Teaching Strategies
Small Group Informal Research and Presentation
Many teachers introduce research in formal, all-encompassing ways such as a lengthy research paper which takes a month to write. Teachers do the same things with presentations. These are usually huge anchors in any classroom. For this unit, I want to invoke a quick, informal research and presentation strategy. Most students have access to the Internet through the use of their phones and are used to the phrase, “Just Google it.” This is typically how they get their information. I do it too when I need a quick refresher or when I simply need a fast answer. I will group students together in small groups and ask them to pick a subject to do a quick research on. This will be a great time to do a quick review on finding credible sources while using Google. It doesn’t have to be long- just a few reminders. Give a set of questions to guide their research. Give them 20-30 minutes to research and answer the questions and to find two to three visuals that can be displayed. You can have students create a presentation on chart paper or use a free platform like Prezi or Google Slides. Then the next day, each group will give a five-minute informal presentation teaching the class about their subject. This can be an easy way to disseminate a lot of information.
Reading as Social Movement Theorist
Along with my usual annotations, looking at use of language and syntax, characterization, imagery, etc., I will have students read the book through a social movement theorist lens. While reading The Handmaid’s Tale, students will be examining the results of a successful, albeit fictional, social movement for a theocracy which created the nightmarish society of Gilead and paying attention to its creation. What steps did they take? How did they mobilize and unify their group and message? This novel, more importantly, shows us how Gilead maintains control. So, students should also ask how they do this and what techniques do they use to continue their control over Gilead? Students should also look for ways that the Mayday Resistance organizes. How is their message spread? What tactics and strategies do they use in comparison to other social movements we learned about? These questions will guide their reading through a social movement lens. Students would use post-its or paper to record their observations about how this movement was successful, along with the typical English classroom annotations.
Whole-class Simulation and Role Play
Some of the best lessons I have created transform my classroom into something else. From fictional courtrooms during the Salem Witch Trials to pitching episode ideas for Black Mirror, my students thrive in whole-class simulation and role play. In a recent educational study, authors found that using simulation and role play in the classroom “offer[s] students a chance to increase confidence in their abilities to understand and interact with others, and be empowered to voice their ideas and act with intention and purpose. Such learning opportunities can enable them to fully participate in our democratic way of life, in both the protected spaces of schools and beyond.”32 As cheesy as it sounds, when you take away the normal educational setting and you give students something else they can imagine, they are way more engaged and willing to do the tasks - which usually involve writing- that I ask them to do. The final project will ask you to turn your classroom, maybe even your school, into Gilead, assigning students specific roles to play.
Zine Creation and Publication
Create a zine using a few sheets of copy paper and the cut-and-paste method of the Riot Grrrls. Encourage use of handwritten writings, manipulation of media, typewriter fonts, etc. The goal would be that you could easily reproduce copies to be passed around your classrooms, maybe even your school, depending on the content and how supportive your school is. Knowing that something will get into the hands of others will make most students more mindful of their message. It is important that they know their audience and what the zine's purpose is.
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