Title of the Lesson: Introduction to thinking about Property, Ownership, and Entitlement
Unit of Study: 1
Grade: 9-12 (High school Students)
The Big Idea:
The idea for this project is to begin a conversation about property, ownership, and entitlement through the exploration of our bodies, other bodies, our thoughts, and assumptions we make about others – particularly the bodies of others. This is an ongoing conversation with no definite end or conclusion.
Specific Content Standards addressed in this lesson:
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the processes of critique, self-assessment, and self-awareness. Students will apply their interdisciplinary studies to make connections with the questions they are asked by making critical responses, analyzing their own work and the work of others.
Specific Essential Questions addressed in this lesson (What leading questions can you ask of students to get them to understand the Big Ideas?):
· What is property?
· Can your body be perceived as your property?
· How do you perceive others bodies?
Learning Outcomes/Expectations/objectives:
As a result of this lesson, students will understand that:
They can begin to explore these larger issues independently and in a collective.
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
Have a vocabulary in order to facilitate or engage in dialogue relating to property, ownership, assumptions, and entitlement.
Learning Activities: Step-by-step description of the lesson components as follows:
Pacing – how much time will each component take?
Introduction: 15
Body: 30 minutes
Conclusion: 10 minutes
Introduction/Opening:
(How will you begin to lead the students towards the outcomes you expect of them?)
We begin by asking the students to walk around the space. We ask them to walk “as themselves”.
We ask them;
Think about what it means to walk “like yourself” – How do you move through the space when you’re calm? When you’re upset? When you’re angry? When you’re sad?
Moving from head to toe – how do you feel? How does the top of your head feel? How does the back of your neck feel, your shoulders, elbows, etc?
We then ask them to give their body what it needs, stretch, lie down, take two minutes to focus on what the body needs.
While they give your body what it needs, we will ask them to focus on their breath.
We will ask;
How are you breathing? How do you begin to breathe when you’re happy? Angry? Sad? Anxious?
Then, we will ask them to begin walking around the space again, as themselves. Again, we will ask them to;
Recognize what makes your walk yours.
Then we will ask them to, slowly, begin letting it go.
Let go of everything that makes your walk individually yours. Become “neutral”
Once you’ve achieved your neutral walk, start to think about a friend, maybe someone you’ve met once or twice in passing. Maybe an acquaintance, someone you don’t know but have seen – how do they walk? How do they seem, to you? Become that person, but, you can’t become that person entirely, right? So become how that person makes you feel.
After 3 minutes, we will then ask the following questions concerning assumptions;
What assumptions do you make about that person?
What do you think their life is like, judging by the way they walk?
(they won’t answer these questions)
Body
Activity #1
Once the students feel as though they have embodied that person to the best of their ability, they may stop.
They take three minutes to jot down how it made them feel to try to embody another person who they don't know.
When they’re finished, they sit in a circle on the floor with everyone facing out. They have a piece of paper in hand as we ask the following questions:
What kind of assumptions have been made about you?
Has anyone ever made an assumption about you based on how you walk?
What you look like? What religion you follow? If you don’t follow a religion at all? Your interests? The amount of help you need in school? Your gender? Your sexuality?
Once they’ve written about the assumptions that have been made about them, we tell them to throw the pieces of paper in the middle of the circle. We ask them to face the pile of paper in the middle of the room.
Transition
Activity #2
What did you just throw in the middle of the circle?
Is it yours?
What does it mean?
What does it mean that it’s yours?
What does it mean if it isn’t?
Stand in a circle where you are crossing hands over with other folks in the circle
Look at the person to your left’s hands.
Look at their hands
Really take a good look at them
Notice all the lines that lay on them
What do they look like?
What is different?
What history do you see?
Now, Look at your own hands
Touch them
What do they feel like?
Do they feel like your hands?
Are they your property?
Think about the people who have touched your hands recently
Think about what your hands have touched
Think about where the things your hands have touched come from
Maybe you used lotion, where did you get it?
Where did that store get that lotion? Where did they get it? How was it made?
Do you see history in your hands?
Do you feel connected to that history?
Does that history belong to you?
What does it mean to own History?
Can you carry History in your skin without knowing what it means?
Without knowing that history?
Activity #3
Find two partners.
With your partners, find a space where you can be alone.
Pick the first person to lead the exercise.
This person will hold their hands up, and out in front of them, parallel to the heads of their partners whos faces should be 3-5 inches away from them.
This is a mirroring exercise. The person holding their hands out will move each hand in whatever direction they please. The people following will follow with their head. If the person puts their hand down, they must move their whole body down. The mirroring of the movements of the hands should be exaggerated.
Switch who is leading after three minutes. Repeat exercise until everyone has had a turn to lead.
Once everyone has had a turn to lead the exercise, they will be asked to find a new set of partners – preferably, people they haven’t worked with today, and don’t usually work with.
With your new partners, discuss the following questions:
How did it feel to be the person leading?
How does it feel to be the person following?
How did it feel to control the movements of other people?
When do you feel you had the most power?
Did you ever feel powerless?
Why?
Closure:
Return to the group in a circle
Begin a short dialogue – anyone who feels called to say something that they heard or noticed today can share what they noticed, heard, or thought was important/interesting to them. Then,
Using a word, multiple words, a movement, a sound, go around in the circle and describe how you feel.
Next we will take hands and do an exercise called “Zap” as a closer
Holding hands, the group will move in as tight as they possibly can, and get as low as they possibly can. We start to make noise. The noise will start at a low volume, and, as we move out into a bigger circle (still holding hands) over the course of time, our volume as a collective should also increase. When the facilitator feels like enough noise has been released they will stomp three times and at that point everyone will throw their hands in the air and yell zap
Modifications/Extensions (for visually impaired or hearing impaired students.)
For students who are hearing impaired, there should be a translator present to be able to communicate our lesson.
For students who are visually impaired, we will have a one-on-one mirroring contact lesson.
Assessment of Student Understanding
(How will you assess student understanding of the content of the lesson?)
› Authentic, performance based tasks that have students apply what they have learned and demonstrate their understanding.
› Includes pre-assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment evidence
› Can be individual or group based
› Can include informal methods (such as thumbs up, thumbs down) and formal assessments (such as quiz, answers to questions on a worksheet, written reflection, and essay)
I will assess my students based on their willingness to participate.
Unit of Study: 1
Grade: 9-12 (High school Students)
The Big Idea:
The idea for this project is to begin a conversation about property, ownership, and entitlement through the exploration of our bodies, other bodies, our thoughts, and assumptions we make about others – particularly the bodies of others. This is an ongoing conversation with no definite end or conclusion.
Specific Content Standards addressed in this lesson:
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the processes of critique, self-assessment, and self-awareness. Students will apply their interdisciplinary studies to make connections with the questions they are asked by making critical responses, analyzing their own work and the work of others.
Specific Essential Questions addressed in this lesson (What leading questions can you ask of students to get them to understand the Big Ideas?):
· What is property?
· Can your body be perceived as your property?
· How do you perceive others bodies?
Learning Outcomes/Expectations/objectives:
As a result of this lesson, students will understand that:
They can begin to explore these larger issues independently and in a collective.
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
Have a vocabulary in order to facilitate or engage in dialogue relating to property, ownership, assumptions, and entitlement.
Learning Activities: Step-by-step description of the lesson components as follows:
Pacing – how much time will each component take?
Introduction: 15
Body: 30 minutes
Conclusion: 10 minutes
Introduction/Opening:
(How will you begin to lead the students towards the outcomes you expect of them?)
We begin by asking the students to walk around the space. We ask them to walk “as themselves”.
We ask them;
Think about what it means to walk “like yourself” – How do you move through the space when you’re calm? When you’re upset? When you’re angry? When you’re sad?
Moving from head to toe – how do you feel? How does the top of your head feel? How does the back of your neck feel, your shoulders, elbows, etc?
We then ask them to give their body what it needs, stretch, lie down, take two minutes to focus on what the body needs.
While they give your body what it needs, we will ask them to focus on their breath.
We will ask;
How are you breathing? How do you begin to breathe when you’re happy? Angry? Sad? Anxious?
Then, we will ask them to begin walking around the space again, as themselves. Again, we will ask them to;
Recognize what makes your walk yours.
Then we will ask them to, slowly, begin letting it go.
Let go of everything that makes your walk individually yours. Become “neutral”
Once you’ve achieved your neutral walk, start to think about a friend, maybe someone you’ve met once or twice in passing. Maybe an acquaintance, someone you don’t know but have seen – how do they walk? How do they seem, to you? Become that person, but, you can’t become that person entirely, right? So become how that person makes you feel.
After 3 minutes, we will then ask the following questions concerning assumptions;
What assumptions do you make about that person?
What do you think their life is like, judging by the way they walk?
(they won’t answer these questions)
Body
Activity #1
Once the students feel as though they have embodied that person to the best of their ability, they may stop.
They take three minutes to jot down how it made them feel to try to embody another person who they don't know.
When they’re finished, they sit in a circle on the floor with everyone facing out. They have a piece of paper in hand as we ask the following questions:
What kind of assumptions have been made about you?
Has anyone ever made an assumption about you based on how you walk?
What you look like? What religion you follow? If you don’t follow a religion at all? Your interests? The amount of help you need in school? Your gender? Your sexuality?
Once they’ve written about the assumptions that have been made about them, we tell them to throw the pieces of paper in the middle of the circle. We ask them to face the pile of paper in the middle of the room.
Transition
Activity #2
What did you just throw in the middle of the circle?
Is it yours?
What does it mean?
What does it mean that it’s yours?
What does it mean if it isn’t?
Stand in a circle where you are crossing hands over with other folks in the circle
Look at the person to your left’s hands.
Look at their hands
Really take a good look at them
Notice all the lines that lay on them
What do they look like?
What is different?
What history do you see?
Now, Look at your own hands
Touch them
What do they feel like?
Do they feel like your hands?
Are they your property?
Think about the people who have touched your hands recently
Think about what your hands have touched
Think about where the things your hands have touched come from
Maybe you used lotion, where did you get it?
Where did that store get that lotion? Where did they get it? How was it made?
Do you see history in your hands?
Do you feel connected to that history?
Does that history belong to you?
What does it mean to own History?
Can you carry History in your skin without knowing what it means?
Without knowing that history?
Activity #3
Find two partners.
With your partners, find a space where you can be alone.
Pick the first person to lead the exercise.
This person will hold their hands up, and out in front of them, parallel to the heads of their partners whos faces should be 3-5 inches away from them.
This is a mirroring exercise. The person holding their hands out will move each hand in whatever direction they please. The people following will follow with their head. If the person puts their hand down, they must move their whole body down. The mirroring of the movements of the hands should be exaggerated.
Switch who is leading after three minutes. Repeat exercise until everyone has had a turn to lead.
Once everyone has had a turn to lead the exercise, they will be asked to find a new set of partners – preferably, people they haven’t worked with today, and don’t usually work with.
With your new partners, discuss the following questions:
How did it feel to be the person leading?
How does it feel to be the person following?
How did it feel to control the movements of other people?
When do you feel you had the most power?
Did you ever feel powerless?
Why?
Closure:
Return to the group in a circle
Begin a short dialogue – anyone who feels called to say something that they heard or noticed today can share what they noticed, heard, or thought was important/interesting to them. Then,
Using a word, multiple words, a movement, a sound, go around in the circle and describe how you feel.
Next we will take hands and do an exercise called “Zap” as a closer
Holding hands, the group will move in as tight as they possibly can, and get as low as they possibly can. We start to make noise. The noise will start at a low volume, and, as we move out into a bigger circle (still holding hands) over the course of time, our volume as a collective should also increase. When the facilitator feels like enough noise has been released they will stomp three times and at that point everyone will throw their hands in the air and yell zap
Modifications/Extensions (for visually impaired or hearing impaired students.)
For students who are hearing impaired, there should be a translator present to be able to communicate our lesson.
For students who are visually impaired, we will have a one-on-one mirroring contact lesson.
Assessment of Student Understanding
(How will you assess student understanding of the content of the lesson?)
› Authentic, performance based tasks that have students apply what they have learned and demonstrate their understanding.
› Includes pre-assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment evidence
› Can be individual or group based
› Can include informal methods (such as thumbs up, thumbs down) and formal assessments (such as quiz, answers to questions on a worksheet, written reflection, and essay)
I will assess my students based on their willingness to participate.