Cycle of Liberation End of the Year Project
Created by PERRY BELLOW-HANDELMAN
Oakland teachers have voluntarily shared their creative and intellectual work with our Ethnic Studies teaching community. Please respect the library agreements for the materials linked below by crediting the creators when you use their materials.
Topics & Concepts: Cycle of Liberation Framework developed by Bobbie Harro, Systems of Oppression, Tactics of Change, Protagonist, Theme, Setting, Plot, Climax
Guiding Questions:
How do we liberate ourselves and our community from oppression?
How does becoming an agent for social change transform how we see and feel about ourselves?
Will telling imagined stories about liberation help us to imagine that change is possible?
Unit Sequence:
On the first day of instruction students are introduced to the Cycle of Liberation through lecture. They are presented with the objective of the final project - to create a story about a fictional character's journey through the stages of the cycle. Students identify which storytelling medium they would like to work in (Children's Book, Prezi, Rap, Short Story, Animation or Play). They are assigned a homework reading packet to help them understand the cycle in more depth.
On Day 2, students review the stages of the cycle and begin working with their project partners on their story concept. They identify the protagonist and setting of their story, the system of oppression they will confront as the story unfolds, and the tactics of change they will engage with.
On Day 3, students write their plot outline and identify all the Ethnic Studies terms they have learned during the school year which they will incorporate into their story.
On Days 4-8, students create the story material for each of the eight stages of the cycle. Depending on medium each team is working with (Children's Book, Prezi, Rap, Short Story, Animation or Play) the division of labor between partners will be different (illustration, writing, tech, set design, etc.)
The final days of the unit are for presentations (the number of days will depend on class size.) Audience members take notes during presentations. After each presentation, the teacher facilitates a brief class conversation about the story presented. Students write a final project reflection following their presentation.
Notes on Materials Included:
This folder includes all needed student materials and a background reading for teachers.
There is no unit plan however slides 1-21 of "Cycle of Liberation Lesson Slides" outline each day of instruction.
In a previous version of this unit, all students created Prezis. Slides 22-48 of "Cycle of Liberation Lesson Slides" include detailed directions for creating Prezis. Materials for creating Prezis are included in the 2015-2016 folder.