A Cultural Revolution
Classroom Goals: #StaywokeOne overarching goal I have for the kids is for us to (together) come to a broader understanding of the cultures around us. As a result, we spend a lot of class time digging into cultures both familiar and unfamiliar to us.
We want to both understand how our own cultural perceptions are made, and we also want to better understand cultures we only know in the form of stereotypes. We want to challenge ourselves. Here's how we do it: We don't just read in class. We read and analyze to be better consumers of our world. So the intersection of culture and the materials we use in class is inseparable. |
African-American Culture: From Malcolm X to Hip-Hop
We spend much of our year analyzing various hip-hop artists, past and present, from Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Vince Staples to Tupac and Biggie Smalls. The kids love to talk about these artists that represent their own culture, make strong connections, and they love to identify problems (as well as offer solutions).
Unit: The Birth (and Growth) of Hip-Hop
Unit: Analyzing Malcolm X's "The Ballot or the Bullet"
Iranian Culture and Persepolis
A new addition to my classroom this year has been the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. The novel is Satrapi's memoir, telling of her experiences growing up in pre-and-post-Revolution Iran. Satrapi has taught us much about our unfair perceptions of Middle Eastern countries (and just how cool she is).
Iranian Art and Heritage: A Slideshow
Lightning Round Assignment: Redefining Islamic Heritage
Hispanic Culture and Feminism: A Slideshow
Breaking Our Own Stereotypes
Our overall experience has been one of breaking down the stereotypes we see in the world. We work to read, analyze, and write on stories and readings that shatter our perceptions.
Move forward to the next page, Discussions, Analysis, and Purposes, to see a variety of student projects that show the knowledge they uncovered from working through these assignments.
Move forward to the next page, Discussions, Analysis, and Purposes, to see a variety of student projects that show the knowledge they uncovered from working through these assignments.