Remember..You are the Designer!
REMOTE LEARNING DESIGN EXAMPLE
Below, you'll see an example of online learning design. Feel free to engage in the lessons and supports provided. Additionally, we welcome you to listen to Sarah - an 8th grade Language Arts teacher - as she talks through her decision making as a designer of this learning experience for her students.
ONLINE LEARNING DESIGN EXAMPLE
Unit 1
The MOSAIC
of YOU...
& The Message of Us
Objective
As writers, we will be constructing a visual representation that blends both photos and song to tell the personal story answering the question "What does it mean to be you?"
Need help along the way?
Click on the helpful "Mrs. Bonner" to
hear further explanations
WHY?
This assignment seeks to uncover what it means to be you in connection to your values/beliefs in hopes to creating bigger connections among all of us to create a sense of community and togetherness. To do this, we will pair the art of photojournalism and personal song anthems.
Anthems have a way to define what it means to be us. It seeks to learn about our individual selves but unites us together using the power of song. In parallel to this, photojournalism provides a platform to tell stories using pictures. How these pictures are captured and what stories they tell are solely in the hands of the creator. While we often think about writing in traditional forms, photojournalism allows writing - specifically the art of storytelling - to be taken to another level.
Assignment Inspiration: While the entire hour-long conversation is extremely powerful and thought-provoking itself, the inspiration for this experience comes from the end credits. If you scroll to 50:26 and watch the last minute of the video, you'll notice how the creator blended photojournalism with song to add to an ongoing understanding.
Materials Needed
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Camera/personal device
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A variety of resources that can help process your thinking on anthems and photojournalism
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A notebook or working document for prewriting
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An identified personal anthem
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6-7 photos representing the answer to the essential question
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An identified tool to publish both song and photos
Before We Start
While you may already becoming into this assignment with photos in mind, take a moment to inventory the various areas that could be apart of your identity. Consider the various aspects listed below that make you, you.
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See BIG--What do others see?
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Your race & ethnicity
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Your culture
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Your gender
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Your SES
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Your age
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Your sexual orientation
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Your religious affiliation
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Your physical appearance
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See small--What parts of you might others not see?
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Your experiences in school
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Your experiences with reading and writing
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Your political beliefs
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Your interests
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Your technology use
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Your motivations
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Your family relationships
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Your peer relationships
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Your confidences
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Your insecurities
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See it ALL--How does this all create the mosaic that is YOU?
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Use the list above on the left hand side to sketch, jot, free write key elements about yourself
2. Use the list to the right to think about and identify the
key values you have for yourself
3. Use the list to the right to construct value verb-driven
statements (Ex: DO the right thing.)
what to do
For values or guiding principles to be truly effective they have to be verbs. It’s not “integrity,” it’s always “ do the right thing.” It’s not “innovation,” it’s “ look at the problem from a different angle.” Articulating our values as verbs gives us a clear idea - we have a clear idea of how to act in any situation. Think about the values listed in the resource below. What values mean the most to you? How can those values be articulated (or written) into verb-driven statements?
Prewriting Part 1: Thinking About Your Photos
Now that you've had a chance to think about yourself through multiple lenses, let's think about how we can bring those identified elements to life by using photojournalism. Take a moment to review the resources and examples below. What images come to mind when it comes to looking at your story of what it means to be you?
Resources to check out!
*The above collection of photographs come from some of the well-known photojournalists in our nation including Pete Souza, Dorothea Lange, Alfred Eisenstaedt, and John Dominis.
what to do
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Using the resources above, take time to analyze or construct the nature of your photographs. Some of you may have photographs already, you may have some in mind, or maybe with the given resources, you're thinking about a new set of images that embodies (or represents) what it means to be you. *Remember, you should strive to have 6-7 photographs about you as a result of this learning experience.
2. Use the following outline on a piece of paper or a working document for your thinking...
Drafting Part 1: Collecting & Taking Your Photos
Video resource from
Reuters' photographer, Damir Sagoli
While Reuters Photographer, Damir Sagolj, provides helpful insight to the storytelling process, he does talk about photography on a global level. As you view the resource to the left, focus on the images he has been able to take and how any of his specific tips can help you shape your work.
These tips include:
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Play and Shoot: Play around with picture taking, using different angles and positions
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Research and Plan: Similar to your Prewriting Part 1, research and understand the meaning of your photos.
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Reach Out: Allow others to help formulate your pictures
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Prioritize: Again, think back to your Prewriting Part 1 as a path to help your focus
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Practice: Practice taking several photos around the specific photos you want to capture.
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Interact: Seek feedback on the photos you're collecting
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Be Invisible: To capture true candids, conceal yourself
What to do
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Using your personal device, take time to use the tips listed above and your ideas of "Prewriting Part 1" to collect your photos related to the essential question "What does it mean to be you?"
2. While the end product requires 6-7 photographs, you may find that within this drafting time, you might be taking more
photographs to choose the one you want to include in your published creation. Collect and save at least 10 photographs so that you can receive peer-supported feedback when revising your work for this assignment.
Prewriting Part 2: Thinking About Your Personal Anthem
Since 2018, NPR (National Public Radio) has explored the idea of 'what makes an anthem' and how this concept has influenced a variety of groups within American culture.
What do you think of when you hear the word "anthem?"
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Using a notebook or working document, take time to think about songs that could potentially be your personal anthem. Create a list of these songs (title and song artist(s)). Within your list, note WHY that song could be a potential personal anthem. Think about your photographs from Part 1 and our overall essential question, "What does it mean to be you?"
What to do
Drafting Part 2: Narrowing Down Your List of Songs
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Using your list of songs that you formulated (or created) from your 'Prewriting Part 2,' take a moment to evaluate your list. Narrow down your list to 2-3 songs. Try to rank your narrowed down songs by the order of importance.
What to do
Editing + Revising:
Bringing Your Ideas Together with Peer-Supported Feedback
What to bring to the editing table...
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At least (if not more) 10 photos taken from "Drafting Part 1" work
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2-3 songs from "Drafting Part 2" work
How to provide Peer-Supported Feedback
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As one person shares their photos and songs, the peer(s) providing feedback will actively listen.
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After listening to the presenter, the peer(s) will use the TAG model (to the right) to discuss the elements presented.
Moving forward to REvise
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Use the peer-supported feedback to make edits (narrowing down your photos and songs) and revisions (maybe there are other images and songs that were suggested by your peers?)
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As a result, you should have your 6-7 photographs and chosen personal anthem as you move into constructing your final product
Publishing: The Final Product + Reflection
Up until now, you've worked hard to create and formulate elements that answer our driving question, "What does it mean to be you?" Within this final stage, it becomes important to share your work with a greater audience. We will merge these ideas together - photographs and song - to create a story about ourselves. Remember, by telling our own stories, we can start to connect with others as we seek to come together as one team.
Take time to explore possible publishing tools
The final Product Showcase
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Your final product should showcase your 6-7 photographs telling the story of what it means to be you. Additionally, your photographs should be accompanied with your personal anthem song.
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HOW you choose to merge these two concepts together is up to you. Your final product needs to be accessible to everyone and posted on your blog page.
You may choose to create an iMovie using your personal device
You may choose to construct a slideshow or collage of your photos and video your photographs with the music in the
background
You may even post your collection of pictures with a sound bite located underneath your pictures for readers to listen as they
analyze
You may choose to present your photographs and use a QR code for your music - readers can scan the code
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Along with your photographs and chosen anthem, post a reflection that answers the following questions: What does it mean to be you? And, how might thinking about our own stories help us understand others?