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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?
