a picture is worth... Teachers Guide by Amy Anselmo

the voice of today’s high school students Teac h e r ’ s g u i d e

Introduction a picture is worth... combines the skills of literacy, critical thinking, communication, photography, technology and essay writing with

crucial values

of integrity,

self-awareness,

empathy and

leadership. This standards-based high school curriculum was born from a need to address Reading, PA’s “unwelcome distinction” in 2011 from The New York Times as America’s city with the highest poverty rate, low college-degree attainments and elevated high school dropout numbers. Its vision includes the belief that surfacing and supporting student voice will uncover the power and insight needed to make positive personal and larger social change. This creative, dynamic curriculum and program — a collaboration between Threshold Collaborative, photographer Janice Levy and I-LEAD

Charter

School

Reading

its

teachers,

staff

and

learners—provides youth with the opportunity to find their voice by crafting indelible stories about their lives and sharing them through audio, photographs and written essays. Please visit www.apictureisworth.org for additional photographs, audio files and a wide range of integral resources. Copyright © 2014 I-Lead, Inc. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents 5 History and Vision 8 Learning Goals Personal Values Academic Goals Character Education 13 Framework 15 Themes 17 A Word About Final Projects 20 Weekly Work Plan 21 Unit 1 - Family and Heritage 28 Mini Unit - What is Oral History? 33 Unit 2 - Self & Other 39 Unit 3 - Community & Leadership 44 Unit 4 - Putting it all Together 46 Resources: ● Tips for Writing Your Essay ● Examples of Good Interview Questions ● Add Your Own Audio/Video/Bibliography ● Common Core Connections & Partnership for 21st Century Skills ● Threshold Collaborative’s Storygathering Toolkit

“ For apart from inquiry, apart from the praxis, individuals cannot be truly

human.

Knowledge

emerges

only

through

invention

and

re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.”

— Paulo Freire

History & Vision In the fall of 2012 Threshold Collaborative and I-LEAD developed a curriculum for high school students at the I-LEAD Charter School in Reading PA, called, a picture is worth… The apiw curriculum is based on the idea that by learning more about who they are, building shared values with their peers and connecting those values with their larger community, academic, social, emotional and changemaking skills can be strengthened in a holistic manner. The young learners in our pilot were emblematic of many students around the country: low income, inner-city, immigrants with English as their second language. Many, if not most, had significant challenges in school where their needs had largely been ignored. The I-LEAD Charter High School provided them with a second chance: one that emphasized their abilities to learn, grow and lead. a picture is worth... provides youth with the opportunity to find their voice, surface their values and connect with others in creative and affirming ways. It uses writing, audio stories and photography to create

powerful multimedia narratives.

Developed

through

the

interplay of image and story, self and other, the program is designed to reveal the depth and complexity of our lives, honed and shared in ways to spark connections, empathy, awareness and action.

The curriculum outlines a process that engages students in crafting powerful stories of their own lives, connecting deeply with others and honing the impact they want to have in the world. a picture is worth…

was designed to provide a standards based,

creative and dynamic high school curriculum that compliments Language Arts programming. The program integrates academic skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening with the 21st century skills of critical thinking as well as hands on, creative projects that are so important for grounding student learning. Equally important to these academic goals, in our view, is our focus on values of integrity, self-awareness, empathy and leadership. We hope that you will find the curriculum and program one that inspires you and your students to achieve and thrive. The enclosed curriculum is the result of this powerful pilot. It provides the curricular and practical framework for a semester long class that meets every day although it can be adapted to the available timeframe of your academic calendar. The enclosed framework leaves options for input and creativity of the instructor and students as well as the unique environment in which you are using it. Please take the time to add your ideas, resources and strategies to what we consider a living document. Our goal is to create an opportunity for sharing and collaboration that grows more powerful over time.

Jean, I-Lead Charter School, Reading, PA photo Janice Levy

Learning Goals The learning goals of apiw are to develop the personal, academic, creative and civic assets of young learners. These goals are grouped in the following three categories.

“ I loved every single minute if this program. The students learned to listen, to connect, to open up and to write.”

1. Personal Values Personal Development: Deepen insight and awareness of one’s self, family heritage and the larger community.

Changemaking and Agency: Develop the insight and confidence to put values into action.

Positive Vision: Find one’s voice, surface one’s dreams and build a plan for enacting personal goals.

Empathy: Strengthen confidence to build affirming connections with others. Build Citizenship and Community: Inspire understanding of and interest in improving their community. Deepen awareness of local issues and create opportunities to solve problems.

Effective Dialogue: Learn and practice a continuum of dialogue skills from intense listening and reflection to powerful advocacy.

2. Academic Goals

Literacy: Strengthen reading, writing and editing.

History and Culture: Learn about the interplay between recorded history, culture and lived experience.

Critical Thinking, Planning and Implementation: Research, plan and prepare for

extended projects. Strengthen student’s ability to analyze and

understand deeper meaning.

Develop Effective Communication Skill: Practice and strengthen the ability to tell one’s story and connect with others.

Social Emotional Skills: Build and strengthen engaged empathy.

History and Culture: Deepen awareness of history, culture and heritage as well as their influences on individuals and the community.

Applied Technology: Develop and strengthen skills of photography, audio/video recording and editing as well as web development.

3. Character Education Leadership: Develop leadership skills and learn what it takes to apply those skills. Collaboration: Strengthen teamwork and

understand

the

differing

contributions needed to make something happen.

Strategic Thinking: Develop the skills to creatively solve problems.

Democratic Principles: Strengthen awareness of the values of participation, inclusion and community.

Perseverance: Examine the role of and strengthen student’s grit and determination.

“ Before starting this class I did not really understand how powerful it would be for these young learners to learn to tell their stories. Now they understand who they are as people and where they are going.”

Jessica, I-Lead Charter School, Reading, PA photo Janice Levy

Framework Time Needed: This program originally took place in a one semester class that met 5 days/week for 90 minutes each day. However, the material can be divided in many other ways consistent with your school environment, style and schedule.

Academic Standards, Common Core Connections and Partnership for 21st Century Skills: The material is meant to be used during the school day in any number of class settings from Language Arts/Literacy to Social Studies/Media Studies to Art/Technology.

We have linked the curriculum to Common Core Learning

Standards and Partnership for 21st Century Skills in order to support the integration of apiw into your schools’ learning goals. However there are many other ways to describe and organize the learning goals of this project that may work better for you and the culture of your school. Please do not feel boxed in by these references however we hope they are helpful for those whose schools. Common Core Standards and Partnership for 21st Century Skills that are relevant for each learning goal are provided at the end of the curriculum.

Equipment & Resources Each student will collect written, audio and photographic material during the semester that will be used to complete interim and final projects. Each student will need to create a folder in Google drive or other file sharing program in order to save and share material. Here they will organize and store class assignments and other material such as photos, poetry, and music. Decisions about how, when and where to share work will be a part of the ongoing conversations that are part of this class. It is recommended that students be explicitly taught how to set up and save their work to the filesystem of your choice. We also recommend that a copy of all original work be saved. This will ensure that any edited or reformatted work does not replace or substitute originals.

Students will need access to: ●

a personal computer with internet access

● an audio recording device or smartphone & an external microphone ● a digital camera & art supplies.

Themes The semester is divided into three themes. The themes are meant to build on one another and to culminate in the final project. They are:

Heritage, Culture and Lived History Developing awareness and understanding of one’s family heritage and the lived experience of your community.

Self/Peers Developing awareness of one’s uniqueness and connection to others through an exploration of shared values.

Community Developing an understanding my community; its assets and needs and how one becomes a changemaker, helping to make my community a better place.

“

The students now see that they share values,

experiences and dreams. They have big dreams for their futures and how they can improve their community.

”

A Word About The Final Projects An important piece of the apiw curriculum are the connections made between learning, doing and sharing. These are made explicit through the final 1000 word essay and other creative ways of sharing the journey of growing awareness, connectedness and skills. Here we describe a few of the specific projects and/or products that can be employed to develop and share the power of each student's voice. Each student is expected to write a 1000 word essay. The other projects are described here as examples of other creative story sharing strategies.

Polished Essay: Each student will write a 1000 word essay that weaves together their understanding of themselves, how they became who they are, their dreams for their future, and the contribution they seek to make in their community. These essays will have many possible uses: in college and job applications, submitting to the apiw web site and/or submitted for publishing in the next version of the book, a picture is worth...

Books: Students can create their own books, online or in print, that incorporate writing, photography, other visual artwork and audio clips. This book acts as a “memory box” for the experiences and insights gained during the semester and embody their achievements in writing, visual art and audio recording skills.

Public Art or Gallery Show: Audio narratives, written work, photography, paintings and video are crafted into opportunities for the larger community to experience apiw. Examples can be viewed at: helloneighborproject.org/hn.php?category=project and www.photovoice.org

Radio, Audio & Video: Students develop radio/podcasts, video and other creative, multimedia products using stories and final projects. Examples can be viewed at: youngwritersproject.org youthvoices.adobe.com youthradio.org

Theatre, Performance & Readings: Students develop dramatic, public performance inspired by the work created during the class. An example can be found at: www.pingchong.org/education--training, www.portlandstorytheater.com playbacktheatre.org

Web Based Sharing and Community Building: Students share final projects and stories on the apiw platform, a private, secure online space structured for sharing internally within a respective school or class and externally with other participating school communities. See www.apictureisworth.org for more information.

“Human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.”

— Gabriel García Márquez

Weekly Work Plan In this section we describe the specific work plan for each Unit of the curriculum. Each unit is comprised of the same building blocks. They can be accomplished in any order you like. Building in time for conversation and reflection is important and left to the discretion of the teacher and desire of the class.

Read & Reflect: Suggested readings may be weekly assignments and/or used as semester long readings.

Listen & Watch: References to audio and video stories relevant to each theme and unit are included in the curriculum.

Interview & Record: Each unit uses the practice of being interviewed and interviewing others as a core learning strategy.

Write & Edit: There are reflective in-class and long term writing and editing assignments/activities in each unit.

Create & Share: Opportunities for creative treatment of the material are in each section of the project. Please use your imagination and develop more options!

Unit 1 Family & Heritage 2-4 Weeks

Core Concept Why is an understanding of my family and heritage important for building an understanding of who I am? In this section students will explore their family heritage, culture and history. They will begin by reading and listening to stories that others have shared that will help them reflect on important experiences and feelings. Then they will explore their own past and the impact it has had on their lives and how they see their future. The duration of this section depends on the time dedicated to readings and discussion, review of interviewing process and the development of a project at the end of the unit.

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” — Maya Angelou

Read & Reflect

Here are a few suggestions of books that deal with issues of family, history and identity. You might want all students to read the same book or allow them to choose individually. Maybe you want to cluster kids in small groups focused on a particular book in order to develop a “book group” culture in the class. Each of these books have rich significance related to questions of identity, heritage and culture, the importance memory and the value of change.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou The House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri Black Like Me Griffin John Howard Dark Dude Oscar Hijuelos Black Boy Richard Wright The Story of My Experiments with Truth Mahatma Gandhi Autobiography of Malcolm X Alex Haley Autobiography of My Mother Jamaica Kincaid The Color Purple Alice Walker The Bluest Eyes Toni Morrison Please add your suggestions at the end in Resources

Listen & Watch

Here are links to some powerful stories relating the impact of the past on people’s present life. After listening to them, ask the class to discuss their impact on them as a listener, how they think it affects the person being interviewed and the person doing the interview. ● NPR - Being a Different Kind of Parent http://alturl.com/6hb5j ● Storycorps - Crossing the Border http://alturl.com/wh5cc ● NPR - March on Washington http://alturl.com/hirsh ● Storycorps - My Father was Everything to Me http://alturl.com/ta8fi ● NPR - Importance of Remembering http://alturl.com/k87ew ● Storycorps - Tells His Name http://alturl.com/9esqw ● 1947 Partition Archive - Collective Story of the Indian/Pakistan Partition

http://www.1947partitionarchive.org/ ● Storycorps - Mom Remembered http://alturl.com/as6mq

Others: please write them in here:

Interview and Record

Students will begin to think about their connections to others and the influences others have had on them. At this stage students will be asked to think deeply about values, the power of culture and the influence of relationships on their lives. We suggest spending some time having the students “define” values and culture for themselves and so that the class has a set of meaning they have all participated in making. Here are some questions we think might be helpful to explore: ● ● ● ● ●

What is a value and why are they important? What values are our most deeply held, which are less so? How does culture inform and help define our values? If we value our culture does that mean we must judge other cultures? What do we do when part of a cultural expression is problematic? (Such as arranged marriage or other expressions that your class identifies.) ● Underneath the differences, are cultures very similar or different? After dedicating time to unpacking these important issues your class will begin to practice the skills of interviewing, speaking and listening to each other in the following projects. At this time these interviews are not recorded but are opportunities for students to become familiar with interviewing skills.

1. Mentor

● Each student will identify a mentor. ● Bring in a photo of your mentor. ● Speak for a few minutes in front of the class about why this person is important to them. They should speak for 1 minute and clearly express what is most important to them about this person. Use a timer and keep strict time. ● Once they have finished their presentation they should share one word that sums up their connection to this person. Write it on the board.

2. Family Member

● Bring in photographs of your family/your ancestors/objects that represent your heritage. Tell the class what important value have they passed to you. Talk about why you chose this photo or object. Speak for 3 minutes in front of the whole class. ● Have a group conversation; what stands out about these presentations? What similarities and differences do students see between different backgrounds or experiences? This can be done by the whole class or in small groups. ● Ask each student to share an important value they see reflected in the family stories. Record these values as single words on the board. Once they are all up have the class group them under broad headings. So, for example, “being there for me” and “supporting my family” might go under a broad under a heading “LOYALTY”. Save the responses by writing them down or photographing and saving online. Also photograph and save the photos and objects students shared.

3. Each Other

● Break students into pairs. ● Interview each other (not recorded) by selecting 2 questions from the Turquoise Cards from the card deck that is provided along with the curriculum. These can be selected at random and pre selected before the interview. ● Listen carefully to what your partner says! After they have answer both questions choose 1-3 words that best describe what the interviewee said. Switch roles and do it again. ● Share your words with the entire class. Make sure you can say why you chose these words and what you learned about the person you interviewed. ● Take a photo of each other and save the photo, linked to the words you chose to describe this person.

Write & Edit

● Write a poem or a page on the most important quality that you feel has been passed down to you from your family.

● Here is an exercise (see Resources) that helps us see what is important to us and how we value those connections. Have each student complete the Identity Molecule and then discuss it in small groups. ● Write a poem or a page on the family value/quality that you think might stand in the way of living the life that you want for yourself. Talk about why this value is important to your family and why it is a barrier for you.

● Write a poem or a page about how you will save and share the parts of your culture and history that you value.

● Edit one of these so that it is polished, read it in front of the class and save it.

“ The students now know that their stories are not a liability but their strength. Learning to share them was very powerful and has given them courage to really be in their lives and to identify their hopes.”

— Teachers & Staff at I-Lead Charter School Reading, PA

Create & Share 1. Take another look at the photos, words and essays you have saved. Think about how they work together. Use them to create poems, digital stories, scrapbooks, you choose what you would like to do.

2. One way to link the words and images is to create a simple powerpoint or slide show. This is a good way of combining different medium to share it with others. Maybe you will share it with your mentor of family. They will love it. Maybe you can invite family members into the classroom to listen/watch presentations from the students.

3. Google Drive is a good way to save and share student work.

“ The most important thing is that it shouldn’t sound like questioning. ʻWhat time did you get up yesterday morning, What time did you go to bed? What did you do in between?—none of that. ʻSo, tell me, how was yesterday? Thatʼs the right way of doing it. Making it sound like you’re having a conversation.”

— Studs Terkel, with Tony Parker, “Interviewing an Interviewer”

Mini Unit What is Oral History? 1 Week

Core Concept What power does personal story have on the interviewer, the interviewee and for creating a vision for the future?

Overview This is a one week unit to explore Oral History and to begin the process of documenting personal narratives. In some cases Threshold Collaborative will be available to lead this section on site at your school. When this is not possible, Threshold will provide online support to enable your team to do it yourselves.

If Threshold Collaborative comes to your school we will provide you and your class with an overview of oral history and share inspiring examples of the ways it can be used.

During the week, Threshold’s staff will interview and photograph each student in your class. We will create 3-4 minute, polished “stories” for each of your students and link them online and through QR codes. This will allow you to use and share these stories widely and in various media.

If Threshold does not come to your school we will provide resources through online training to enable you/your students to do the interview and editing yourselves. Whether Threshold comes or not, the class should follow the following framework:

Read & Reflect Read about the origins of Oral History and how it differs from text book history. Discuss these readings in detail and develop a process for completing interviews with class participants. We will spend time addressing the type of questions to ask, the best setting for an interview, the importance of ethics, the technology and techniques for recording and editing strategy, archiving, etc.. Much of this learning will be hands on. ● Chapter One: The History of Oral History: http://alturl.com/g3zs6 ● Threshold Collaborative Storygathering Toolkit: http://issuu.com/amyanselmo/docs/thresholdcollaborative-etoolkit ● History Matters: Designed for high school and college teachers and students, History Matters serves as a gateway to web resources and offers other useful materials for teaching U.S. history. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/oral/online.html ● Copyright Curriculum for Kids http://creativecommons.org/tag/fair-use

Listen & Watch

● Minnesota History Society: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sOmEpj2STM&feature=youtu.be Find a few archives from each collection that interest you. Listen carefully to a few of the interviews. ● a picture is worth… https://soundcloud.com/a-picture-is-worth Listen carefully to a few of the interviews.

Write & Edit

● Write two pages on what was the most important thing you learned from listening to the stories in the archive you chose. Were you reminded of anything in your life or family experience? Did you feel that learning about history through recorded stories is different than reading them in a text book? ● Write one paragraph describing the most important ethical consideration for you in using oral history. Can you imagine a situation that uses an interview in an unethical way? Describe that and explain why it is unethical. ● Write questions you’d like to be asked in your interview. Why are these important to you? What questions would you NOT want to be asked and why not? What would you do if someone asked you a question you did not want to answer? ● Write a list of your assumptions about how it will feel to be the subject of an interview.

Interview & Record

If Threshold is doing student interviews, they will take place now. If students are interviewing each other skip to Unit 2.

Create & Share

● Have two photographs taken of you: a portrait and one in a pose and location of your choice around the school. If Threshold is at your school they will do this. ● Threshold will edit your interview. The final interview will be between 2-4 minutes. ● Link your photo and your story as a slide show, QR code, SoundCloud page or other sharable media. See Threshold’s Storygathering Toolkit in Resources for more information on this. ● Choose background music for it and check for licensing requirements. ● Save your work. ● Share your edited interview with others in small group settings. Discuss the interview, choice of music and photograph. Talk about the ways in which your interviews are similar and different.

Kevin, I-Lead Charter School, Reading, PA photo, Janice Levy

Unit Two Self & Other 2-4 Weeks

Core Concept How am I unique, what is important to me and how do I connect with others in positive ways? In this section we will begin exploring the ways in which each of us is unique and how our values and culture link us with others. Often we find that people are afraid to share significant parts of themselves with others out of fear, shame or pride. Creating ways for students to find their voice and share their stories can create meaningful connections and a sense of mastery over experiences, memories or events, helping to build bonds and a sense of increased freedom, connection and agency. Rather than feeling overwhelmed and a victim their lives they feel empowered and in charge. This then gives them the ability to act from their strength. It is very important to discuss privacy, confidentiality and respect for each other’s feelings at this point. Establishing ground rules here is a must. Look at Threshold’s Toolkit again, especially the section on Ethics. Also, students will begin to perform interviews, record them and edit. This may require practice but given the technological proficiency of most teens today it is usually not difficult for them to master this process rather quickly. Interviews can be recorded on digital recorders, smart phones or laptops. It is important to think about the editing software you will use before you choose which device to record on as there are limitations and advantages to each. See Threshold’s Tool Kit or email us for advice.

“

The students now know that their stories are not a liability but their

strength. Learning to share them was very powerful and has given them courage to really be in their lives and to identify their hopes.

”

Read & Reflect

The first activity of this section is an exercise that helps us identify ourselves: who we are, how the different groups we belong to helps to construct that identity. This simple project gives students the opportunity to think critically about what they value, why they value it and then to share those thoughts with others. The worksheet should be completed individually but then can be discussed in small groups with reporting back to the whole class if desired. Here is what you do: ● On a blank piece of paper, each student writes all the groups they feel a part of. ● Then they must go through the list and rank the the first five in order of importance/value to them, one being the most important. ● Then they must get together in small groups and tell each other why they chose the groups they did and how belonging to those groups helps to build their identity. Reading personal memoir, autobiography or poems can help us give voice to our own experiences, help us reflect upon them and lead to better understanding and even transformation. Each one of these poetry collections or books use the a personal story to reveal a transformation in thinking, feeling and action. ● Sandra Maria Esteves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KvzP4kbrmY ● Gwendolyn Brooks: http://www.poemhunter.com/gwendolyn-brooks/poems ● Langston Hughs: http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/langston.html ● Richard Blanco: http://alturl.com/j28x9

Listen & Watch

Listen/watch some interviews that center on identity. Focus your attention on understanding who we are as individuals and whether we can choose and change parts of our identity. ● Interviewing Wes http://alturl.com/h49sv ● Storycorps - http://storycorps.org/topics/identity/ ● Storycorps-http://alturl.com/bo7bo

Interview & Record

Every student must do a recorded interview and be interviewed by another student. In order to do a good job students should spend time preparing: do some research on their interviewee’s background, interests and plans. They might check Facebook and other social media, the school paper or talk to people their interviewee knows to get a sense of who they are and what’s important to them. Students should use the Conversation Cards (Green/Turquoise/Purple) to structure the interview. Here is an outline for how to construct the interview: 1. Ask the person you are interviewing to bring a photo of themselves or someone/something that is important to them. The first question of the interview should be “Please tell me your name and talk about why you chose to bring this photograph/object?” That will help to frame the conversation and relax the person you are interviewing.

2. The rest of the interview should be framed around the cards. The person being interviewed should pick a Green Card, read the question out loud (this really helps when you get to editing) and answer the question. Then do the same with a Turquoise Card, then the Purple Card. The person being interviewed can look through the cards and choose the one they want, pick them randomly or devise some other method of selecting a card of each color. 3. Take their photograph and save it. 4. The person being interviewed needs to sign a release form. Make sure you have that ready before you start the interview. (See the Storygathering Toolkit in Resources) 5. Save the interview. Make sure you save the full original version of the interview. You always want to have an uncut version of the interview along with any edits you make later on. 6. Begin the process of editing the interview. Save this as a separate file. The goal is to have a 3-5 minute piece when you are finished. Look for the core messages and values expressed by the person you interviewed. 7. Find background music or sound and layer that into the finished piece. Make sure you are legally able to use the sound track! Link the photo and edited 2-4 minute interview and save them. 8. Share the interview with the person you interviewed. Explain why you made the editing choices you did. Ask them to give you feedback. Have a conversation about whether changes should be made, what they like or don’t like about the piece. Discuss what impact the interview had on you and how you feel about the person you just interviewed.

9. Have the whole class talk about ways to share all the interviews with each other. Maybe they will pair up, maybe they will be played for the whole class. Find ways that feel good to the students and support them in sharing their story.

Write Each student will write about their experience being an interviewer and being interviewed. Each question should be answered in about a page. 1. Why did you choose the sections of your partner’s interview to keep? Why did you leave out certain thing? 2. How did it feel to be the interviewer? To listen to someone answering those personal questions? Did you like this role? 3. What did it feel like to be interviewed? How did you feel answering those personal questions? Did you enjoy being interviewed? Do you feel comfortable sharing the interview with your class? With a larger audience? Why or why not?

Create The creation for this section is the edited audio piece you have already made. The class should explore developing interesting ways of sharing these stories within class and with a wider audience.

Ashley, I-Lead Charter School, Reading, PA photo, Janice Levy

Unit Three Community & Leadership 2-4 Weeks

Core Concept How will YOU impact your community in positive ways?

In this unit students will work to align their background, values, personal experiences and hopes with the needs of their community and/or the larger world. The question of this unit focuses on how can they use their dreams to ignite change on issues that they are passionate about. This section is designed to weave together the insights gained from the first two units and to inspire creative ways for documenting and sharing them. A common outcome will be the writing of a 1000 word essay that summarizes these ideas. This essay completes the sentence, a picture is worth a thousand words and will be used in a variety of ways that will have a powerful impact on the student, their future and their surrounding community.

Read & Reflect

In this section of the curriculum we are searching for people in your community who are passionate about making positive change. How do you find out who is doing interesting things in your community? Find first hand accounts of people from your community who are involved in positive change. You can Google people or the name of your town. This should lead you to interesting stories about what is taking place and who is doing that work. You can look in books, listen to radio/tv interviews, newspaper articles, oral history, articles, etc.. Is there a college or university where you live? There may be archives housed there or maybe a local historical society. It is great to look at historical figures but make sure you uncover people who are alive NOW, doing work that is relevant to your future. While researching and reading, think about what is similar or different about what these people care about and what you care about. Are their issues important to you? Do you find ways to relate to how they got started doing what they do or how they are going about doing it?

Listen & Watch

While you are engaging the stories from your local community, listen and watch the interviews listed here. Think about the ways in which local leaders are similar and different from these well known leaders. Maybe you can make a list of the things that stand out to you. Think about how you are similar and different from these leaders. Make another list of these connections with you and your values. What do you think made them able to make the changes they made? Do you think that you are capable of making change too? ● Listen to this interview with Ella Baker: http://alturl.com/s6uzb ● Listen to this interview with Majora Carter: http://alturl.com/sithu ● Watch this powerful video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEIYn6XNI9c&feature=youtu.be

Interview & Record

The interview in this section is with a local community leader. The whole class can do one interview, students can break into small groups or each student can find one community member to interview. How you decide to do this will depend on interest, time and resources that you have remaining for this class. 1. Choose a community leader/activist whose story you would like to record. It may be someone whose first hand accounts you read in the first assignment of this unit or someone different. Whomever it is make sure that you do good background research on who they are, what they do and how they do it. 2. Do research on that person. Read newspaper articles watch news/YouTube or Facebook, read or look at things they have made, talk with people they know. 3. Create an interview framework. Watch Katie Couric on YouTube: http://alturl.com/tsfqw and read 12 Ways to Conduct a Great Interview http://alturl.com/b79qd This will give you great tips on how to conduct an interview from the pros. Use them to help you start making the questions for your interview. 4. Invite the community leader/s that you select to your class. Before you invite them make sure you can tell them: why you are inviting them, what inspires you about them, that you are planning to do a live interview in front of the class, and you would like to share that interview more broadly. 5. Determine who will lead the interview, what questions you will ask how you will do the recording, whether everyone in the class will watch, whether everyone will have a chance to ask questions and whether those questions/answers will be a part of the recording, how you will thank them and what you will do with the recording. Remember to use a release form. Do a recorded interview of at least ½ hour. 6. Take photos of this person and if possible, photos that represent what they are working to improve. Everyone should save this interview and photos in their folder.

Write & Edit

1. Each student should transcribe the interview. This can be done by using voice assisted technology such as Dragon, (which has an inexpensive app) YouTube, or the old fashioned way; listening to the interview while typing. There’s also a transcribing software with a free trial called Transcriva: http://alturl.com/xv6it 2. After everyone has the transcription and has read it over write a 3-5 page essay. Use quotes that you feel are particularly relevant to your essay. ● Why does this person inspire you? ● What is different about listening to them talk and reading a written version of their words? Which do you like better? ● How has their past/heritage impacted what they do now? ● What 3 qualities do they have that you most admire? ● What similarities do you have with them? ● How does their life and experience motivate you? ● How can you make a positive change in your community? ● What do you need to be able to make this change possible? ● What role does this school play in your life and in achieving your dreams? ● What role does this class play in helping you to achieve your dreams?

Create & Share

Create something that reflects the power of the person and the interview the class conducted. This could be and edited interview with the community leader accompanied by photographs that help tell their story, a written transcription of part of the interview in the local paper, a radio piece using the audio, a podcast, a live reading of a transcript, a theatre piece, a painting or mural that represents this person’s influence, poems. Maybe you video taped the interview and want to make a film: you get the idea. Save these products in the file.

Let us know some of the ways you preserved and shared these stories:

Unit Four Putting it all Together 2-4 Weeks

Core Concept How do stories help us to become more aware, connected and powerful?

Final Projects In this final section we suggest ways to bring all the threads of this project together. You and your students will have many ideas about how to go about doing this. In addition to the completion of a 1000 word essay there are many creative and powerful ways to share your work. Here are some examples.

Write & Edit

Using all your written work and the experiences you have had listening and watching each student must write a 1000 word essay that knits all three units together: Family and History; Self and Other; Community and Leadership. The photos you have taken can illustrate the essay.

Record

After you have written your essay make an audio recording by reading the essay and recording it. You can do this yourself or ask someone else in your class to help you do the recording. Then use photographs from class to illustrate your unique story and use it as a web based project or a physical display by using QR codes. Threshold will help you to link your story to photos through QR codes or other technology.

Create & Share Students use audio, photography, theatre, video, archives, painting and writing to create final projects that document their journey of discovery and insight. There can be individual and group creation that tell “the story and vision” they have created for their future. This may be shared with the public in a gallery or outdoor public venues, as a radio or theatre production, a book or video etc.. Threshold will help you if you’d like during the development and implementation of a final project. The sky's the limit! Share & Submit ● Student work should be shared through the APIW web platform, www.apiw.org ● Students can submit their written work for publication in future editions of the APIW essay collection. See the website for more information on this. ● Develop an online way to share your work within your class, school, community and larger world. Create connections with other apiw schools through the web site. ● Use your essays and other creative projects to apply for college, internships, awards and jobs. Your work speaks boldly of who you are and what you have to offer. Be proud and do good things!

Resources Tips for Writing Your Essay Part One: Identify your topic For the purposes of apiw, your topic is YOU: who you are, how you got to be who you are, how your family and heritage have impacted who you are, how you envision yourself being a powerful changemaker in the world

Create your thesis Your thesis is the statement that your entire essay will make. Your thesis should outline the main idea of the paper. If you have trouble coming up with a thesis statement use this thesis formula:

Three-point Thesis Statement Formula = Topic + Opinion + Three Discussion Points

For example, Volunteering in high school teaches self discipline, cooperation, and leadership. The topic is volunteering, the opinion is that it leads to self discipline, cooperation, and leadership, and the three discussion points are self discipline, cooperation, and leadership. 1. Brainstorm ideas to support your thesis. Make sure that you have enough meat in your thesis to support an entire essay. If you can't find enough evidence in your brainstorming session to support your essay, rethink your thesis. Here are two brainstorming techniques. 2. Try clustering. Write your thesis in the middle of a blank sheet of paper and draw a circle around it. Every time you think of an idea to support it, draw an arm off of the center idea and write it out. 3. Try free writing. Write your thesis at the top of a piece of paper and write down whatever ideas come to your mind. Don't think, just write.

4. Identify your three parameters. Parameters are used to prove your thesis. For example, if the thesis is "Paul was a dynamic character and the leader of the group," choose three traits that Paul displays that prove he is a dynamic character and the leader of the group. 5. Write down your parameters. Be sure you can prove that they are true through examples. 6. Outline your five- paragraph essay Write your thesis at the top of a sheet of paper. 7. List your three supporting paragraph topics. 8. List 2-3 examples that support your paragraph topics within each paragraph. 9. Order your examples from best to worst.

Part Two: Start Writing 1. Write your introduction. This is the sentence that draws the reader in before the thesis statement, which is usually the second sentence of the first paragraph. For example, "Paul was one of fourteen boys who became stranded on a deserted island in the Caribbean." Your thesis should be next. "Paul is a dynamic character and the leader of the group." 2. Write paragraphs 1, 2, and 3. Each paragraph should support your thesis. Include examples of why each topic supports your thesis. Again, use your strongest examples first. 3. Include transition sentences. Each paragraph should be connected through a transition sentence. For example, "Not only was Paul the leader of the group because people adored him, but his followers were also scared of him." 4. Form a conclusion. Your conclusion should restate your thesis and 3 parameters. For example, "From these examples it is clear that throughout the novel Paul's once shy, honest, and naive nature changes, proving he is a dynamic character.

Part Three: Editing your Work 1. Read over your work to look for grammatical and spelling errors. 2. Check to see if the essay flows well, specifically looking for good transitions between paragraphs. 3. Make sure that each paragraph supports your thesis and doesn't go off-topic. Adapted from WikiHow http://www.wikihow.com/Write-Any-High-School-Essay

Examples of Good Interview Questions Here are three groups of questions designed to get students thinking about how to do an interview, the importance of relationships and the impact on them as individuals. You can use the cards from the card deck and/or mix them up with the questions below. Ask questions that are important to YOU.

Questions about the past • What is your earliest memory? • Whatʼs the most exciting thing youʼve done? • What are the most important lessons youʼve learned in life? • Who has been the biggest influence on your life? • What was the happiest moment of your life?

Questions about the present • Describe your perfect day. • If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why? • If you could snap your fingers and make one thing better in the world, what would it be? Why? • Whatʼs the best thing about being a teenager? The worst? • Tell me a story about your name. • What are you proudest of in your life?

Questions about the future • What does your future hold? • What do you think your life will be like when you get older? • Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 20 years? • What are your goals and ambitions for the future? • How would you like to be remembered?

Additional Audio/Biblio/Video/Links Please add your own resources: Use this page to keep track of books, video, audio and links to projects that will help to build the curriculum, program and student voice.

Common Core Connections This section provides teachers with the links that apiw shares with the Common Core Curricular Standards. We have grouped the standards we feel align with the curriculum under broad headings. Each Unit of the curriculum supports learning goals that are found in the Common Core. We hope you find this helpful in grounding this program in your school’s curricular needs and requirements.

Reading: Informational Text Key Ideas and Details: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2 Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

Reading: Literature Key Ideas and Details: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).

Speaking and Listening Comprehension and Collaboration CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

Writing Text Types and Purposes CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. Range of Writing CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Research to Build and Present Knowledge CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. Text Types and Purposes CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. Production and Distribution of Writing CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) believes that “Every child in the U.S. needs 21st century knowledge and skills to succeed as effective citizens, workers and leaders.” These life skills are important for building fully engaged citizens and productive workers in 21st century communities. These life skills are linked to Common Core goals and are listed here to strengthen the foundation for using apiw in your school community. Learning and Innovation Skills ● Communication and Innovation COMMUNICATE CLEARLY: Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes and intentions COLLABORATE WITH OTHERS: Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams ● Communication and Collaboration COMMUNICATE CLEARLY: Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes and intentions COLLABORATE WITH OTHERS: Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member COMMUNICATE CLEARLY: Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts; Utilize multiple media and technologies, and know how to judge their effectiveness a priori as well as assess their impact ● Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

SOLVE PROBLEMS: Solve different kinds of non-familiar problems in both conventional and innovative ways; Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points of view and lead to better solutions ● Creativity and Innovation THINK CREATIVELY: Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as brainstorming); Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical concepts); Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve and maximize creative efforts

Life and Career Skills ● Social and Cross-Cultural Skills INTERACT EFFECTIVELY WITH OTHERS: Know when it is appropriate to listen and when to speak WORK EFFECTIVELY IN DIVERSE TEAMS: Respect cultural differences and work effectively with people from a range of social and cultural backgrounds; Respond open-mindedly to different ideas and values; Leverage social and cultural differences to create new ideas and increase both innovation and quality of work ● Initiative and Self-Direction MANAGE GOALS AND TIME: Set goals with tangible and intangible success criteria; Balance tactical (short-term) and strategic (long-term) goals; Utilize time and manage workload efficiently. WORK INDEPENDENTLY: Monitor, define, prioritize and complete tasks without direct oversight. BE SELF-DIRECTED LEARNERS: Reflect critically on past experiences in order to inform future progress ● Productivity and Accountability MANAGE PROJECTS: Set and meet goals, even in the face of obstacles and competing pressures; Prioritize, plan and manage work to achieve the intended result

Information, Media and Technology Skills ● ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) Literacy APPLY TECHNOLOGY EFFECTIVELY: Use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and communicate information ● Information Literacy ACCESS AND EVALUATE INFORMATION: Access information efficiently (time) and effectively (sources); Evaluate information critically and competently USE AND MANAGE INFORMATION: Use information accurately and creatively for the issue or problem at hand

● Media Literacy CREATE MEDIA PRODUCTS: Understand and utilize the most appropriate media creation tools, characteristics and conventions

REFERENCES COMMON CORE STANDARDS National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. Common Core State Standards. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington D.C., 2010. PARTNERSHIP FOR 21ST CENTURY SKILLS The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. P21 Framework Definitions. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Washington, D.C., 2009.