lesson


 * Underground Railroad Lesson**


 * Resource:** //Under the Quilt of Night// by: Deborah Hopkinson


 * Standards:**

__**CCLS**__


 * SL.3.5.** Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.
 * Students must master a range of practical and technical skills involved in expressing ideas effectively and compellingly. (//Armstrong et al//., 2004, p.2) **

__**NYS Standards for the arts**__


 * Standard 1 - Theatre** //Key idea//: Students will create and perform theatre pieces as well as improvisational drama. They will understand and use the basic elements of theatre in their characterizations, improvisations, and play writing. Students will engage in individual and group theatrical and theatre-related tasks, and will describe the various roles and means of creating, performing, and producing theatre. //Performance Indicator//: imitate experiences through pantomime, play making, dramatic play, story dramatization, story telling, and role playing.


 * Standard 4 - Theatre** //Key idea//: Students will gain knowledge about past and present cultures as expressed through theatre. They will interpret how theatre reflects the beliefs, issues, and events of societies past and present. //Performance Indicator//: dramatize stories and folk tales from various cultures.

1. Read a portion of a slave narrative for understanding and cultural connection. 2. Break the narrative vignette into action chunks to be pantomimed. 3. Write an action script to guide pantomimes. 4. Create a video of the pantomimed vignette. 5. Create an audio recording to accompany their video that follows the beats created by the action scripts to aid in the telling of the story. 6. Piece together the story using the video with overlayed audio to tell the whole story as a class.
 * Objectives:** //Students will...//
 * Learn the mechanics of writing and how to use text to communicate knowledge and ideas more efficiently //(Armstrong & Warlick//, p.2) **
 * Match their message with the medium that best communicates it and use appropriate tools to create or modify it to attract audience attention (//Armstrong & Warlick//, p.2) **
 * By combining writing (a script, presented in a voice-over), images or short video clips, sound effects, and music into a movie, students can find a way to become producers of content as well as consumers. Clear communication encompassing a variety of media is comfortable and natural for today's students and engages them in creative thinking and planning (Armstrong & Warlick, p.5) **
 * When we learn, we incorporate new knowledge into old knowledge. In neural network terms, new learning is integrated into networks that have been shaped by previous learning. Consequently, what the brain already knows can influence what it will learn from a new example or experience ****(//Rose and Meye//r, 2002, p. 4) ****. In my classroom, my pedagogical approach would be arts integration where students would be used to using the art modalities to make meaning as well as express their own meaning. These modes would be applied to learning new material. **

//Script:// A new action beat should occur with every change of action. //Video:// Pantomimes should be clear and understandable. Every group member should appear in some capacity. //Audio:// Recitation should follow the action beats and be read clearly and expressively. Every group member must be a part of the audio recording.
 * Assessment:** Students will work in groups to create an action beat script, a video recording, and an audio recording.
 * Obviously, writing is a core for all students since some information is best communicated in text. But other information might be best expressed in pictures, sound, animation or video (//Armstrong et al//., 2004, p.2). **
 * As our knowledge of the distributed processing  in the brain grows, we know that students do not have one kind of intelligence or one way of learning they have many. To accommodate these many ways of learning, we can use what we know about how each brain network operates to make our teaching methods and curriculum materials flexible in specific ways ( //Rose and Meyer//, 2002, p. 2). **
 * Providing multiple representations of patterns through a variety of media, formats, organizations, levels of detail, and degree of depth includes more learners by offering both choice and redundancy. Choice enables those with disabilities affecting a particular modality to access the information via another one. It also enables students to find the format or medium that appeals to and works //best // for them increasing their access to learning (//Rose and Meye//r, 2002, p. 4). **

**Though all students must complete each portion, working in groups allows students to take the lead on any one of the three expressive modes in this project. Students who are most comfortable performing the pantomime can play a larger role in this task etc. The only requirement is that each student have some part in each task.**

Use the video recording device Use the audio recording device Overlay the audio over the video Post the edited video to wiki Edit font colors on word Post a document to wiki Upload audio and video files to the wiki
 * Technological Knowledge Needed:** //How to...//
 *  It is just as important to use a computer to process the invisible numbers behind images, audio and video content as it is to be able to add, subtract, measure, count and calculate visible numbers. (Armstrong et al., 2004, p.2) **
 * Learning to //generate // patterns ( //how //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> to do something) requires developing a mental model of the pattern in question. Developing internal models requires exposure to external models of expert performance and to counter-examples that demonstrate incorrect execution ****<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> (//Rose and Meyer//, 2002, p. 5). S tudents are provided with video, audio, and teacher presented expert performance. **
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Digital media offer widely varied supports and opportunities to help students demonstrate knowledge and skills. Publishing on the World Wide Web or on a class home page invites <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000099; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">feedback <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> from an expansive audience and can provide a sense of accomplishment (//Rose and Meye//r, 2002, p.5). **

Students will work collaboratively in a small group. Time must be allotted for each group to process their vignette text and create an action beat script prior to video recording. Groups will need time to rehearse pantomimes and recitations. Some groups may be recording audio while others are recording video to maximize time. Upon completion, students should have time to view the videos, comment, and reflect. **The pride in showing off their work and the attention from comments from other students is part of the reward of the project as well as the obvious grade reward. Perhaps I could have a viewing party with snacks as an additional reward.** Students will need to plan each step of the process to insure a cohesive final product. Though every group member must appear in the video and audio portions, ** this can be done in a variety of ways that allows the students more creative freedom (ie. All at once, one at a time, etc.). ** **Students are provided with many opportunities to make directorial choices throughout this project.**
 * Pedagogical Content Knowledge:**
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">To achieve complex strategic goals like playing tennis, driving a car, or writing a research paper, a learner must //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">automatize //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">, or over-learn, the individual steps in the process until each is automatic. Only when the subcomponents come automatically can a tennis player concentrate on game strategy, a driver concentrate on destination and route, and a student concentrate on the style and clarity of the research paper. This requires extensive practice (//Rose and Meye//r, 2002, p. 5). **
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">A common way to motivate students is to provide external rewards and punishments (//Rose and Meye//r, 2002, p. 6). **


 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Giving students choices of content and tools can increase their enthusiasm for learning particular processes (//Rose and Meyer//, 2002, p. 6). **

Timing for this project is also dependent on the number of video and audio recorders available. This lesson may require 2 days to complete the student portion, and a third day to reflect and view after the teacher has edited and posted the completed videos. Only one computer is needed per group.

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