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THE ROSS SCHOOL. 7TH GRADE.
CURRICULUM CONCEPTS —
CULTURAL HISTORY AND ENGLISH.
A PRESENTATION OF IDEAS FOR MARK FOARD AND
CARRIE CLARK.
MY PRELIMINARY
CONCEPT
Rachel provides the cultural context/background to the literature that is presented in the English sections. As a compliment the black/white text-based readings, my goal is to develop projects founded in visual/sensory/experiential learning methods — applied creation utilizing analog art mediums and narrative digital platforms. The goal is to support students' various learning styles using the framework of Gardner's multiple intelligence model — the modus operandi of the Ross curriculum.
Where the 7th grade students may be lacking in one area (e.g., auditory processing or reading/dyslexia), I roughly sketched out some projects (below) to encourage experimentation with new learning tools. By utilizing each of the five senses, it's possible students could identify certain personal strengths/weaknesses to develop custom learning strategies — this will be useful as they enter into increasingly advanced topics/concepts/readings. (For instance, I have difficulty with auditory learning and by "deeply" drawing and diagramming complex topics it significantly improves memory retention, processing and discovery.) Developing an early understanding of this will be a significant advantage.
From a disciplinary perspective, the incorporation of multimodal study tools could serve as an experimental case study for Ross coursework design and for the field of Integrated Learning as a whole. Because, collaboratively and as a class, I believe our "multiple intelligences" — when taken together — will uncover new, alternative, and unique forms of cultural history knowledge. If nothing else, it may "workout" multiple brain regions and connections which has been scientifically shown to facilitate comprehension, insight and memory retention.
PART ONE.
GROUP PROJECTS.
CREATING SHARED DIGITAL STUDY TOOLS AND MATERIALS.
COLLABORATIVE CHARACTER DATABASES.
each student researches and writes an entry to create a shared database. using a template, the goal would be to introduce students to the concept of writing (concise) biographies. this would be broken down sentence-by-sentence. i've created a (placeholder) database template, below.
CO-CREATED DIGITAL VISUAL VOCABULARY DECKS.
i created an example flashcard deck below using the app "Quizlet" (already used by the students). for the cards below, i used terms from the 7th grade vocabulary quiz last week (terminology is from part one of Siddhartha). students will also include an accompanying image from art history, an example sentence, and a memory mnemonic (e.g., using the term in a rhyme). the students will email me their entry for me to enter into the deck and i will export the deck's html code (as i did below) alongside the character databases.
DEVELOPING INFOGRAPHICS & VISUALIZATIONS.
using software such as Prezi or Adobe Illustrator (or, if preferred, by live painting/drawing). objectives: 1) explore how art informs cultural history; 2) learn to present information non-verbally by introducing the discipline of "Visual Research." project: using only images from art history, create an interactive map to answer the question: how did art forms change as countries converted to new religions?
PART TWO.
CONTEXTUALIZING THE LITERATURE.
CULTURAL HISTORY BEHIND THE EAGLE & THE DRAGON.
DIGITALLY TREKKING
THE SILK ROAD.
here we will temporally and geographically trace the path of one object that was traded by the merchant in the "The Eagle & Dragon." project: using multimedia of your choice (photos, videos, text, drawings) we will each be responsible for one city/village along the silk. together we will plot each city on a virtual interactive map. upon completion we digitally navigate the map and stop to interact with each students materials along the way. the goal is to use the life cycle of one object as a simplified/accessible method to process complex sociocultural topics (the silk road, commodities, cultural fusion, religion). the concept of tracing objects is based on Marcus's (1995) research methodology called "multisited ethnography."
i used this methodological approach in a project i designed, built and, later, presented at the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) Annual Conference (2014). this map was based on a documentary film that I produced that looked at the cross-pollination of two types of music (punk and appalachian music). my goal was to experiment with an emerging technology called "interactive documentaries (iDocs)" to translate my linear/passive documentary video into one that was multidimensional and active — to introduce anthropologists to new ways of telling ethnographic stories.
the first example below is the analog prototype that i created in order to design the digital/interactive map that is below it. also a prototype, the second example shows the multisited path as based on geography. later, i created a third example that focuses on the temporal — in the form of an interactive timeline.
PART THREE.
CONTEXTUALIZING THE LITERATURE.
THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF HESSE'S SIDDHARTHA.
THROUGH GAMES.
designing a simple video game using a drag-and-drop platform, after playing a Buddhist-inspired video games and "Moksha" a Karma-based ancient board game.
INTEGRATING THE MAKER SPACE
why was Buddhist art and sculpture so important in this historical era? how did images of the Buddha change as it traveled across time and space? project: create your own Buddha sculpture! what does the Buddha look like to you? male, female, human, flower? use clay to create a sculpture to Lidar scan, or even scan you own face! like Siddhartha said, everyone can be the Buddha.
SKITS & IMPROV.
to integrate performing arts. can be a ballet performance about Samsara, monologue, or even standup comedy. some examples of "buddhist comedy" below.
PHYSICAL ART MEDIUMS
integrating art studio coursework through collaborative sand paintings. understanding the history and significance of this art form. why are these destroyed theme moment they are finished? what do the certain colors and patterns (as a lower school theme) represent?
PART FOUR.
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE 2023-2024 ACADEMIC YEAR.
PROJECT CONCEPTS FOR ENGLISH SECTIONS.
CULTURAL [HISTORY]
RESEARCH DESIGN & WRITING.
learning objectives: 1) practice the basics of research design, specifically in the fields of cultural research (as compared to in their science classes). 2) develop greater understanding of what culture is, how to define it, to know it is something that is not just a thing of the past. as an example of this, i've included a presentation that I gave to the American Anthropological Association (AAA) Annual Conference in the form of an interactive research paper. this would be highly simplified to be appropriate for the 7th grade.
EXAMINING ARTIFACTS TO WRITE NON-HUMAN BIOGRAPHIES.
how do we know if what we learn in "cultural history" is true? should we believe everything that is written in a textbook? can we prove that the people who wrote these stories hundreds of years ago weren't lying? worse, how do we know certain pages weren't (metaphorically) ripped out in later? if the written record isn't factually provable, are physical artifacts the only things in the historic record that can't lie? in class, we could forensically examine historic objects in the Ross collection, focusing on materials (are they unique to a certain region?), techniques (see the braiding in the images below), tools (using the example of the flaking in the Clovis handaxe), use-wear patterns [i.e., if the spine of your book isn't creased, you might not have read last nights homework], archaeological processes (forgeries won't have the right patina), carbon dating (as the archaeological "lie detector" test). taken together, can we use these methods to tell a life story for something that can't speak? below, i am including example images from my research fellowship at the smithsonian in the museum anthropology department. my goal was to construct a biography of these mysterious royal human hair necklaces in their archive.
WRITE A HISTORICAL FICTION STORY FOR CHILDREN. SELF-PUBLISH ON AMAZON.
i've self-published a couple of very small/simple books; my first was a very short poem accompanied by my photographs. the poem is less than 20 lines, with about one line on each page. yet — as I will reiterate to the students — it is still, technically, a "book." the purpose of this project is to learn how the process of publishing rather than publishing something perfect. in doing so, every student will become a "published author" by the time they are in 8th grade (something that looks great on a cv and college applications). in the process of creating the book below, i learned how to use new softwares (Adobe InDesign) to create the layout and book cover. it was far from perfect, so i was honored and surprised when i invited to be part of "East Hampton Author's Night" in their children's book category. it was also accessioned into the East Hampton library and can be found in their "Juvenile Non-Fiction" collection.
the main goal as a 7th grade project is oriented through a technological lens — for me, it was a crash course in learning about ISBN's, information science (IS), graphic/layout design, copyright laws, book proofs, synopses and literary criticism (i.e., Amazon reviews). important class discussion points will include: are there differences in types and quality of information (or misinformation)? what is a blog? what is an academic journal? is a self-published book different than a textbook we use in class? what is the main difference? why might it be dangerous if we don't recognize the differences? this project would integrate well with students' digital design, creative writing, and Paul Gansky's media courses.
