Bringing Pop Culture into Our Classrooms Jon Weldon

Bringing Pop Culture into Our Classrooms Jon Weldon Concept Schools http: //english. conceptschools. net/? page_id=772

The Bed Intruder

Concept Schools ELA curriculum includes numerous other “texts”: Theme – Mysterious Worlds Second Unit - Recommended for 2 nd Quarter Essential Questions: Where can we find mysterious worlds? Why is it necessary or important to explore other worlds? What can we learn from mysterious worlds? How can books and art bring us closer to other worlds? Texts/ Resources Common Core Activities/Projects Standards 6 th Grade Primary Novel: Interim Assessments A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’Engle Textbook Selections: “The Phantom Tollbooth” Literature 6. 1 Compare and Contrast Venn Diagram – Literature 6. 2 Phantom Tollbooth book to play Literature 6. 3 Review Literature 6. 4 Write your own scary story – Writer’s Workshop and publish your own book Literature 6. 5 Literature 6. 6 Mysterious Worlds, see Selections by Theme, p. Literature 6. 7 xxv Literature 6. 10 Secondary Texts: Informational 6. 1 Author’s Study – Horror writers (R. L. Stein, Stephen King, etc. ) Direct Vocabulary Instruction Theme Song Essay “Writing a Movie” Informational 6. 7 Sound Movie Phantom Tollbooth (novel), Norton Juster Informational 6. 9 Abstract Representation Various Goosebumps titles, R. L. Stine Informational 6. 10 Character Mandala Art: “The Scream” (Munch), Surrealism Music: Baroque, scary movie soundtracks Writing 6. 5 Writing 6. 6 Movies: Stand By Me, Green Mile, early horror, Writing 6. 7 including Hitchcock Writing 6. 8 Writing 6. 9 Formative Assessments: Quizzes, Tests Album Cover Project Author Quest Writing 6. 2 Ongoing Writing Portfolios Art as a springboard for story Informational 6. 6 Skeleton Man (novel), Joseph Brachac Narrative Writing Rubrics Weekly spelling tests covering frequently misspelled words Informational 6. 2 Night of the Bat (novel), Paul Zindel Assessments/Measures Unit Requirements 1 long writing piece 1 Oral Presentation 1 21 st Century LIteracies Activity 3 Lessons incorporating non-print texts

Concept ELA Curriculum Theme – Visions and Dreams Essential Questions: How can I make this a better world? What do I believe? Am I a participant or a bystander? What is the American Dream? Texts/Resources Primary Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, or I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou Textbook Selections: "Dream Deferred", “Dreams”, Langston Hughes, "Hope", Emily Dickinson "I Have a Dream, " Martin Luther King “First Inaugural Address”, F. D. Roosevelt “Uncle Marcos”, Isabel Allende "I Hear America Singing", Walt Whitman Poetry "I, too, Sing America", and "A Negro Mother", Langston Hughes "There is a Longing, " Chief Dan George "Still I Rise", Maya Angelou Hiphop Lyrics "Umi Says, " Mos Def "I Can, " Nas "At the Helm, " Del, the Funky Homosapien Nonfiction My Story, Rosa Parks Film: The Pursuit of Happyness Fourth Unit – Recommended for 4 th Quarter Common Core Standards Literature 9 -10. 2 Literature 9 -10. 9 Literature 9 -10. 10 Informational 9 -10. 1 Informational 9 -10. 2 Informational 9 -10. 4 Activities/Projects 9 th Grade Assessments/Measures Authentic Task: Create a newspaper dated 1933, Maycomb, AL using real historical events as well as the events in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Include all contents of Newspaper Nonfiction Writing Rubrics Speech using persuasive techniques Formative Assessments: Quizzes, Tests Direct Vocabulary Instruction Poetry Video Essay: Students choose five different types of poetry Ongoing Writing Portfolios that represents how they want to live their life, combine them, read them, and create a video that shows images of them with Interim Assessments symbols of their future Advertisement for a unique product line that would improve the future (create an authentic audience by having a student-wide contest) Letter to the Editor with cooperation of local editing staff Products (personal dictionary, interactive notebook, journals, etc. ) Participation Oral Presentations using multi-media Scenario Scavenger Hunt: Teacher provides students with a list of scenarios with the purpose of students choosing the best mode of Publishing (web pages, authentic tasks communication for response. When the student uses the correct with authentic audiences) Informational 9 -10. 10 mode of communication, the next prompt is given. Once the student has achieved all prompts they receive a reward. Interim Assessments Informational 9 -10. 8 Writing 9 -10. 2 Writing 9 -10. 4 Writing 9 -10. 5 Writing 9 -10. 6 Writing 9 -10. 10 P. O. I (presentation of issues) Unit Requirements: D. O. L (quote journals) 1 Authentic Assessment Writing Piece Independent Reading with logs or journals 1 Oral Presentation Literature circles Anticipation Guides K-W-L Chart Simulations Question/Answer Relationships (Blooms Taxonomy) Wikis and Blogs Classroom Forums 1 21 st Century Literacies Activity 3 Lessons incorporating texts other than print

Common Core Standards and Pop Culture Grade 6 – Literature: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7. Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch. 9. Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e. g. , stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics Grades 9 -10 – Listening and Speaking 2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e. g. , visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source. Grades 9 -10 – Literature: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7. Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e. g. , Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts” and Breughel’s “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus”). Grades 11 -12 – Literature: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7. Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e. g. , recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist. )

What are your literacies? What does a textual day in your life look like? What kinds of “texts” do you regularly read? What kinds of “texts” do your students regularly read?

Analysis of a Textual Day in Your Life Identities Texts Values Social Networks Literacy Learning Athlete, runner www. usatf. org, www. iaaf. org, Sports sections in newspapers, ESPN Health, outdoors, relieve stress, competition Runners, hikers, outdoor enthusiasts Skimming and scanning (for fast times, people I know); strategies to prevent injuries; map usage; directions Movie watcher, amateur film critic www. nytimes. com, www. rottentomatoes. com, www. hollywood. com, Chicago Tribune – entertainment section, Late Night Talk Shows (Letterman, Leno, etc), Download torrents or Net. Flix, TNT, USA, TBS Entertainment, cultural awareness, film history Friends and family, movie critics, other downloaders Critical awareness (what types of movies will I like), summarizing, reflection (what did I like), reading schedules

How do you view pop culture? • “I wish that teachers listened to the music we like and would learn some of the dances through watching the videos. It would be really cool for a teacher to ask me how to do a dance or learn about a song. We could get to know teachers some, and teachers could get to know us some. ” -Interview with a 7 th grade student

• “I don’t look to using popular culture for its own sake. I have to see some connection to the standards, and I also have to be able to achieve some connection to it myself. Essentially, it’s as much about my popular culture if not more than the students. ” -Interview with a high school English teacher

3 Ways of View Pop Culture 1. Mass Culture • Assumed that audience passively accepts the text and meanings intended by producer (writer) • Low culture • For pleasure

News Clip – Woman Wakes up to find Intruder in Her Bed

2. Folk Culture • Texts have no inherently produced meaning • Important part of people’s lives • Focus on how the audience (not producer) uses the text • Examples: jeans, cellphones, birth of hiphop

3. Everyday Culture • Assumed that both producers (writer) and audiences (reader) have the power to create meaning • Important part of people’s lives, for learning identities and beliefs • Focus on both producer’s intended meaning and audience’s created meaning

Shepard Fairey

3 Ways of Viewing Pop Culture 1. Mass Culture 2. Folk Culture 3. Everyday Culture – Allows the most potential as meanings are constantly creating according to social and cultural contexts – Multimodal in nature

Multimodality • • So much of pop culture is multimodal Ron Clarke Academy’s “Vote However You Like” Not just the text on a page This then gets into what we mean by “new literacies” • Anything can be multimodal now with videos and software so easy and prevalent • performative and visual modes play a larger role in creating meaning

Inanimate Alice • http: //inanimatealice. com/episode 1/index. h tml • Lots of resources at the site: www. inanimatealice. com

Advantages of Multimodal Texts • Distributes meaning across linguistic, visual, aural, and performative modes at the same time • touches on our multiple ways of learning – Gardner’s multiple intelligences and learning styles • empowers students by allowing them chances to comprehend texts based on their own experiences • NOT about catering to a shortened attention span or lowering our standards • Intertextuality – focuses students’ attention on how texts work off or inform each other

Very important for instruction to give students opportunities to negotiate a producer’s (writer’s) assigned meaning with one that is personally acceptable to them

4 Primary Ways of Integrating Pop Culture into Your Classroom

1. Connections • Connect “irrelevant” content to students’ personal lives • For example: “Mysterious Worlds” Unit in 6 th grade includes scary movie soundtracks: 1. Show clips of some scary movies. Discuss how the music affects your viewing of the scene 2. Draw attention to plot development 3. Create a scary soundtrack to parts of A Wrinkle in Time or other novel your class is reading 4. Then do the Sound Movie activity on page 44.

Jaws – the skier scene

Psycho – the shower scene

2. Cultural Capital (Allegiances) • Recognizes the value of a cultural experience • Values the power of knowledge about particular popular texts within different groups • Encourage students to bring texts that are normally ignored • For example: Using blogs and social networks for discussion (Nings)

Example: Create a Soundtrack • Credit to Ms. Jack at HSA Denison Middle • Album Cover, list of songs and lyrics • Also an example of this in the curriculum guide on page 48 – The Album Cover Project

3. Critical Awareness • Should naturally be a part of the curriculum to develop critical awareness • Deepens students understanding of self and others • Questions how texts are produced and consumed: – What is represented in the text? – Who is the intended audience? – Why do audiences like this text? – Who benefits from using this text? – Who is left out or silenced in this text?

Movies and Films • Ms. Carter’s lesson • Should never show a movie for a whole class period • Better to choose a clip or two and just show that

Hiphop Poetry Unit • Combines first 3 models: – Connections – Cultural Capital – Critical Awareness 1. Connect to the canon 2. Compare to other poems 3. Students create their own poems/rhymes

A word about hiphop/rap 1. 2. 3. 4. Be careful. Be respectful. Show lyrics both on paper and as music. Many different types. Be certain of the type you want. 5. Multimodal. Think about what mode you want to focus on.

4. Recontextualized • Incorporates parts of the other models • Provides opportunities for students to build new knowledge and to transform pop culture texts for new purposes • How can instruction both value students’ enjoyment and transform meaning and understanding?

“The Bed Intruder” at the BET Awards

Various Internet Resources • • • www. popculturemadness. com www. rottentomatoes. com – movie reviews www. allmusic. com www. readwritethink. com – many lesson plans www. zamzar. com – convert video files Photo Story 3 http: //www. microsoft. com/windowsxp/using/di gitalphotography/Photo. Story/default. mspx

Conclusion – the 3 R’s of Pop Culture Pedagogy 1. Reflective 2. Responsible 3. Respectful