Lesson Plan Overview (Part II)

High School Anthropology

Standard 3
Students will demonstrate why and how ideas, attitudes, events, persons, movements, and documents have influenced humanity.

Objective 2
Identify selected periods or movements of historical change within and across cultures. http://www.uen.org/core/core.do?courseNum=6310

My lesson plan will give the students a better understanding of the impact of the eighth century on shaping world civilizations. The students will be given four world areas in which they can focus their research. They can look at either China, Western Europe, Africa, or Islam. This assignment is geared toward high school Anthropology students.

The students will be put in teams and required to make a five minute digital film presenting their research. A film will allow the students to use their creative energy in studying and presenting what can be referred to as “dry material”. Because the students are presenting their work to the class they will have a vested interest in learning the material. When I present the object of this assignment I will show the class an example of a film that I have made.
To help the students with their research I will give the teams different study guides so they will know the important points to touch upon in their film.

It will be vital that I spend a day lecturing on copyright laws. It is essential that the students only use music that is appropriate. I will go over the basics of flexible copyright law so the students understand where they can get their music and how they can use it. As most/all of the visual footage will be original, copyrighted visual materials won't be discussed as in depth, but any map or "borrowed" visual image will have to be given the proper citation.

The students will spend five weeks working on a group project in which they will present to the class what they have learned about their assigned topic.
• The first week, students will be placed in groups and choose the topic they want to research. Over the course of that week they will be required to do all the research for their film. At the end of that week the teams will turn in a synopsis of what their research has uncovered.
• Over the second week the teams are to write a script and storyboard ideas for their films. I will spend part of the lecture time discussing the nature and purpose of storyboarding. I will teach the students the finer points of using a Mini-DV camera and will begin filming over this second week. At the end of the week, students are required to turn in a script and their storyboards.
• The third week will be altogether consumed with filming. At the end of the week students will be required to submit a copy of some of the footage they have been filming.
• Over the fourth and fifth week the students will be using Adobe Premiere to edit their visual masterpieces. Much time will be devoted over the first three weeks to teach the students how to use the Adobe Premiere software. On the last day of the fifth week and the first day of the sixth week the teams will present their films.

The films will be graded primarily on how well they covered their assigned information. Creativity and technique will also be under scrutiny. Throughout the course of these five weeks I will present PowerPoint lectures equipped with the requisite pictures and animations that will serve as a basic framework for the students’ research.

Become Who You Were Born To Be

Nelson Mandela Quote
Here's the quote from Nelson Mandela that we discussed in class:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

I've actually used this quote a few times during the opportunities that I have had to teach church lessons, and give talks. It is very empowering. It inspires me to lift myself above this mortal coil and become something truly great. Words like these are what has motivated me to not stop with a BA in History but to move on to graduate school so that I may eventually teach at the university level. I am by nature a dreamer. I have hopes and aspirations that I am committing my life to realizing. My religious affiliation has given me a glimpse of my eternal possibility. Mandela gives me a sense of what is truly possible, here and now.

Copyright and Security: A Reflection

I found our discussion of ethics last week to be the most rewarding time we have spent in class. That is not to say that learning the innerworkings of an aggregator was not refreshingly tittilating, but last Thursday my horizons were broadened and I was challenged, especially by the intricacies of copyright law.

I had no idea copyright law was such a behemoth of diversity. I find myself continually violating copyright when I find various pictures here and there to use for my ever increasing needs. I also find myself pondering the ethical use of music in the film I made for the lesson plan example assignment. I'm quite sure all of the music I used was protected by copyright, and by using it did I violate copyright law? Under the flexible copyright laws, I should be okay, since I used my film in an academic setting and I didn't use any of the music in its entirety. But, I did not research which pieces of music are under rigid copyright or flexible copyright. As a teacher, this is one of the most important aspects of copyright law that I can impart to my students. It is crucial that the student researches any artistic material they will use for its affixed copyright. When I have my students make films I will make sure they only use music that is protected under flexible copyright.

I find that when students, like myself, violate copyright laws it is largely due to ignorance. In this world of "easy access" due to the internet, it is essential that students are educated on all of the copyright laws to save them from ignorance. Also in this world of "easy access" comes the growing ease of the pernicious practice of cheating, which does not stem from ignorance. It is important for teachers to be aware of their students doings and capabilities. Keeping track of a student's written ability will help to quell forgery early before it becomes a serious problem. Teachers also must be aware of what their students are doing during tests. There is a veritable cornucopia of tools available to students who are looking for a little "helping hand" during a test. Teachers who make it a point not to hide behind a book during tests will help their students make the decision not to cheat.

A discussion of ethics is always valid no matter what the civilization or century. Even the more considering ethical values change with the time. As a teacher it is important to stay current with the fludity of ethics in public law, if personal ethics aren't so fluid. Teaching ethics in a classroom is just as important as teaching algebra, Alexander the Great, or the use of onomatopoeia.