The Culture That Defines Me

Title of Project: The Culture That Defines Me

Schools and Teachers

Wantagh High School & Wantagh Middle School Teacher: Franco A. Zagari

ENL Proficiency Level | ENL Program | Standards | Technology

Transitioning, Expanding, Commanding | Stand-Alone | 6R2; 6R5 (RI); 6R6 (RI); 6R7; 6R9; 6W2(a-f); 6W7; 6SL1(a-d); 6SL3; 6SL4; 6SL5; 6SL6; 6L3(a-b); 6L4(a-d); 6L5(a-c); 6L6 | Google Classroom, Google Meet, Nearpod, Buncee

Assessments

Formative :

  • The day 1 assignment of having students define culture in their own words.

  • The checks for understanding in the assigned Newsela articles.

  • Successful completion of the Nearpod activity.

  • The outline and first drafts of the essay.

Summative:

  • The final essay.

  • The Buncee presentations.

Description

This is a middle school, stand-alone lesson that spans the course of about 7-10 online school days and was adapted for the remote learning setting. The lesson tackles the concept of culture and the many facets and definitions of the word - Going beyond ethnic background and traditions but the other "cultures” around us. Such as our school culture, the culture of our town, extracurriculars and everything else that defines us as individuals and as a community.

Content

I can define “culture.”

I can identify different aspects of my culture.

I can examine different aspects of culture around me.

I can identify the cultures of my school and my peers.

I can expand my definition of culture to include the various aspects of my life beyond ethnic background and family traditions.

Language

I can define “culture.”

I can acquire new vocabulary to help me build toward describing culture with more depth.

I can utilize my tier 2 and 3 vocabulary to present my work to my peers.

I can use transitional words and phrases in my writing to create a higher level essay.

I can use appropriate words and phrases in my presentation to make it more engaging and interesting to the viewers.

Technology

I can access all the materials I need from home via Mr. Zagari’s Google Classroom.

I can read the articles assigned on NewsELA.

I can watch the videos assigned.

I can show my knowledge of culture through the Nearpod assignment.

I can create and share my essay via Google Classroom.

I can participate in live class discussions via Google Meet.

I can present my final presentation to the class using Buncee.

Student work

LINK TO Wantagh UFSD Wantagh High School & Wantagh Middle School Work Samples:

Currently unavailable

Note: As of 5/28/20 the students are still working on their projects as it was changed and adapted from its original format to a remote learning plan. If I am able to get student samples before the celebration, they will be found here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QCHZl6joOsmXI5xtulAYuDxyEMj2xFY-

Procedure

NOTE: Originally, I had planned to begin the project around April, close to the spring break. The original goal was for students to examine the cultures around them and the cultures they were part of (not just their home culture/ethnic background, but also the school culture and the community culture that they are a part of every day. The original plan had the ELLs in my stand-alone classes conduct some research and collect data from their peers in their ELA class to contribute to the concept. The original plan included ELLs leading a Nearpod activity that they helped create, performed by the non ELL students during a portion of an ELA period. The end goal of the project was the same as it is now. However, when went to remote learning, I wanted to stick with the final project as much as I could. However organizing the involvement of non ELL students became a little too challenging and thus I just stuck to my own ELLs. Below are the adapted procedures for remote learning:

Day 1: On a Google Classroom assignment students answer a simple prompt: 1. Give your definition of culture: 2. Name something that is specific to your culture. It can be something about your cultural background: A food, a language, a religion, a tradition. OR it doesn’t have to be necessarily about your cultural background, heritage. It can be about a culture you belong to: A sports culture, popular culture, a school culture. The teacher then sends feedback and returns the assignments via Google Classroom.

Days 2-4: The students are then assigned 4 articles on Newsela that relate to culture. The custom made text set was created by the teacher: Meaning of Emotion Words - An article that describes the depth and the meaning of emotion words in different languages and cultures (such as “love”) https://newsela.com/read/what-is-love/id/2000004131/

Gossip in Our Culture - Examines the world of blogging, social media, and gossip in pop-culture. A great example of the concept of “a culture” outside of ethnic background. https://newsela.com/read/gossip-culture/id/53216/

Europe: Its Geography and People - A solid example of how cultures are influenced through history and geography. https://newsela.com/read/lib-europe-human-geography/id/45346/

Cooking Their Way Around the World - An article about an after school cooking program in the DC area. The article focuses on the program as well as world food cultures, which serves as a great bridge to for teaching the concept of “school culture” and the cultures we around us that we are part of in everyday life. https://newsela.com/read/elem-students-cook-world-cuisine/id/43802/

Students are given 3 school days to read all of the articles independently and do the quiz questions on NewsELA.

Day 5: Students must complete an assignment on Google Classroom that checks for understanding (and completion) of the articles. Students must write one short paragraph (appx. 8-10 sentences) talking about the different types of cultures described in the articles they read.

Day 6: Live discussion on Google Meet. This discussion gives the class an opportunity to hold a forum with each other and discuss their findings and understandings so that they may learn from each other. It also gives the instructor the time and opportunity to clear up any issues the students may have. The instructor can then give a preview of what’s to come.

Day 7: Nearpod check for understanding. The Nearpod activity is a great tool to give the instructor an opportunity to give a formative assessment, while providing a fun, engaging, and different activity for the students. Nearpod is a great tool because it is multifaceted and can “quiz” students on their knowledge in different ways (unlike other apps that may only “quiz” children with multiple choice questions). The Nearpod activity draws from the articles read, asking students to read, write, reflect, and draw (their favorite). For this Nearpod activity, students will obviously do the student-paced activity on their own. The structure of the Nearpod activity also creates the base for the final assessment.

Days 8-9: Essay outline. Students will be given their writing assignment and will be asked to create an outline. The writing assignment asks students to examine the cultures around them and define who they are based on the cultures that they identify with most. The students will write a 4-5 paragraph essay. First, they will create an outline. The instructor can create a template for the outline (for everyone or based on student needs), or the students may create their own based on their level or previous experiences creating an outline. (We’ve had much practice with outlines this year, so I am asking my students to create their own as part of the assignment). The instructor will provide feedback through comments on Google Classroom for the outline. One on one Google Meets may be required for students struggling to organize thoughts.

Days 9 - 11: Drafting. Students will organize their essay into paragraphs. The instructor will leave comments via Google and days 10 and 11 will be used for individual (one on one) Google Meet sessions to discuss the progress of the writing.

Days 12 - 14: Students will be given 3 days to finish the final essay (3 school days or 2 school days with a weekend).

Days 15-17: Students will be given 3 days to create a Buncee presentation about their project. The Buncee will take us through the project and the findings of the students. The students will then be able to show their understanding of the concept as well as give them the forum to talk about themselves and what defines them based on the many facets of culture: Their cultural background and where they come from, their passions, their place in our school’s culture, and the culture of our community and their role in it. Students will be given the option to record their voices or present live when we go through the presentations on Google Meet on Day 18.

Day 18: Live Google Meet for presentations. We’re going to give it a try!


Resources and Other Materials

  • Buncee

  • Nearpod

  • NewsELA

  • Google Classroom

  • Google Meet

Reflection

While I am still in the middle of the project, I do have a broader reflection. The PD we receive and the resources provided to us through the grant (especially ones that require subscriptions), have really prepared us for remote learning and has really made the transition to remote learning seamless not only for us as instructors but also our students. With the exception of (sometimes vital) face to face time with my ELLs, much of the rest has been very similar to our everyday activities and the students’ proficiency with the technology was established well before this virus came along thanks to the resources provided by the grant. The resources also help the students remain engaged, creative, and help them have fun during the learning process. All of us go above and beyond as many of them desperately need that extra hand, and extra pat on the back. To provide them with as many resources The abundance of resources also allowed me to rework my project from its original plan to one that could be adapted for remote learning. While some major changes had to be made to the learning process, the final essay and project remained the same.