The Power of Words, the Media, "Alternative Facts," Memes, and rumors
"Words, Images, and the Damage They Can Cause"
A PBL Unit for ELA (Grade 10)
Duration: Three to Four Weeks
As any English teaher knows, English Class is about more than just reading or writing. While the ability to read and write are of critical importance, English teachers know it is about so much more. Specifically, key concepts associated with tour lessons involve the ability to consider different ideas and formulate opinions. Through our efforts to incorporate Critical thinking, reading, writing and discussion, our students learn a great deal about who they are and who they want to become.
In order to enhance reading skills, writing skills, Critical thinking skills and discussion skills, it is important to find ways to engage our students in meaningful activities. One way to do so is to involve our students in Project Based Learning. Specifically, we can plan a unit that is, in essence, an experiment about the power of the written word, as well as the power of Meme theory ("an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture") and the importance of formulating one's own opinions. Ultimately, by associating lessons with events that have occurred (and are occurring) in our world, our students will truly understand the value of carefully choosing their words and the value of formulatingtheir own viewpoints.
Through this project, students will research concepts associated with what writing "says" about a person, as well as how powerful memes can be and how dangerous it can be to jump to conclusions. They will research false headlines ("Dewey Defeats Truman", recording of original radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds", video of Bigfoot, reports on Ebola panic, panic over Y2K) and false tweets / social media posts to determine the harm that they caused. They will also research what it means to formulate educated opinions, by ooking at the presssure to conform endured by such great historical icons as Abraham LIncoln, MLK, Barak Obama and the like. By scrutinizing examples from history and from current events, students will gain a healthy respect for all of these ideas. As Shakespeare once wrote, "To thine own self be true." His words truly reflect the undertones of the lessons students will learn through this experience.
Through this project, students will get a "first hand look" at the power of words. Students will create scripts for podcasts, scripts that will center around false headlines. Some students will read their scripts in a monotone manner; others will read their scripts with great vigor. Then, they will track which headline was accepted more readily and why that was the case. I suspect that the headlines read with more enthousiasm, regardless of how outlandish they are, will be believed by more people.
To document their findings, students will be chronicling their discoveries in blogs. They will also be creating various social media posts that are meant to test the key ideas associated with this project. Their blogs will be the basis of the evidence they use when creating presentations that demonstrates the power of the written word, the power of social media, the validity of Meme theory, and the importance of educated opinions.
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A Project Based Learning Unit about the impact that images and words can have on people's viewpoints.
Image credit: Dr. Rice, Boise State University. All background images obtained from Dr. Rice.
Duration of the Unit: About Six Weeks
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Welcome to this PBL site! The site is meant to assist you when you are creating your own PBL lessons. To give you a better understanding of what this lesson involves, you are being provided with a little bit of background regarding the methods used in creating this assignment.
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Most ELA teachers (and teachers in general) know that these days it is very important to find ways to engage students in the lessons we plan. Kids today have grown up in the Digital Age, and they often know more about technology at a young age than many teachers do as adults. More importantly, they typically have spent a great deal of time texting their friends, posting on Facebook, and using other types of social media. As such, they are used to the near instant gratification that they get from responses to their posts. In other words, as teachers we must find ways to "hook them on a lesson idea" and "keep them hooked". Gone are the days of "Sit and Get instruction," repetitive use of worksheets, or simple research projects that take a few minutes for students to research. We must plan units that tie into our students' interests, ones that have real-world implications. Otherwise, they may tune us out quicker than they can click a mouse or press "send."
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With all of this in mind, it is important to consider the power of social media, the power of the written word, and the damage that both can do. Teachers are constantly telling students that they need to be careful with regard to what they post, and many educators make every effort to provide students with real-world examples of social media posts that were written poorly or that were written without much forethought. These examples have often gotten their attention, but it is also important to find something more to keep them "hooked." That's where Meme Theory and the power of false messages became integral parts of this unit.
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Basically, in The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins discusses Memetic Theory. It centers around the idea that thoughts "travel" through a cultural group or social group like our genes transfer genetic material. The "unit of culture" (an idea or belief or pattern of behavior) is "hosted" in the minds of individuals and can "reproduce itself" in others. It's similar to the way a rumor spreads. More information about Memetic Theory can be found here.
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Since teenagers are constantly using social media and seem to be interested in rumors, this project is meant to attempt to "measure" the impact that a Meme or false information could have on others. The idea is that it would be interesting to have students learn about Memetic theory and see how it applies to their lives.
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Through this unit, many examples of recordings, videos, and articles will be examined as well. In essence, students will begin their journey by listening to a recording of the original "War of the Worlds" broadcast, a transmission that had so many Americans in a panic in the early half of the 20th Century. They will look at newspapers and other artifacts to see just how powerful this pre-planned event was, and they will then begin discussion about words and the power that they have.
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Ultimately, students will be writing scripts for their own podcasts or videos. These podcasts / videos will be created in a way that others may believe them like people believed the "War of the Worlds" broadcast. Students will then track the responses in a blog / with Google Forms and ultimately present their findings to a panel of media experts, parents, and educators. It should make for a truly interesting experience!
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In any respect, please see the rest of this site for more information about PBL, this lesson, and other resources.
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Thank you for your interest in PBL!
Buck Institute link- Information about creating PBL units
Engage: Original "War of the Worlds" broadcast (Entry Event). Click the image to access broadcast.
Images from Unsplash.com
