Lesson 8 - A Web of Voices: Critical Literacy in Action - Part Two of Culminating Task

Whole Class > Discussion: What's Next?

This lesson calls upon the students to use their critical literacy skills to promote safe, caring and inclusive approaches to end cyber bullying. Review the choice board (see Appendix 5) to decide which of the following options you would like to offer to class. Once you have determined a suitable range of choices for your class, explain to students that they can impact positive change and learning beyond the classroom by sharing their work and some key messages and strategies with a broader community. Emphasize that their voices are powerful and that what they say and do has influence in the world. Depending on available time and resources, the class may tackle one or more of these outreach strategies; alternatively, you can brainstorm other options or combinations of approaches with the students. 

Whole Class > Options For Taking Action

Based on which option(s) your class has selected, read the corresponding instructions below, and proceed according to plan. Review the success criteria with students (Appendix 6) and tell them that you will be visiting each working group and conferencing with them to understand why they choose their particular medium of expression. Also emphasize that you will be observing how they create, revise and refine their presentation together.

Live Performance

Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! Give the groups time to practice their scenes, and assemble all needed costumes, props, and accessories. Encourage them to pay attention to where the audience will be and how they will relate to them. Review and practice the running order for the scenes. When the students are ready, invite one or more other classes from the school to come see their scenes,  followed by a question and answer period about cyber bullying. You may wish to preface the sharing with an introduction to the unit, done by you or selected students. This could also be an opportunity to share other work from throughout the unit such as videos, poster, poems or more. 

Video Scenes

Create a video version of the dance/monologue scenes, putting the video conventions observed and analysed throughout the unit into action. See Appendix A for a step-by-step  lesson. You may also wish to reference: Think Literacy:  Media, Grades 7-10  for more details regarding story boarding, video techniques, and more. These videos could be shared with other classes in the school, online, or on the class blog if you create one.

PSA

Have the students create Public Service Announcements about Cyber Bullying to share with other classes or online. Reference PSA's viewed and analysed throughout the unit for inspiration. See Think Literacy:  Media, Grades 7-10  for an extensive explanation of, and focus on, examining and creating PSAs.

Class Blog

Discuss with the class if they would like to share the big guiding question responses, the videos, or any of their poems or writing from throughout the unit online. This way, it can reach an even broader audience to educate and impact change in relation to cyber bullying. Be sure to respect school and board guidelines regarding online posting of student work and images, as well as to take into account any personal discomfort from the students in regard to online sharing.  

If you decide as a group to share your work online, you will need to decide where and how to do so. Do you want to create a class blog? Or a Facebook or Myspace page? Should everyone post individually on their existing sites or profiles? The answer to this question may depend on how knowledgeable you and your students are regarding posting documents or videos online. There is a hyperlink to the right for Wordpress, where you can create a free blog. Proceed according to your collective decision.

Poster Campaign 

Give each student a piece of paper and some markers or pencil crayons. Ask them to create an Anti Cyber Bullying poster based on their learning throughout the unit.  The poster should include a slogan and images to communicate a clear message.  When they are finished their posters, post them in a public space in the school such as the main lobby or a hallway where lots of students will see them. Along with the posters, you may wish to hang the big guiding questions and responses, to foster dialogue in the school regarding cyber bullying. If the posters are digital (on the computer), you may choose to post them online, or on the class blog if you make one. (see sidebar for poster design web-site)

Raps/Poems

Have the students write poems or raps about cyber bullying.  Consider using the PDF #9 If I Were in Charge of the World Poem Template or "If I Were in Charge of the World" template on the ETTC "Instant Poetry Form" website (see hyperlinks). If you select the electronic option, students will need access to computers. Once the poems are completed, you may choose to share them as a class in a choral speaking structure, and add movement as desired. This could act as a performance for another class in the school. The poems themselves could be posted on the class blog if one is created. Evaluate using PDF #10 Poem Rubric.