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No hero shot; Karen handing out she ets or doing something lovely and teacher-ly 00:00:07 – Karen Daley: I'm Karen Daley. I teach seventh grade Social Studies in Elrdige MD.
Still music underneath this
Continue Karen b-roll VO: Today I’m using video clips to generate discussion among my students. I’m trying to help them create media-to-self and peer-to-self-connections.
SIGNPOST #1: Understanding Cultural Identity through Media
SIGNPOST #2: Establish context and vocabulary
Classroom 00:00:28 – Karen Daley: The first thing we did, we had them define culture. Jack?
Jack: a person’s identity as contained within a group. There’s like cuisine, language.
Karen Daley: Okay, so there are many aspects of culture. When we talk about American culture in particular what comes to mind? Omna.
Omna: McDonalds.
00:00:48 – Karen Daley: Okay McDonalds good. AJ?
AJ: Like Obesity?
Karen Daley: Interesting, obesity. What else? Devian?
Devian: I usually think that American culture is a combination of many cultures from around the world because many immigrants have come to the United States.
00:01:06 – Karen Daley: I’m so glad you mentioned that. It’s something that we’ve talked about, melting pot, salad bowl. What does that mean? Corey?
Corey: It means that we’re multicultural, instead of all of the cultures just blending in, basically we have different things for different cultures all over America.
SIGNPOST #3: Give students a context for viewing media context
Classroom 00:01:25 – Karen Daley: What I want to do is I wanna show you guys this 3-minute clip. It’s from a documentary called “God Grew Tired Of Us”.
Footage from GGTU 00:01:34 – Karen Daley: I chose episodes from a documentary about Sudanese immigrants coming to America for the first time.
Classroom and Footage from GGTU 00:01:40 – Karen Daley: I want you to watch and see the challenges that these boys are facing with respect to keeping cultural identity alive.
Karen: Most of the recommendations I get for using film in my class are recommendations that I get from colleagues.
Footage from GGTU 00:01:58 – One of the Lost Boys: It will surprise many people.
Oh, look at these people are eating even using their hands.
But this looks traditional.
This will make us to look more Dinka.
Make us look for African.
Because as you know, a person without culture is like a human being without land.
Classroom 00:02:17 – Karen Daley (VO): It has to be something that is compelling, something that I know is going to affect them on a deep level in order to hold their, their attention.
Men talking in the GGTU 00:02:26 – There is something called apartment. I’ve never heard, met and I’ve never seen it.
// Shower? How does it look like? Shower?
Kids watching GGTU 00:02:35 – Karen Daley (VO): I’ve really enjoyed watching the kids watch the segments from the documentary.
Lost boys: Thank you.
Excuse me, it looks like beans.
Karen Daley (VO): I saw a lot of concentration there and I saw a lot of, oh gee, wow I can't believe that they went without this
00:03:05 – One of the Lost Boys: How do you feel, you know? That’s difficult. You cannot even ask them because these are different people.
How are we going to be acquainted with this life here?
Footage of GGTU 00:03:19 – Narration:
Merchants in Daniel and (Panther)’s neighborhood have filed complaints with the local police in Pittsburgh. They feel intimidated by the boys entering their stores in large numbers. So a meeting was called to advise the boys not to travel in groups.
Interview _ Karen Daley 00:03:36 – Karen Daley: I want them to see these common threads and be able to identify with people outside of their own cultural group.
SIGNPOST #4: Review media to establish comprehension
Classroom 00:04:46 – Karen Daley: what does he say in the beginning about a man without a culture? Julie.
Julie: He said a man without a culture is like a human without land.
Karen: Yeah. What do you think he meant by that?
A student: A human without land, it just won’t work. Human needs land to survive and he’s saying a man needs culture to survive.
Karen: Absolutely. And what evidence did you see that these boys are moving away from the Sudanese, the Dinka, culture?
Interview_Karen Daley 00:04:14 – Karen Daley: I will try to get them to make the connection by starting out with a very, very basic and then moving up.
SIGNPOST #5: Discussion strategy: make media-to-self connections
Classroom 00:04:22 – Karen Daley: Did you see anything in this particular clip that looked familiar to you?
A student: Well, like. Do you know how the Sudanese boys they can go up to anybody in their house and like knock on the door and go in. That’s kind of like in India, like everybody knows each other, so that was like one of the things with my mom when we came here she was like, she was feeling kind of lonely because everybody lived in the different cities and stuff.
Karen: Very interesting. Julie was there something that kind of resonated with you here?
Julie: I went to France four years ago and I was, where I’m from it’s like a little village and like everyone knows each other so everyone is like friendly and here it’s different because even though you’re like in your neighborhood and people know each other you don’t know the whole city.
Karen: So you’re saying there’s a lot of similarities between French villages and an Indian city.
00:05:13 - Karen: The connections, when they're able to make connections like that it is so exciting for me. So I think our job as teachers to try and allow the kids to learn from each other.
SIGNPOST #6: Analyze media to improve critical thinking skills
Classroom 00:05:22 – Karen: What I want you guys to do in your groups, I just want you to think about some of the things we’ve talking about. Everyone is gonna get one of theses sheets and I want you to answer 1 through 9 but talk about it in your groups.// You are gonna write down your own answers.
// I try and present a problem and then I'll say, well what if. And I'll immediately have them try and switch their brain over to thinking about it from the opposite point of view.
//Do you think the community did the right thing telling the cops to tell them they couldn’t come, travel together?
Students: No
00:05:53 Devian: I think the neighbors should have been able to tell that they were new to this place, so they should have actually maybe been more hospitable and try to help them.
Karen: Okay, Well, what do you think they weren’t?
Karen (VO) : I think playing Devil's advocate and forcing them to look at something, even if it's from an uncomfortable point of view, is one of the most effective strategies that I have.
SIGNPOST #7: Synthesize information to increase knowledge and self-awareness
Classroom 00:06:16 – Karen Daley: What has been your biggest takeaway? How has this really affected you? Has it made think about your own culture? AJ.
AJ: Well people all over the world are different for how they are in their cultures and everybody needs to learn to respect the different people that surround you.
Karen: Okay, good, Isa?
Isa: I used to call myself American when my cousins would ask me who I am or anybody would ask me who I am, I used to call myself American when I was younger and so now I realize that I’m not just American, I’m now a Filipino and I’m now more grateful for my culture.
00:06:55 - Karen: That’s wonderful, that’s very interesting. Last thoughts, yes.
Devian: I was able to make a connection between Sudan and Sri Lanka, because in Sri Lanka there has been an ethnic conflict there. So like my families they are originally from the minority group, so there has, in the civil war there has been genocide against the minority group known as the Damos (?)…so I was able to make that connection as well.
Interview-Karen 00:07:20 – Karen Daley: I think that the connections that I've tried to establish with them, you know, those connections pay off in class when they are willing to engage. And I love seeing them go from a quiet, hesitate learner in the beginning of the year to in June, you know, having their hands up. I’d like to think that I’ve something to do with that growth.
END OF THE SEGMENT
34 Comments
William Voelkerding Feb 20, 2022 8:40pm
I think this video sheded some light on a very important topic in our school about what does it mean to be American. As an Alaska educator I am very familar with all the different types of people that call themselves Alaskan, and in my class I have native students, Anglo students who have been here for several generation and families that new to the state. It is so important that all ethnic groups feel welmcomed and apprecaited. I have gone over microaggression with my class and at first I was a little hesitant because they seem so begnin but after taking some time and addressing certain behaviors it creates a mental shift to focus on inclusion rather than differences.
jose garcia Sep 25, 2020 4:45am
How does this lesson help students develop empathy?
Media gives life to things and events that happen thoughout history. By utilizing media, for example, videos we can manipulate the environment and influense the outcome to accomplish your desired goal. If the goal is to creat empathy, you make students watch videos about immigration and counties that face hardships on a dialy basis. This compells your students to feel appriciation for thier own circumstances and/or a sense of empathy. She said herself "it has to be something compelling.".
What do the student reflections tell you about the impact of this lesson?
The students showed signs of reflection and deep thought. They were able to verbably express thier understanding of empathy. Which suggest they were demonstrating the behaviors the Teacher wanted.
How would this lesson have been different if students had read about Sudanese immigrants instead of watching the documentary?
I am sure they only difference would be the teachers effort. The Teacher would have to put fourth more effort to achieve the desired outcome with out the use of Video Media.
Andrew Castanuela Jul 23, 2020 3:49pm
How does this lesson help students develop empathy?
The use of technology and showing realistic scenarios that show how other immigrants are having to adjust to a new environment. Students of their own culture are able to make the connection of how they had to adjust to a new soial, geographical, and economic cultures.
What do the student reflections tell you about the impact of this lesson?
The students appeared to make a real emotional and realistic connection of how they or their family had to adjust. The students then were noted to start understanding that although there are different cultures that they must learn to respect and not judge other cultures.
How would this lesson have been different if students had read about Sudanese immigrants instead of watching the documentary?
A majority of the students would not have read the lesson plan, others who love reading would develop an academic opinion on the lesson, and others who would not have particpated in the discussion.
Shay Centilli Jul 12, 2020 12:09pm
I will definetly be using this video in my classroom this coming year, it shows the students that not every culture is the same, and I love how the teacher asked them to compare their own lives/culture experiences to the "Lost Boys". It was really cool to see them pull things out of their minds that they remember from visiting or listening to their parents/grandparents.
Elizabeth Owonikoko Jun 21, 2020 10:51pm
Awesome lesson! I so much love the use of documentary video to teach the students about cultural identity. It is important to know that students learn differently and one of the ways to capture students attention and motivate them to learn new things. The documentary video helped the students connect emotionally to their own culture and accept who they are and where they are coming from. The teacher did a good job with classroom management and connecting with the students.